I had to delve back into my professional past far more in this book than in previous books, and for that I needed to dust off the grey cells to an alarming degree. My great friend Dr Bob Bramley, former custodian of the UK National DNA database and a man with a meticulous eye for forensic detail, painstakingly analysed the text and raised many, many points where I had strayed from the straight and narrow. I tried to pin the omissions on Olivia for being sloppy, but really I had no one to blame except myself.
Dr Sheilah Hamilton, a former forensic colleague in the Hong Kong Government Laboratory, also cast her critical eye over the text and brought up many points for reconsideration.
My heartfelt thanks go to both Bob and Sheilah for their input.
I should also like to thank Bob’s wife Sian Bramley not only for her enthusiastic response to one of the early drafts, but also for her medical input. Jennifer is more than grateful to you as well, Sian.
As with my previous books, Anne Mensini, Sanford Foster and Luci de Norwall Cornish read early drafts, raising many salient points about the plot as well as helping to fine tune my grammar and style. I can’t thank you all enough.
Thanks are also due to my son-in-law, Simon O’Reilly – the fastest copy editor in the East! Brilliant Simon; we’ll get to the bottom of the vagaries of the Kindle eventually.
I am also indebted to Susanna Capon, former TV producer and BBC commissioning editor for her invaluable comments and insight, especially with respect to the early chapters where she gently reminded me that less is more.
A number of others have also kindly read through the book in draft form and all were very positive and helpful in their comments. Thanks go to my sister Jill Pemberton, to my stepdaughter Zoe O’Reilly, to Wendy Bearns and Eva Kolouchova, and of course to my wife Gail who has once again been a sounding board for ideas, a critical and constructive reviewer of drafts, and an enthusiastic supporter of the project.
I have designed my own cover once again, and there were, as ever, several versions on the way as it progressed from my original idea to its present form. Many thanks for comments and suggestions to Gail, Lea, Jonathan, Zoe and Daniel.
I am also very grateful to Susanna Moles for the loan of the wonderful red high-heel shoe that I used in the cover design, and to Rob Moles for suggestions on photographing it. That all came about at Casa Moles during a memorable summer’s evening under a magical Tuscan moon.
Final thanks for brilliant proofreading and copy editing services go to Linda Davy in Hong Kong. Linda’s remarkable eagle eye picked up many points that would otherwise have slipped through the net. I am indebted to you Linda; you’re the best!
David George Clarke
January 2016
A Final Note …
I hope very much that you enjoyed this book. If you did, the greatest favour you can do me is to recommend it to your friends and colleagues. One of the biggest challenges for any self-published author is marketing. Having looked at many of the available avenues: social media, book advertising websites, etc., I’ve come to the conclusion that nothing beats word-of-mouth. If you tell twenty people about ‘Irrefutable Evidence’ (or any/all of the books in the Rare Traits Trilogy) and just a couple of them act on your advice and buy the books, then if they too pass on the word, the word will spread. It’s slow, incremental and unpredictable, but it can generate a fan base that will come back for more.
And of course if you feel moved to write a review on Amazon or Goodreads, that would be very much appreciated …
You can find details of my books together with other book-related news on my website at www.davidgeorgeclarke.com. I’m also on both Facebook (David George Clarke – Author) and Twitter (@dgclarke_author).
If you would like to write to me directly, please send me an email at [email protected]. I always reply.
Do you have kids or grandchildren, a favourite godson or goddaughter, a class of kids you teach or support in some way? My wife Gail is an author and illustrator who has self-published five beautifully illustrated children’s books, details of which are at www.gailclarkeauthor.com They are written in rhyme that children from four to nine-years-old just love reading or having read to them.
Patrick’s Birthday Message
Searching for Skye - An Arctic Tern Adventure
Cosmos the Curious Whale
The Chameleon Who Couldn’t Change Colour
Sharks – Our Ocean Guardians
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Dedication
Acknowledgements
A Final Note
Irrefutable Evidence: A Crime Thriller Page 37