weapon be created using today’s technology? According to most of the scientists I spoke with, the answer is no. Could something similar, and even scarier, be created in a lab somewhere? According to the same experts, undoubtedly yes. If you’re interested in hard information on the issue of black biology, check out The Gathering Biological Warfare Storm, a collection of essays put together under the aegis of the USAF Counterproliferation Center. It’s highly readable, fairly straightforward, and covers a wide range of issues. You should also check out Biohazard by Ken Alibeck and Stephen Handelman and The Hot Zone by Richard Preston. The Internet is, of course, awash with information on a host of related topics, including microbial forensics, bioinformatics, BioBricks, synthetic biology, and the science behind stealth viruses. If you Google “Fort Detrick Disease samples,” you can read about what’s been going on for the last twenty years at this country’s largest biological weapons research lab. There remains a lot of uncertainty about the exact nature and scope of the threat posed by black biology and biological weapons. Most experts, however, seem to agree on at least two things. First, an attack somewhere in the world seems not a matter of if but when (with the “when” generally believed to be sooner rather than later). Second, the United States could hardly be less prepared to handle such an attack. From surveillance and detection to prevention, investigation, and the maintenance of our health care system, the United States remains nearly defenseless against this growing threat. One need look no further than a bipartisan congressional panel, which in January 2010, gave Congress and the Obama administration each an “F” for their efforts in this area, concluding that there still exists “no national plan to coordinate federal, state, and local efforts following a bioterror attack, and the United States lacks the technical and operational capabilities required for an adequate response.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A portion of the proceeds from this book is being donated to the Cambodian Children’s Fund. If you’re interested in learning more about this wonderful organization, check out its Web site at www.cambodianchildrensfund.org. I’d like to thank all the people at Knopf and Vintage/Black Lizard for their enthusiasm and support. I’d especially like to thank my editor, Jordan Pavlin. This was a big book to write and would have been impossible without her editorial instincts and deft touch. Thanks to David Gernert. He wears the hats of agent, editor, and friend-and wears them all exceedingly well. Thanks to Garnett Kilberg Cohen, a brilliant Chicago writer and professor at Columbia College, who was kind enough to give my manuscript a first read. As usual, she was able to zero in on what was working and what wasn’t. Thanks to my family and friends for all their support and encouragement. Thanks, also, to everyone who has read my first three books. Hope you like this one. Finally, I’d like to remember a wonderful friend, Danny Mendez. He loved books, and loved reading about the exploits of Michael Kelly in particular. We all miss you. That’s it. Love you, Mary Frances.
