Writing of any sort is a collaborative effort, and anyone who says otherwise is either a genius or a liar. Since I’m neither, I owe a debt of gratitude to a plethora of people who helped me with this story. In no particular order, here you go: Bruce, for the information on oil refineries. A chemical engineer for an oil company, and the husband of my wife’s friend, he saved me about ninety hours on the Internet for no other reason than I asked. Lunchbox, for screening my first draft of the Tandem HALO jump. He’s a Tandem jumpmaster who knows more about military free-fall operations than anyone else in the Department of Defense, and he fixed all of my little mistakes. I did, however, change some back for literary reasons. The mistakes are mine, not his. Poacher, for coming up with some cool call signs. I was on a contract with him and complaining about how hard it was to invent call signs that weren’t already used when he started spitting some out. I told him to hold on and grabbed a pen. Finally, a huge thank-you to Tami, a close friend who really took a liking to critiquing Jennifer. Her guidance swung between “Jennifer wouldn’t do that, she’s not a man,” to “Jennifer’s a crybaby. Give her a spine.” It caused me to pull my hair out, but at least Jennifer’s someone Tami would hang out with now.
To my agent, John Talbot, and the entire Dutton team for the phenomenal effort you all put forth on my behalf. I’ve told most of you in person, but one can never say it enough. Ava, my publicist, who is relentless at getting my books and me exposure. Your work ethic is remarkable and very much appreciated. The entire sales force for amazing me with your ability to penetrate just about every single market. And last, but certainly not least, my editor, Ben Sevier, for the guidance and friendship in not only crafting the manuscript, but in helping me navigate this new world. Your instincts are always correct, even if I initially fight them.
Finally, a huge thank-you to my family for putting up with me writing at all hours. My kids have become experts at making me feel guilty (“But, Daddy, I thought you left the Army. Can’t we go play?”) while also letting me work. And to my wife for going through this manuscript almost as much as I did as a first-line reader of some really rough drafts. She would roll her eyes after she corrected a grammatical mistake, and I would claim (incorrectly) that she was wrong. If you find a mistake in here, rest assured she found it before you, but I was too stubborn to change it. As an example, when she was editing these acknowledgments, she added this last sentence:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brad Taylor, Lieutenant Colonel (ret.), is a twenty-one-year veteran of the U.S. Army Infantry and Special Forces, including eight years with the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment — Delta, popularly known as Delta Force. Taylor retired in 2010 after serving more than two decades and participating in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as classified operations around the globe. His final military post was as Assistant Professor of Military Science at The Citadel. His first Pike Logan thriller,
