The Girl Who Broke the Rules (50 page)

Christian, Natalie, Adam and my Mum, who put up with my glazed looks, as I ruminated over plot, tricky extended metaphors and dialogue. They listened to my constant noise about rankings, reviews and deadlines. My mother-in-law, Svea, who has been a fabulous advocate of my writing amongst the seriously savvy Scandi ladies. Thanks always to you all!

My agent, Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein, who has provided cast-iron professional support and a great deal of pastoral care and friendship at a very difficult time in my life. Special thanks to him and to his brilliant Abner Stein team.

My Avon publisher, Eli Dryden who has got behind me and the series. I’m hugely grateful for her belief in me, so thanks! Thanks too to Helen Huthwaite, who was my interim editor, and to my new editor, Kate Ellis for managing the launch of this second novel. The Avon backroom staff members who do marketing and computering acts of strange genius are fab, as is the Lightbrigade PR gang, and though she’s jumped ship, that Katy Loftus did a cracking job on editing
The Girl Who Broke the Rules
, so thanks to those wonderful folks too.

Kirstine Szifris at Cambridge University’s Institute of Criminology and Dr. Hannah Quirk at Manchester University’s School of Law, who gave me all the wonderful details I needed to bring George to life as a criminologist. Thanks, you fab women! And a big ta to my mate, Dr. Martin Pool who put me in touch with Hannah.

Dr. Zoe Adams-Strump for shooting the breeze with me over all sorts of medical matters, for trying to arrange a viewing of an autopsy and for giving me the confidence to stick with my idea for an endocrinology sub-plot – not everyone’s idea of scintillating, maybe, but that’s how I roll. Thanks, Zoe! You’re a brill neighbour. One day I
will
get to observe that post-mortem!

To my word-posse, Steph Williams, Wendy Storer, Ann Giles and The Cockblankets (you know who you are) – thanks for keeping my head reasonably straight! And finally, a big whoop for Helen Smith who masterminded the BritCrime festival, of which I am immensely proud to have been a part.

About the Publisher

Australia

HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.

Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street

Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia

http://www.harpercollins.com.au

Canada

HarperCollins Canada

2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor

Toronto, ON, M4W, 1A8, Canada

http://www.harpercollins.ca

New Zealand

HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited

P.O. Box 1

Auckland, New Zealand

http://www.harpercollins.co.nz

United Kingdom

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London, SE1 9GF, UK

http://www.harpercollins.co.uk

United States

HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

195 Broadway

New York, NY 10007

http://www.harpercollins.com