Takedown (33 page)

I
make no secret about the deep respect I hold for the brave American men and women who selflessly serve our nation in our military, law enforcement, and intelligence communities. As someone who wanted to do more than just write about these extraordinary people, I became involved with several different organizations that strive to serve them and their families. I strongly urge you to visit my Web site for a list of these organizations, but I want to single out one in particular here.

At a fundraiser for the Naval Special Warfare Foundation last summer, it was announced that I would name a character in this novel for whoever made the evening’s largest contribution. I am honored to say that the president and CEO of Zodiac North America, J. J. Marie, was that person. When the applause had subsided and Mr. Marie stepped to the podium, he called up Virginia Beach, VA, police chief A. M. “Jake” Jacocks, whom I’ve had the pleasure of knowing for many years. Once the chief had joined him, Mr. Marie announced that Zodiac North America wanted to honor the memory of the Virginia Beach PD’s own Bradley Harper—a twenty-five-year-old United States Marine Reservist who was killed south of Haditha, Iraq, in August 2005—by having the character named after him.

While I did not have the pleasure of knowing Marine Sergeant Bradley J.Harper, I hope in some small part the character I have created in his name lives up to the high standards I know he set for himself as an American, a member of the Virginia Beach Police Department, and as a United States Marine.

First and foremost, I have to thank my beautiful wife,
Trish,
for keeping the world at bay while I wrote this book. The last year has been incredibly busy for us both, and I could not have done any of it without you. You are the love of my life and I know no greater honor than being your husband and the father of our two wonderful children.

The next person I have to thank is my dear friend and lead sharpshooter,
Scott F. Hill, PhD.
The only thing more valuable to me than your advice and guidance is your friendship. Thank you for all of your help and all of the airline miles you logged working with me on this novel. Clear some space in your game room, your reward is coming.

Having relocated overseas in service to his country, my good pal
Chad Norberg
discovered he could be just as big a thorn in my side via e-mail as when we were both living in Utah. Though I miss being able to discuss plot points over a beer at Fiddler’s Elbow, his advice via the Internet was no less creative, resourceful, or vital than on projects past. Thanks, buddy.

Rodney Cox
is my newest sharpshooter, and I couldn’t have met him at a more perfect time. Not only is Rodney a lot of fun to hang out with, his real-life experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan proved invaluable in the writing of this book. Rodney has become a very good friend of mine, and a lot of
Takedown
couldn’t have been written without his help. Thanks, RC.

Two other people who are a lot of fun to hang out with are old friends of mine and have been helping with my novels since the beginning. They are
Chuck Fretwell
and
Steve Hoffa.
They understand my desire to get everything right and always take the time to answer even the smallest of questions. When a Hofbrauhaus opens in South Africa, I’ll buy the first round and
then
we’ll go on safari, I promise.

Once again, I was expertly led through the wilds of American politics by my two good friends and Washington insiders
Pat Doak
and
David Vennett.
I owe you both dinner and more than a couple of nice bottles of wine the next time I’m in DC.

If the bad guys got shut down right out of the gate, thrillers wouldn’t be very thrilling.
Rich Henderson
—one of the good guys—understands this and was very helpful with all things New York. Thanks for answering countless e-mails from me and for all of your great advice.

Both
Gary Penrith
and
Tom Baker
continue to be incredible fonts of knowledge for my novels, and I thank them for their invaluable assistance. These gentlemen have given much to their country and continue to do so daily. This nation is indeed fortunate and better for their service. See you in Sun Valley.

Carl Hospedales, Rudy Guerin, Kevin Dockery
and
GySgt Tony Masucci USMC,
each made contributions to the novel for which I am grateful. Gentlemen, thank you not only for what you have done for me, but for the service you have rendered and continue to render to our country (and the UK/Canada in Carl’s case) on a daily basis.

Vince Flynn
stopped by my house while on tour for his last novel, and in addition to stealing my three-year-old daughter’s heart, he also dispensed some sage writing advice, which I very much appreciated. Thanks, Vince.

Chief Steven C. Bronson, U.S. Navy (Ret.),
is a patriot whose love for his country and support of fellow warriors—be they in the military or LE arenas—knows no bounds. The Chief has become a very good friend of mine and I thank him not only for the valuable assistance he lent on this book, but also for all of the real-world opportunities he has made available to me. Stay safe in Iraq, Chief. Hooyah!

I also want to thank my intelligence and military sources who asked to remain nameless. Your commitment to the security of our nation is very much appreciated. Thank you for taking the fight to the terrorists so we do not have to face them here at home.

Now I need to thank two of the most important people in my writing career: my incomparable editor,
Emily Bestler,
and my outstanding agent,
Heide Lange.
Thank you for your wit, wisdom, friendship, and guidance. You are two of the most remarkable people I have ever had the pleasure of working with, and I look forward to our doing many more books together.

Judith Curr,
my publisher at Atria Books, and
Louise Burke,
my publisher at Pocket Books, are two of the most talented people in the business. Thank you for your overwhelming support of my novels, your creative marketing, and for your friendship.

Jodi Lipper
and
Sarah Branham,
the amount of things you have done and continue to do for me at Atria is too long to list. I appreciate all of it. Thank you.

To everyone in the
Atria
and
Pocket sales, art, marketing,
and
production
departments—I know how hard all of you work and I thank you for every minute of it. I couldn’t do what I do without you.

David Brown,
my friend and my unparalleled publicist. Knowing you as well as I do, I can write this with the knowledge that when it comes out you will have put together the best tour yet. Oprah’s thriller club, here we come!

Kent Wilson,
thank you for your friendship and the years of expert advice. Trish and I sleep a lot sounder at night knowing you are on our team.

Scott Schwimer,
the man who can spot the difference between “show” and “business” from a hundred miles away. Thank you not only for your sage counsel, but also your incredible friendship. Diogenes’ lamp rests upon your doorstep.

Finally, I want to thank you,
the readers.
You have my deepest gratitude not only for your support of my novels, but for introducing so many of your friends, family, coworkers, and book clubs to my work. It is because of you that I am able to pursue a career I so enjoy.

Sincerely,

Brad Thor