Confessions on the 7:45(105)

My agent, Amy Berkower, her assistant, Meridith Viguet, and the stellar team at Writers House offer all manner of support, helping me navigate the big waters of the writing life. I am so grateful for their wisdom, organization, passion and dedication. I feel very fortunate to have such exemplary representation.

My deep and heartfelt thanks to my editor, Erika Imranyi. Her patience, wisdom, intelligence and loving editorial guidance took this book from the best I could make it to the best it could be. I am so grateful for her skills as an editor and her sterling friendship. The rest of the team at Park Row Books—from powerhouse VP of editorial Margaret Marbury to publicist extraordinaire Roxanne Jones to eagle-eyed copy editor Jennifer Stimson—could not be more thoughtful, engaged and dedicated. I am grateful for the vision of the art department, the tireless and often overlooked efforts of the production team and the intrepid spirit of the sales force.

I am blessed with a vast network of family and friends, who tirelessly brag about me and promote my books. My parents, Joseph and Virginia Miscione, and my brother, Joe, are out there endlessly spreading the word and facing books out on shelves across the country. Erin Mitchell is an early reader, voice of reason, champion and wonderful friend. Heather Mikesell has been one of the first readers of almost everything I have written. Nothing feels done until she has read it.

A writer is nothing without her readers. And I am blessed beyond measure to have such a warm, loving and supportive group of family, friends and faithful longtime fans who read, promote and turn up at events locally and around the country. Thank you for showing up, for spreading the word and for reading. It means more than you can know.

This is a work of fiction, but all fiction is rooted in truth, and research is a big part of my process. The Confidence Game by Maria Konnikova brought me deep inside the mind of the con artist. Liespotting: Proven Techniques to Detect Deception by Pamela Meyer, and the author’s fascinating TED Talk, informed my understanding of why and how people lie. That said, all mistakes and liberties taken for the sake of fiction are mine.