For information on wilderness searches, I’m deeply indebted to retired New Hampshire Fish and Game conservation officer Rick Estes for sharing his stories and walking me through best practices. For survival tips and tools, I’m also appreciative of Steve Sanborn from New Hampshire Outdoor Learning Center for his daylong survival course. Most fun playing with fire I’ve ever had. And like Frankie, I’m now obsessed with the rule of threes.
For readers interested in learning more about the number of people who have disappeared on national public lands, I highly recommend the novel The Cold Vanish, by Jon Billman. I also loved discovering the real-life role Bigfoot hunters have played in searching for missing hikers. For more information, check out North America Bigfoot Search as well as the Olympic Project. Please understand my novel is a work of fiction and all mistakes are mine and mine alone.
As a dog lover, I’ve always been amazed by the incredible skills of working canines. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting various dog teams over the years. Fictional Daisy came from a real-life story I heard from one of the handlers—how she rescued a pup during one of her deployments and brought it home to be a pet, only to have the goofy mutt surpass all her purebred charges and become her all-time best searcher. To all the Daisys out there, and the humans who fall madly in love with them, this story is for you.
Speaking of rescued animals, congratulations to Lisa Rowell and Laurie Banks, who won character-naming rights after a ferocious bidding war in honor of the Conway Area Humane Society. Lisa chose to have her own name immortalized, while Laurie Banks requested a part in honor of her late birth father, Jim Kelley. My deepest appreciation for your generous donations on behalf of the shelter, and I hope you both enjoy the finished result.
In other good news, there were two lucky winners of the annual Kill a Friend, Maim a Buddy/Mate sweepstakes at www.LisaGardner.com. Joanne Cobb won the right for Bobby Monfort to meet a grand end, while Anna Hajlasz nominated herself for fictional fun. Anyone wishing you could also die in one of my novels, the contest is once again open for business. Dream big!
My love to my family and friends, many of whom heard about the making of this book way too much and too often. To Michelle and Larissa, my favorite hiking partners in crime, who also thought spending a day playing with fire in a wilderness survival course was a good idea. To my neighbors Pam and Glenda, who’ve taught me most of what I know about hiking and, given their nearly encyclopedic memory for trails, continue to recommend new challenges. To Bob, for sharing his own memories of hiking days past while beating me at cribbage, and to Carol, for support and general cheerleading along the way.
To my daughter, fellow booklover, and preferred brainstorming partner, who is now launching an exciting new chapter of her life. I am so incredibly proud of you, and miss you already. Can’t wait to see where your story goes next.
Finally, in a year and a half that’s been like nothing any of us could’ve expected, my deepest gratitude to my publishing team for hanging in there for all the highs and lows, including my brilliant editors Mark Tarvani and Selina Walker, and my crack agent, Meg Ruley. I’m also so impressed by local bookstores and libraries, who truly went above and beyond to keep us bibliophiles well supplied. Finally, my love to my readers, for sharing the ride and never forgetting the best way to deal with anything is to get lost in a good book.
Looking forward to seeing you all in person someday soon.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisa Gardner is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-three suspense novels, including The Neighbor, which won Thriller of the Year from the International Thriller Writers. An avid hiker, traveler, and cribbage player, she lives in the mountains of New Hampshire with her family.