Peter James: Dead Tomorrow

So many officers of Sussex Police have given me their time and wisdom and tolerated me hanging out with them, as well as answered my endless questions, that it is almost impossible to list them all, but I’m trying here, and please forgive any omissions. Detective Chief Superintendent Kevin Moore; Chief Superintendent Graham Bartlett; Chief Superintendent Peter Coll; Chief Superintendent Chris Ambler; DCI Adam Hibbert; DCI Trevor Bowles; Chief Inspector Stephen Curry; DCI Paul Furnell; Scientific Support Branch Manager, Brian Cook; Stuart Leonard; Tony Case; DI William Warner; DCI Nick Sloan; DI Jason Tingley; Chief Inspector Steve Brookman; Inspector Andrew Kundert; Inspector Roy Apps; Sgt Phil Taylor; Ray Packham and Dave Reed of the High-Tech Crime Unit; Sergeant James Bowes; PC Georgie Edge; Inspector Rob Leet; Inspector Phil Clarke; Sgt Mel Doyle; PC Tony Omotoso; PC Ian Upperton; PC Andrew King; Sgt Malcolm (Choppy) Wauchope; PC Darren Balcombe; Sgt Sean McDonald; PC Danny Swietlik; PC Steve Cheesman; PC Andy McMahon; Sgt Justin Hambloch; Chris Heaver; Martin Bloomfield; Ron King; Robin Wood; Sgt Lorna Dennison-Wilkins and the team at the Specialist Search Unit; Sue Heard, Press and PR Officer; Louise Leonard; James Gartrell; and Peter Wiedemann of the Munich LKA.

And I owe an extremely special and massive thanks to the terrific team at the Brighton and Hove Mortuary, Elsie Sweetman, Victor Sindon, Sean Didcott. And also to Dr Nigel Kirkham.

Two people gave me the most extraordinarily personal insights into the world of liver failure and transplants – Zahra Priddle and James Sarsfield Watson – both recent recipients of new livers. Both Zahra and James’s wonderful family, Séamus Watson, Cathy Sarsfield Watson and Kathleen Sarsfield Watson added so much to this book.

I am indebted in my education into liver disease and related medical matters to the kindness of Professor Sir Roy York Calnes; Dr John Ramage; Dr Nick Vaughan; the wonderful Dr Abid Suddle of King’s College Hospital, who really helped me through some of the hardest technical parts of liver disease and the transplantation processes; Dr Walid Faraj; Gill Wilson; Linda Selves; Dr Duncan Stewart; Dr Jane Somerville; Dr Jonathan Pash; Coroner Dr Peter Dean; Forensic Pathologist Dr Benjamin Swift; Dr Ben Sharp; Christine Elding, Royal Sussex County Hospital Transplant Coordinator; Sarah Davies; and Dr Caroline Thomsett.

Thank you to Joanne Dale, who gave me great insights into the world of a teenager, and to Annabel Skok, who gave me great wisdom from the younger perspective.

Thanks also to Peter Wingate Saul, Adrian Briggs and Phil Homan; Peter Faulding of Specialist Group International; Juliet Smith, Chief Magistrate of Brighton and Hove; Paul Grzegorzek; Abigail Bradley and Matt Greenhalgh, Director of Forensics at Orchid Cellmark Forensics; Tim Moore, Ray Marshall and all crew of the Arco Dee dredger, especially Sam Janes, the supercook! Mel Johnson, Head of the Child Trafficking Unit at CEOP; STOP (Trafficking) UK ( www.stop-uk.org ); Samantha Godec of City Lights; and Sally Albeury. Very special thanks to Nicky Mitchell, and to Jessica Butcher of Tessera Group PLC. And to Graham Lewis, my lock-up garage specialist!

I owe a big debt to my team in Romania – my agent Simona Kessler; my wonderful publishers there, Valentin and Angelique Nicolau; Michael and Jane Nicholson of Fara Homes; Rupert Wolfe Murray; and thanks also for the passionate and invaluable enthusiasm of Ian Tilling MBE. And in Germany to Hans-Jürgen Stockerl and to Anette Lippert.

As ever, thank you Chris Webb of MacService for keeping my computer alive despite all the abuse I give it! Very big and special thanks to Anna-Lisa Lindeblad, who has again been my tireless and wonderful ‘unofficial’ editor and commentator throughout the Roy Grace series, and to Sue Ansell, whose sharp eye for detail has saved me many an embarrassment.

Professionally, once again, I have a total dream team: the wonderful Carole Blake representing me, together with Oli Munson; my awesome publicists, Tony Mulliken, Amelia Knight and Claire Barnett of Midas PR; and there is simply not enough space to say a proper thank you to everyone at Macmillan, but I must mention my brilliant new editor, Maria Rejt, and say a big thank you to her for her wisdom and experience. Stef Bierwerth was a hard act to follow.

As ever, Helen has been my rock, keeping me nourished with saintly patience and constant wisdom.

My canine friends continue to keep me sane. A big welcome to our new addition, the ever-cheerful Coco, who has now joined Oscar and Phoebe under my desk, waiting to pounce on any discarded pages of manuscript that should fall to the floor and dutifully shred them…

Lastly, thank you, my readers, for all the incredible support you give me. Keep those blog posts and emails coming!

Peter James

Sussex, England

scary@pavilion.co.uk

www.peterjames.com