The quotes that introduce the Three Mile Island chapters are drawn from news broadcasts, press conferences, and memorabilia related to the incident. However, Randi and Will’s Three Mile Island story in this book is fiction.
Many of the places in this novel, both in South Central Pennsylvania and in Italy, are real. However, others exist only in the pages of this book. There is no environmental organization called the Wildness Cooperative. However, there are many dedicated environmental organizations―both governmental and non-governmental―that act as advocates for clean energy and the preservation our planet. Organizations such as the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the FracTracker Alliance, and many others at the local, state, national, and global level work to protect people and the environment from potentially harmful energy expansion.
Acknowledgments
I want to thank all the people who helped with Dead of Spring. First and foremost, my husband, Mike, who supports my writing in so many ways. For Dead of Spring, he gave me feedback on the manuscript, plus he accompanied me in my travels to Northeastern Pennsylvania and Italy. On a daily basis, he copes with all the hours I spend hunched over a computer in the world of Alexa Williams.
I also want to thank the Knowlton/Kuehn clan, who give me feedback on manuscripts, information on guns, and help in untold ways with my writing. This group includes my son, Josh Knowlton, and his new wife, Laura; Dave and Nancy Knowlton; Steve and Pam Knowlton; and Dennis and Coe Kuehn. Denny and Coe also provided me with the spark for the Three Mile Island story. Their daughter, Laurel, was born in a hospital within the TMI danger zone during the 1979 crisis.
Once again, Trooper Jessica Williams of Troop H provided technical assistance on state police and other law enforcement procedure. Lieutenant James Rhoads provided information on the responsibilities of the capitol police. I have the utmost respect for all the law enforcement agencies that figure in this novel. These women and men perform hard, dangerous jobs, which often go unrecognized.
The Honorable Jessica Brewbaker, judge in the Cumberland County Court of Pleas, gave me valuable input on proper criminal charges under Pennsylvania law.
Jason Wilson, a historian with the Pennsylvania Capitol Preservation Committee, assisted me with the history and treasures of the Pennsylvania State Capitol. Although I’d been in the capitol hundreds of times, he introduced me to secret nooks and crannies of the building that I’d never seen. Eric Pettis, executive assistant to Lieutenant Governor Michael Stack, was gracious enough to provide me with a tour and history of the lieutenant governor’s offices―which helped me place the historic suite front and center at a critical point in the novel.
Bill Phillips and Dave English were invaluable in helping me with the technical aspects of hydraulic fracturing. If I’ve made any errors about fracking in the book, the mistakes are mine in translating the input from Bill and Dave onto the written page. Bill Phillips was extremely gracious in sharing his own experiences as a landowner who leases to a fracking company―as well as showing me the various aspects of the fracking process. Dave English brought an entirely different perspective from his work as a regulator for the Department of Environmental Programs and, before that, Environmental Resources. I must note, however, than any conclusions and opinions about hydraulic fracturing that are embodied in the story are strictly my own―not those of either Bill or Dave. I also have to thank Bob and Tina Krivenko for connecting me with both of these fracking experts. They also spent a long day with my husband Mike and me on Bill Phillips’ guided tour of fracking fields in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Finally, I would be remiss to not thank Val Muller, a fellow author and teacher, who always gives me valuable feedback on my novels. I also want to thank the crew at Sunbury Press: Publisher Lawrence Knorr, who continues to support my Alexa Williams series; Jennifer Cappello, who is the best editor an author could ask for; Crystal Devine, who is a wizard at the technical aspects of production; and Amber Rendon, who is responsible for another eye-catching cover for Dead of Spring.
Thanks to all these generous people who have helped make Dead of Spring more accurate. If I’ve misinterpreted your information, the fault is purely mine.
Finally, I want to thank all my readers. Your continuing interest in the Alexa Williams series is heartening and inspires me to keep writing. I would like to ask all my readers to help spread the word about my novels by leaving a brief review of Dead of Spring and my other Alexa Williams books on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes and Noble, IndieBound, or Sunbury Press. Thank you.
Praise for Sherry Knowlton’s
DEAD of SPRING
“Knowlton weaves a compelling tale, and the threads become tighter as the plot progresses. A suspicious suicide of a powerful politician takes on new meaning when Alexa Williams’s investigations uncover corruption at the heart of the fracking industry. And when she becomes the target, the tension ramps up to a thrilling climax. Highly recommended.”
—Mark Leggatt, best-selling author of international thriller Names of the Dead
“A lawyer who yearns for the quiet life proves a magnet for murder. . . . in a mystery/thriller/romance with a complex heroine.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Legislative corruption with corporate greed that ends in deadly violence. Heroine Alexa Williams resists intimidation to battle evil at the highest levels of Pennsylvania government and commerce. Spurring her on is a love for the environment and for a friend whose daughter’s cancer is caused by fracking. Here is a spellbinding yarn jerked straight from today’s frightening headlines.”
—Kay Kendall, award-winning author of historical mysteries
“After reading this book, all I can think is wow! This was my first book by Sherry Knowlton and she did not disappoint. A story that sped by. One that you do not want to start close to bedtime . . .
If you’re looking for a book with a lot of action, this one hits the mark.”
—Debbie Krenzer, BookLikes
“A highly readable book which captures the reader’s interest immediately and swiftly carries him or her through a story which is always captivating and full of suspense . . . I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good mystery and wishes to learn about an important neglected subject in American fiction.”
—Alma Bond, Midwest Book Review
Also by Sherry Knowlton
DEAD of SUMMER
DEAD of AUTUMN
About the Author
Sherry Knowlton is the author of the successful Alexa Williams suspense series, which includes Dead of Autumn, Dead of Summer, and Dead of Spring. Sherry (nee Sherry Rothenberger) was born and raised in Chambersburg, PA, where she developed a lifelong passion for books. She was that kid who would sneak a flashlight to bed at night so she could read beneath the covers. All the local librarians knew her by name.
Sherry spent much of her early career in state government, working primarily with social and human services programs, including services for abused children, rape crisis, domestic violence, and family planning. In the 1990s, she served as the deputy secretary for Medical Assistance in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The latter part of Sherry’s career has focused on the field of Medicaid managed care. Now retired from executive positions in the health insurance industry, Sherry runs her own health care consulting business.
Sherry has a BA in English and psychology from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA.
Sherry and her husband, Mike, began their journey together in the days of peace and music when they traversed the country in a hippie van. Running out of money several months into the trip, Sherry waitressed the night shift at a cowboy hangout in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Mike washed dishes in a bakery. Undeterred, they embraced the travel experience and continue to explore far-flung places around the globe.
Sherry lives in the mountains of South Central Pennsylvania where her novels are set.
Published by Sunbury Press, Inc.
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
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NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 by Sherry Knowlton.
Cover Copyright © 2017 by Sunbury Press, Inc.
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ISBN: 978-1-62006-843-4 (Trade Paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-62006-844-1 (Mobipocket)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016961287
FIRST SUNBURY PRESS EDITION: April 2017
Product of the United States of America
0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55
Set in Bookman Old Style
Designed by Crystal Devine
Cover by Amber Rendon
Edited by Jennifer Cappello
Continue the Enlightenment!
For my brother, Rock Rothenberger, who has spent most of his adult life living in and protecting the wild places of our nation.
Dead of Spring: An Alexa Williams Novel Page 31