I couldn't have done it without you

In the first instance I’d like to thank Bryony Sutherland, my editor, for believing that I could do this and helping me to produce the book I hope you will have just finished reading. Her attention to detail, skill and creative input have been invaluable. Above all else she was a joy to work with, she held my hand when I ‘killed my darlings’ and when it looked like some research I should have done more thoroughly before I wrote the book threatened to end its life there and then, she saved the day with a solution I hadn’t seen. Without her calm advice
in my personal ‘all is lost’ moment there may well not have been a book at all. Thanks so much B, I’m really looking forward to the next book. I promise to do most of my research before I start writing 94,000 words.

I’d like to thank award-winning cover designer Jamie Keenan, for agreeing to do the design work, for his unbridled enthusiasm for the project and for his phenomenal design, making my novel look like a proper book.

Before I thank my beta readers I’d like to thank those professional organisations who helped me with my research: David Fisher at De Beers Group R&D, Aurore Mathys, FGA, EG, of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, The Cremation Society of Great Britain and Tim Jones, of Bradley & Jones Funeral Directors of Pinner. Tim was kind enough to treat me to lunch on my birthday, and he answered all my questions with great humour. If he is still around when I pop off into the great unknown, he’ll get the gig. 

The financial jeopardy Nick faces in the book didn’t quite work in the first draft. I’m extremely grateful to two of my mates, Tim Parfitt and Jim Keddy, for spotting it. I am grateful to Ian Mitchell for his help and to Paul Jesson for his time and expert advice in helping me make the jeopardy credible.

I want to thank all those people that took the trouble to read the first couple of drafts and for feeding back, especially my wife Kate, who was greatly relieved that it wasn’t awful. My thanks also to Poppy, my daughter and to Anita Parfitt, not my daughter.

Special thanks goes to my friend Simon Thompson, who read and loved the book so much that he introduced me to a potential agent.
Thanks to Sally McFall for introducing me to Peter Darman, author of historical fiction, and to Peter himself for pointing me in the right direction to self-publish.

Thanks to one of my environmental activist buddies David Woodcock, who set up and designed my website so quickly for me.
Finally, thanks to my friend and polymath Andrew Rajan, who shared his experience of self-publishing with me. His enthusiasm for his art and life has always been an inspiration to
me.

If I’ve missed anyone out I apologise, and promise to include you in the next book’s acknowledgements. Provided you read that one.