The Closer I Get

by Paul Burston

  Good old Emma. You can always count on me.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Thanks to my agent, David H Headley, for finding me a new home, and to Karen Sullivan and all at Orenda for making me feel so welcome.

  Thanks to my publicist, Sophie Goodfellow, and all at FMcM Associates for their support.

  A number of people helped bring this book closer to the one you hold in your hand. For their encouragement and feedback, I’m indebted to Matt Bates, Jane Gregory, Paulo Kadow, V.G. Lee and Rebecca Lloyd.

  Thanks to Angus Hamilton for advice on court procedures, Ed Hall for information on spyware and Gareth Evans for help with other legal queries. Any mistakes are entirely my own.

  Thanks also to Susie Boyt, Marina Brasil, Elaine Burston, Alexis Gregory, Lorna Lloyd, Karen McLeod, Sarah Sanders, Paul Watson, The Hastings Gang and The Polari Posse.

  The crime writing community is famously supportive – and none more so than my criminally savvy author pals on Facebook. Hardly a day goes by when I’m not encouraged, entertained or inspired by your posts and comments. Thank you, one and all.

  Thanks also to the booksellers, bloggers, event organisers, librarians and reviewers who work so tirelessly to support authors.

  Last but not least, thanks to you, my readers. Without you, I’m nothing.

  Paul Burston, Hastings, March 2019

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Paul Burston is the author of five novels and the editor of two shortstory collections. His most recent novel, The Black Path, was longlisted for the Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize 2016 and was a bestseller at WHSmith. His first novel, Shameless, was shortlisted for the State of Britain Award; his third novel, Lovers & Losers, was shortlisted for a Stonewall Award and his fourth, The Gay Divorcee, was optioned for television. He was a founding editor of Attitude magazine and has written for many publications including the Guardian, the Independent, Time Out, The Times and the Sunday Times. In March 2016, he was featured in the British Council’s #FiveFilms4Freedom Global List 2016, celebrating ‘33 visionary people who are promoting freedom, equality and LGBT rights around the world’. He is the founder and host of London’s award-winning LGBT+ literary salon Polari and founder and chair of the Polari First Book Prize for new writing and the Polari Prize for established authors.

  Follow Paul on Twitter @PaulBurston and visit his website: www.paulburston.com.

  COPYRIGHT

  Orenda Books

  16 Carson Road

  West Dulwich

  London SE21 8HU

  www.orendabooks.co.uk

  First published in the United Kingdom by Orenda Books, 2019

  Copyright © Paul Burston, 2019

  Paul Burston has asserted his moral right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publishers.

  A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  Paperback ISBN 978–1–912374–77–9

  Hardback ISBN 978–1–912374–89–2

  eISBN 978–1–912374–78–6