John Burley - The Absence of Mercy

I would like to thank my editors, David Highfill and Jessica Williams, for their keen recognition of what did and did not serve the story well in its original form. This is a much different novel because of them, and it was their endless patience, clear vision, and untiring commitment that saw us through. Thanks also go to the folks at HarperCollins for their warm welcome and for all of the hard work that goes into a venture such as this. Paul Lucas is my outstanding agent, who shepherds me through the world of publishing with a rare combination of talent, thoughtfulness, and quiet confidence, and who calmly anchors me when the waters get choppy.

Claire Dippel reviewed my initial manuscript submission to Janklow & Nesbit and responded to my subsequent inquiries with both professionalism and uncommon kindness. Erin and Wilson Lem put me in touch with the appropriate people when the timing was right. The following individuals provided early reads of the original manuscript, proofread my work, offered sound advice, or simply bolstered me with their enthusiasm along the way: Dennis, Carolyn, and Mark Beuerle; Kristin and Kevin Lester; Leon, Dudley, and Georgana Gearhart; Shane Libby; Alicia Kramer; Artie and Margy Lynnworth; Beth Keegstra; and Heidi Troutner.

Certain medical details in this book are drawn from knowledge and experience acquired during my own training as a physician, but I have also utilized several medical texts for assistance, including Frank H. Netter’s timeless Atlas of Human Anatomy and Principles of Medical Biochemistry by Gerhard Meisenberg and William H. Simmons. As I am not a pathologist, a forensic odontologist, nor a law enforcement officer, I humbly ask for the reader’s forgiveness regarding any errors or inaccuracies related to these fields.

Finally, I want to thank my amazing wife, Dr. Lorie Gearhart, for being my first reader, for answering my questions about psychiatry, sociopathy, and mental illness, for providing creative suggestions regarding problems I encountered with plot and characters, for being a source of unwavering support, and for tolerating my obsession with this novel and the not-so-subtle intrusion it has imposed on our lives. It is to her and our young daughter that this book is dedicated.

JOHN BURLEYattended medical school in Chicago and completed his residency in emergency medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. He currently serves as an emergency medicine physician in Northern California, where he lives with his wife and daughter, and their Great Dane and English bulldog. This is his first novel.

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“From the ominous first line to the haunting epilogue, John Burley catapults the reader into a chiller of a debut thriller. Harlan Coben meets Patricia Cornwell in an idyllic suburbia stalked by a predator that will leave an indelible mark long after the final page is turned.”

“Will send chills down your spine. A taut psychological thriller, The Absence of Mercy delves into the hearts and minds of a variety of characters… and pushes the boundaries of our understanding of the lengths a parent will go to protect their child.”

“In the tradition of Robin Cook and Kathy Reichs, John Burley brings murder to small-town America. And like those bestselling novels, The Absence of Mercy is written by an expert who can also tell a really good tale. This one oozes authenticity.”

“Riveting, disturbing, and complex, John Burley’s The Absence of Mercy is impossible to put down. The suspense starts early and is unrelenting until the very end.”

“It’s become a cliché to say you read a book in one sitting, and it’s not true here. I had to get up in the middle of The Absence of Mercy for a drink to calm my nerves.”

Cover design by Adam Johnson

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This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

THE ABSENCE OF MERCY. Copyright © 2013 by John Burley. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

FIRST EDITION

ISBN 978-0-06-222737-9

EPub Edition DECEMBER 2013 ISBN: 9780062227393

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