Devil's corner

Having said that, this is me thanking every one of the people named above, who took the time to answer my endless questions, permitted me to watch them in action, and took me on office tours. Special thanks to Special Agent Mike Morrone, who lent encouragement, read a draft of the manuscript, and made corrections. Likewise, I am indebted to Nancy Beam Winter of the U.S. Attorney's Office, a brilliant and gorgeous prosecutor who read two early drafts of this novel; I owe you forever, girl, and admire you more than I can say.

Thanks, too, to my old friend Joan Markman Esq., of the

U.S. Attorney's Office, who put me on to the right track at the outset. For background information about criminal defense lawyering, many thanks to Joe Mancano Esq., who was court-appointed in U.S. v. Williams and was equally generous with his time and expertise to help me, and to David Ne

Thanks again to Gle

And thanks to another special group. As is my custom, character names in this novel have been auctioned off to wonderful people who supported a number of worthwhile causes, and thanks are due to those generous people; first to the Durham family, who contributed to the Literacy Council of Miami Valley, Ohio, in honor of their beloved mother, Marilyn Durham. Marilyn was a book lover and a devoted reader of mine, but sadly, she passed away before she could see her name in print. I think of Marilyn and her daughters often, and this book is in her memory.

Thank you to Ben and Illy Strauss, for their generous contribution to Key to the Cure, which raises money for breast cancer research, to Susan Schwartz, for her contribution to the Free Library of Philadelphia, Gail Graves and Ly

Thanks to the wonderful and hardworking booksellers like my local pals Joe Drabyak, Kelly Gartner, and Kathy Siciliano, to name only a few, who continue to support me and my books; I appreciate your friendship and loyalty so much, and am forever grateful. Joe always reads my early manuscripts, and I thank him so much for that. And to my readers, of course, this is a major hug. I think of you with every line.

Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers, my home for over twelve books now, and special thanks to the brilliant Jane Friedman, Brian Murray, Michael Morrison, Susan Weinberg, and Carrie Kania, for all of their support and very hard work. Thanks to Christine Boyd and Ana Maria Alessi, and to the wonderful, hardworking, and extremely gorgeous Marie Elena Martinez. Last but hardly least, a huge hug to my invaluable editor since page one, Carolyn Marino, a dear friend. And thanks to Je

Another huge hug to Molly Friedrich, Aaron Priest, and Paul Cirone, who have guided me for so many years. And to Laura Leonard, without whom nothing is possible.

And to my great kid, which is exactly when words fail.

About the Author

LISA SCOTTOLINE is a New York Times bestselling author of 10 novels and a former trial lawyer. She has won the highest prize in crime fiction, the Edgar Award, and has lectured at law schools and bar associations on issues of legal ethics. She is an honors graduate of the University of Pe