So she swallows back the full, unedited truth and forces a smile. Reaching out she gives Rick’s hand a squeeze. ‘I’m doing much better, thanks.’
He squeezes her hand back, and just for a moment she allows herself to imagine what things would be like if her real name was Moira Flynn and she didn’t have to hide her biggest secrets. As she looks into Rick’s kind eyes, she wishes she really could start over with the blank slate that the police doc used to talk about.
Letting go of Rick’s hand, she turns away towards the water. The smile dies on her lips. Because for her, no matter how hard she tries, she’ll never be able to truly escape from the past. What the police doc said was just psychobabble bullshit.
There never will be a tabula rasa.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I had the idea for this book after going on a house-hunting excursion with my stepmom – Donna – in Florida. Recently widowed, she was considering the idea of moving to a large retirement community with all kinds of amenities （golf, swimming pools, etc.） right on her doorstep and a packed calendar of social activities and events on tap. In the end she decided it wasn’t a good fit for her, but from the viewings and the conversation about pros and cons （and I guess me thinking about ageing and getting older myself） my creative juices started flowing and the Retired Detectives Club was born. Sadly Donna passed away suddenly in April 2021 so although she knew her house hunt had been the inspiration for this book, she never got to read it. I’d like to think that if she’d had the chance she would have enjoyed it.
The book was still a seed of an idea when I first discussed it with the wonderful Jack Butler, and I’m eternally grateful to him for seeing the potential in it and being excited enough to take me, and the retired detectives, on to the Thomas & Mercer list before the book was even written.
It’s been a lot of fun writing this book, especially because the T&M team are so fantastic. Massive thanks to my new editor – the brilliant Hannah Bond – whose fabulous enthusiasm and guidance has helped craft this book from initial to final draft, and develop the world and the look of the Retired Detectives Club. I absolutely love working with you. And a super grateful shout out to my other awesome new editor, Leodora Darlington, for leaping into the breach while Hannah is on leave and expertly guiding this book out into the world. You are a total joy to work with.
Another huge thank you goes to the great Ian Pindar whose enthusiasm, structural editing input and insights have been invaluable in getting this book into the best shape possible. And a big thanks to Sadie Mayne and Gill Harvey for your fabulous work in copy-editing and proofing, and to Dolly Emmerson for skilfully guiding me through the production process.
To the whole T&M team – you are all a dream to work with.
A massive thank you goes to my fantastic agent Oli Munson – a legend and a wise adviser – to whom I owe so much. And to all at A M Heath, for always being fabulous.
As ever, a huge thank you goes to all my family and friends for your encouragement and support （and understanding when I lock myself away writing for hours on end）。
And last, but very definitely not least, to all the readers, bloggers, reviewers, fellow crime writers and everyone who has supported me – thank you! You are all wonderful and I couldn’t do this writing lark without you.
If you’d like to find out more about me, you can hop over to my website at www.stephbroadribb.com or get in touch via Twitter （@crimethrillgirl） or Facebook （@CrimeThrillerGirl） – it’s always great to connect.