by Paul Cleave
Future Jerry, let me tell you about Suzan.
Madness Diary, let me tell you how my life as a killer began. . . .
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Out of the nine novels I’ve written so far, this one has been the most fun for me, and perhaps the most personal. In the book, Jerry keeps saying “write what you know,” and for the first time I’ve gotten to do that. There is plenty in Jerry’s life that is similar to my own—and of course there is plenty that isn’t. For a start, he’s older (though that’ll obviously change one day) and, Alzheimer’s aside, he’s in better shape than I am. He went to university, I didn’t. He has a wife and a daughter, I don’t. We are both closet trekkies, both drink G&Ts, and we have the same artwork hanging in our offices—the King Kong Escapes print hangs near my desk, and of course there’s the music. Each of the books I’ve written has a soundtrack—a very loud soundtrack that blasts throughout the house and half the neighborhood. Why so loud? Because I don’t want to hear myself sing. Nobody wants that. The Laughterhouse was written to The Doors, Cemetery Lake to Pink Floyd, Joe Victim to Bruce Springsteen. Others have had The Killers, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles . . . the line in the book about the music Jerry listens to being immortal—that’s truly what I believe. This book was actually written to the tunes of David Gray—he’s always been one of my favorites, and I’ve pretty much been binge listening to him for the last year or so. In fact, I started learning guitar recently, and it’s David Gray songs that I practice with.
The last few books were written in a variety of countries, but this one was all New Zealand. Half in the summer and half in the winter. Like I say, this one was a lot of fun for me. It feels like I’ve been living with Jerry for a long time now—and I get the feeling I’ll be living with him for some time yet.
Like all the books, Trust No One only exists because of the wonderful and dedicated team at Atria Books in New York. There’s my super fantastic editor, Sarah Branham, who always guides me in the right direction, pointing out what I can’t see until all the pieces fall into place. Judith Curr, David Brown, Hillary Tisman, Janice Fryer, Lisa Keim, Emily Bestler, Anne Badman, Isolde Sauer, Leora Bernstein, and all the others—thank you for giving my books a home. And of course thanks to Stephanie Glencross, my editor at Gregory & Company in the UK, who once again nailed things on the head, sending me down the necessary path of many rewrites.
Let me sign off once again by thanking you, the reader. Thanks again for the messages, for heading along to festivals to say hi—it’s always inspiring to see people passionate about books. Like always, you guys are who I write for. You guys are the reason I like to make bad things happen . . .
Paul Cleave
April 2015
Christchurch, New Zealand
Loved this thriller? Go back and read the rest of Paul Cleave . . .
Five Minutes Alone
* * *
Joe Victim
* * *
The Laughterhouse
* * *
Collecting Cooper
* * *
The Laughterhouse
* * *
Cemetery Lake
* * *
The Killing Hour
* * *
The Cleaner
* * *
ORDER YOUR COPIES TODAY!
PAUL CLEAVE is the internationally bestselling author of eight award-winning, critically acclaimed crime thrillers, including Five Minutes Alone and Joe Victim, which was a finalist for the 2014 Edgar and Barry Awards. He lives in Christchurch, New Zealand. Visit his website at PaulCleave.com.
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ALSO BY PAUL CLEAVE
Five Minutes Alone
Joe Victim
The Laughterhouse
Collecting Cooper
Blood Men
Cemetery Lake
The Killing Hour
The Cleaner
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 by Paul Cleave
Jacket Design by Darren Haggar
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN 978-1-4767-7917-1
ISBN 978-1-4767-7918-8 (ebook)