I am forever indebted to my agent, the inimitable Juliet Mushens. There aren’t enough thanks in the world for her, but I’ll keep sending the pink bubbly as a poor substitute.
I must thank Stuart MacBride too, for my continued misappropriation of his name. What started as a joke between friends all those years ago has rather grown out of control.
Thanks as ever to Barbara for keeping me just about sane. I still do some of the heavy lifting on the farm, but she pretty much runs it day to day now. Without her, this book would have taken a lot longer to write.
David Erskine provided me with much of the information about procedure and technology I have used in the book. If it’s right, then that’s down to him. Wrong is all me. Many others have helped me along the way. Too many to name here, but you know who you are. Thank you everyone. I owe you at least a drink or two.
And finally my thanks to the good folks at Gilmerton Cove, who showed me round on a wet Saturday in January 2014. Yes, it’s a real place, although I may have embellished it a little. Away from the beaten track of Edinburgh tourist attractions, it’s something of a hidden gem, fascinating and eerie. If you find yourself in the capital looking for something to do, I thoroughly recommend a visit. You can find details at www.gilmertoncove.org.uk. Hopefully there won’t be any murdered journalists down there when you go.
THE BEGINNING
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Michael Joseph is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com.
First published 2015
Copyright © James Oswald, 2015
The moral right of the author has been asserted
ISBN: 978-1-405-91712-4