The Burning
Page 42
Acknowledgements
My thanks to all at Ebury, particularly Gillian Green who kept me on the right path from the first synopsis to the final set of proofs.
Many thanks also to Simon Trewin and Ariella Feiner, and all at united agents. Simon and Ariella are the first readers and the finest; their opinions are always well judged and entertaining, and their support is tremendously important.
Professor Derrick J. Pounder kindly allowed me to quote him; his clear and informative writing about forensic medicine was extremely helpful to me in researching the various murders and their investigations.
I am very grateful also to Janna Kenny, Chris Bowen and Nick Sheppard for their advice and guidance on matters medical, and for letting me have sufficient literary licence to get away with one or two things that might not have been strictly accurate. Nick’s help was instrumental in working out key elements of the plot. I particularly appreciate his enthusiasm for answering strange questions in more detail than I had any right to expect.
I had help from various legal sources; in particular I would like to thank Philippa Charles for her insights into a solicitor’s life. I would also like to mention the policemen who answered my queries promptly and fully, but did not wish to be named here. I am very grateful to them nonetheless.
Readers may wonder if Latimer College is based on the college I attended: it is not. Occupying a part of Oxford which is in reality the home of the Botanic Gardens, it is a total invention, as are the characters who live in it.
I could not have written this book without my friends and family. Special thanks must go to RP for spotting the difference between a glass of water and a cup of tea. Bridget and Michael Norman provided a home from home in Devon and encouragement when it was very much needed. The inhabitants of the snakepit were a tremendous help and inspiration, as ever.
Last but not least, my sincere thanks to edward for sleeping occasionally, to Fred for his company throughout many long evenings, and to James, for everything.