John Lescroart - The Motive

Out in the real world, many friends and colleagues play more or less continuing roles in my career and my life. My incredible assistant, Anita Boone, goes a long way toward making every workday productive, efficient and fun. She's also a mind reader (which helps, believe me), an unparalleled genius of an organizer and a tireless and cheerful detail person, who bears no resemblance whatever to Dismas Hardy's Phyllis, and that is high praise indeed. My great friend, the talented novelist Max Byrd, is a much-cherished regular source of both inspiration and motivation. Don Matheson, perennial best man, remains just that. Frank Seidl, besides keeping me up on my wine knowledge, has a knack for joy that is infectious and much appreciated. Karen Hlavacek is a fantastic proofreader whom I can't thank enough. On general principles, I'd just like to acknowledge my brothers, Michael and Emmett; Kathryn and Mark Detzer; Rick Montgomery; Glenn Nedwin; Andy Jalakas; Tom Hedtke; Tom Stienstra ("Men love him. Fish fear him."); and Bob Zaro.

Several characters in this book owe their names (although no physical or personality traits, which are all fictional) to individuals whose contributions to various charities have been especially generous. These people (and their respective charities) include Lisa Ravel (Sutter Medical Center Foundation); Mary Monroe-Rodman (Court Appointed Special Advocates-"CASA"-ofYolo County); and Jan Saunders (Monterey County Library Foundation).

My children, Justine and Jack, inform and enrich every moment of my life and my writing with their great selves. I love you both immensely.

Last, but by no means least, I'd like to thank my agent, Barney Karpfinger, for all of his continuing efforts on my behalf. I am forever in your debt, my friend, and remain delighted to work with you every day.

John Lescroart is the author of seventeen previous novels, including The Hunt Club, The Motive, The Second Chair, The First Law, The Oath, The Hearing, and Nothing But the Truth. He lives with his wife and two children in Northern California.