Linda Fairstein - Cold Hit

Although my beloved pal Jane Stanton Hitchcock lives a shuttle flight away from me now, her fictional counterpart is ever present on the pages of this book. It was more reliable to research the art world capers with a phone call to Jane than through the texts.

I am deeply grateful to Vineyard friends, who help sustain and encourage me through long summer days, when writing novels seems to be the least likely way to pass the time. To Ann and Vernon Jordan, with enormous respect and boundless affection; and Louise and Henry Grunwald, with great admiration and eternal gratitude. Their morning phone calls boost my spirits and dinners together nourish my soul.

My prosecutorial patron saint remains Bob Morgenthau. I have been fortunate to have had the benefit of his guidance, his integrity, and his wisdom for a quarter of a century. The women and men of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office-and especially my devoted friends and colleagues in the Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit-are the best in the business. Along with our counterparts in the New York Police Department and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, they continue to work on the side of the angels. Survivors of violent crimes who come forward with courage and fortitude, and trust our ability to do justice for them, have my profound esteem.

Last year I lost two friends, each of great spirit and heart. Whenever Alex Cooper goes to the ballet-as she does here with Natalie Moody-she will be watching the dancers at American Ballet Theatre and honoring Howard Gilman, an extraordinary man whose spirit lives on in all of those-man and beast-whom he embraced.

And my young protégée, Maxine Pfeffer, who lost her valiant struggle with cancer, will always be Coop’s paralegal, Max. Thinking of her will forever bring a smile to my face.

Some of my Vassar classmates asked me to create a character-in memory of one of our dear friends, the actress Marilyn Swartz Seven, who also died too young. She is here as a woman of mystery-a role I hope she would have enjoyed performing.

The crews at Scribner and at Pocket Books have been a delight. I am especially grateful to Susan Moldow, for her support; John Fontana, for his stunning design; Giulia Melucci, for her relentless and enthusiastic efforts on my behalf; and Sunshine Lucas, for her patience and efficiency.

My thanks to all the booksellers and librarians who continue to put this series in the hands of readers, and to readers who wait for more.

The collaboration with Susanne Kirk, friend and editor, has been one of the blessings of this business. She has helped me make this a better book.

I have seen so many books dedicated to Esther Newberg in the last year that I have run out of superlatives for her. The best thing my husband ever did for me, other than ask me to marry him, was to introduce me to Esther-brilliant agent, brilliant friend.

My family remains my most precious gift. My only regret is that my father-the gentlest man I’ve ever known, who introduced me to this genre when I was a child-did not live long enough to see the joy this career has given me. But I thank my amazing mother, Alice, and all the Fairsteins-Guy, Marisa, Lisa, and Marc-for their support, and the Feldmans and Zavislans-Diane, Jane, Jan, Matthew, and Alexander-for theirs as well.

Most of all, I am constantly inspired by the love of the most wonderful continuing character in this series-and in my life-Justin Feldman. He has made all my dreams come true.

Linda Fairstein, America’s foremost prosecutor of crimes of sexual assault and domestic violence, has run the Sex Crimes Unit of the District Attorney’s Office in Manhattan for more than two decades. A Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, she is a graduate of Vassar College and the University of Virginia School of Law. She is the author of two earlier international best-selling Alexandra Cooper novels, Final Jeopardy and Likely to Die , as well as the nonfiction book Sexual Violence, a New York Times Notable Book in 1994. She lives with her husband in Manhattan and on Martha’s Vineyard.