by Brad Thor
My three amigos—Sean Fontaine, James Ryan, and Sidney Blair—could not have been more helpful during the writing of Near Dark. There are times when I feel that they must be getting tired of questions from me, but they are always gracious and always encourage me to “Keep those questions coming, Thor!”—You gentlemen are the best. Thank you for everything.
My longtime friend Steve Tuttle–Principal, TASER CEWs & Founding Team Member of Axon, is absolutely fearless when it comes to taking my TASER questions. He doesn’t just say “Yeah, I think that will work,” he actually goes out and experiments until we get an answer. Thanks for helping me light things on fire!
One of the achievements I am most proud of is that all twenty of my novels have been with my wonderful family at Simon & Schuster. I cannot imagine working with a more talented, brilliant, kind, and professional team. It is an absolute joy to have brought to life so many books together. My deepest, heartfelt thanks to all of you.
With that heartfelt thanks, I have to admit that my heart is also broken, as this year we lost the amazing Carolyn Reidy, Simon & Schuster’s President and CEO. Carolyn was an outstanding leader but an even more outstanding human being. I will miss her laughter, her fierce determination, and most of all, her friendship. Thank you, Carolyn, for every single thing you did for me.
While it is hard to lose someone who is so much a part of your career, it only makes you realize how fantastic and valuable all of the other pros are whom you work with.
Right at the top of that list, is my phenomenal publisher and editor, Emily Bestler. Emily and I have been together since the very beginning. After reading my first thriller, it was she who invited me to join the S&S family. One of the smartest things I ever did was saying yes. Since then, Emily has not only helped expertly guide me through the writing of twenty books, she has also become one of my dearest friends. Thank you for all of it, Emily, and for sprinkling in so much laughter and good humor along the way.
Along with Emily, the sensational Lara Jones and the rest of the Emily Bestler Books team are the absolute best of the best! Thank you, all.
Simon & Schuster’s extraordinary President and Publisher, Jon Karp, is one of the nicest people I have ever met. He has had a monumental career, because he not only understands the publishing industry inside and out, but (as one himself) he also understands writers. Thank you for always being such a powerful advocate for me at S&S. I look forward to working together for many more years to come.
Remarkable people with superb ideas are the wellspring of success. I couldn’t be happier than to have Atria publisher Libby McGuire and associate publisher Suzanne Donahue in my life. You two continue to be amazing, and I appreciate all that you have done for me. Thank you.
I also have to add the incomparable Kristin Fassler and Dana Trocker to the list of people I am so grateful for. You know you are working with confident, accomplished professionals when they refuse to rest on their laurels, are always looking for new ways to do things, and always want to go farther than last time. Thank you, both.
I don’t get to thank the spectacular Gary Urda and John Hardy often enough. Having them on my side is like having my own Special Forces team inside Simon & Schuster. Every single day they are figuring out bold, new ways to advance, take ground, and achieve success. I am incredibly fortunate to know and to be working with them. Thank you, gentlemen.
While I’m doling out the praise, I want to give a big thank-you to the marvelous Jen Long and the outstanding team at Pocket Books. We have been putting some fantastic initiatives into play this year, and it is because of their creative genius. I really appreciate all of you. Thank you.
My awesome publicist, David Brown, continues to crush it, year in and year out. Always thinking, always adapting, and always coming up with new strategies, he is tireless in all that he does on my behalf. David, I’m the luckiest author on the planet. Thank you.
And, speaking of crushing it, I want to extend a huge thanks and my deepest appreciation to the superb Atria, Emily Bestler Books, and Pocket Books sales teams. If you’re reading this, it’s because they helped get it to the right bookseller. They are absolute pros, and I am so blessed to be working with them. Thank you, all.
Behind the scenes, the impressive Colin Shields, Paula Amendolara, Janice Fryer, Adene Corns, Liz Perl, and Lisa Keim continue to leap tall buildings on my behalf! You, along with the terrific Gregory Hruska, Mark Speer, and Stuart Smith, are an out-of-this-world team. Thank you!
Knocking it out of the park, the Simon & Schuster audio division continues to put unbelievable points on the board. The job they do not only producing the audio versions of my books but also selling and marketing them is amazing. I want to thank every brilliant person under their banner, including Chris Lynch, Tom Spain, Sarah Lieberman, Desiree Vecchio, and Armand Schultz. Thank you.
Like Scot Harvath, when you choose someone to watch your back, you want that person to be off-the-charts talented. That’s what I have in my sharpshooter, Al Madocs of the Atria/Emily Bestler Books Production Department. No matter what the mission requires, Al is always there with a smile and a can-do attitude. Al, a million thank-yous would never be enough. You’re the best. Thanks for everything.
This year, we wanted to enhance our “look,” and that job fell to the peerless Jimmy Iacobelli of the Atria/Emily Bestler Books and Pocket Books Art Departments. The Near Dark artwork—especially when you see it on the hardcover edition—is nothing short of stunning. Jimmy, I tip my creative hat to you. Extremely well done, sir. Thank you.
My unbelievable copyeditor, Fred Chase, did such a terrific job keeping me on the straight and narrow. Thank you so much for your professionalism and hard work.
Twenty novels—and every one of them lovingly overseen by my formidable agent and dear friend, Heide Lange of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. Heide is the representative every author dreams of having. She is brilliant, an absolute savant when it comes to publishing, gives great counsel, and is a highly respected negotiator. No matter where you encounter her in the process, she will always treat you fairly. Simply put, they don’t make them better than Heide Lange. Thank you for such an incredible journey.
Heide is backed up by a tremendous team that I am thankful for every day, including the fabulous Samantha Isman, Iwalani Kim, and everyone else at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. Thank you, all, for everything. I really appreciate all of you.
Even closer to home, Yvonne Ralsky is one of the most brilliant people I have ever known. And that brilliance is exceeded only by her sense of humor and wonderful outlook on life. I consider it an incredible privilege to know you, work with you, and call you my friend. Thank you for all that you have done for me.
One day, I am going to write a nonfiction book about all of the twists and turns in Hollywood. At the center of it, will be the dashing Scott Schwimer—my wonderful friend and absolutely dynamite entertainment attorney. Scottie, I love you tons and tons. Thank you for everything—especially your love, laughter, and infectious optimism.
Now I get to thank my incredibly accommodating, unbelievably understanding, and absolutely beautiful family. Thank you for your unconditional love and unwavering support. It means the world to me. I love you more than you will ever know.
More from this Series
Backlash
Spymaster
Use of Force
Foreign Agent
More from the Author
The Athena Project
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BRAD THOR is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty thrillers, including: Backlash (one of Suspense Magazine’s Best Books of the Year), Spymaster (“One of the all-time best thriller novels”—The Washington Times), The Last Patriot (nominated Best Thriller of the Year by the International Thriller Writers Association), and Blowback (one of the “Top 100 Killer Thrillers of All Time”—NPR). Visit his website at BradThor.com and follow Brad on Facebook at Facebook.com/BradThorOfficial and on Twi
tter @BradThor.
SimonandSchuster.com
EMILYBESTLERBOOKS.COM
www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Brad-Thor
@EmilyBestler @EmilyBestler
ALSO BY BRAD THOR
The Lions of Lucerne
Path of the Assassin
State of the Union
Blowback
Takedown
The First Commandment
The Last Patriot
The Apostle
Foreign Influence
The Athena Project
Full Black
Black List
Hidden Order
Act of War
Code of Conduct
Foreign Agent
Use of Force
Spymaster
Backlash
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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 © 2020 by Brad Thor
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
ISBN 978-1-9821-0406-1
ISBN 978-1-9821-0408-5 (ebook)