Teeth of the Wolf

Acknowledgements Lee: Dan, it’s that time again. Dan: Wine o’clock? Thank god. Lee: No, it’s time to write our acknowledgements. You know, blow kisses to our friends. Dan: Right. Hat tips to all the amazing folk who helped make this second book happen. Lee: We should start with our talented pool of beta readers, who gave us our first wave of feedback. People like historical fiction writer Charlotte Kieft, who pored over the text for us while suffering a double dose of flu and jet-lag! Dan: And there’s former detective Phil Weeks who helped tighten up our procedurals, and long-time Aussie friend and editor Jodi Cleghorn, with her advice on birthpunk, which I didn’t even know was a thing. Sandra Dusconi, who has the dubious honour of having read early drafts of pretty much everything I’ve ever written. Bet she needs a wine right now. What time is it in Canada? Lee: If you’re opening a bottle, pour one for Simon Fogarty. Not to mention Daniele Serra for the gorgeous cover art. Dan: Everyone who supported Hounds of the Underworld. There were a lot of those. Lee: Let’s not forget Raw Dog Screaming Press: Jennifer Barnes, John Edward Lawson and their team. How do we explain to everyone how it feels to be part of this little publishing house with so much heart? Maybe with the words of our most famous compatriot, Sir Edmund Hillary, who said “there is something about building up a comradeship—that I still believe is the greatest of all feats—and sharing in the dangers with your company of peers. It’s the intense effort, the giving of everything you’ve got. It’s really a very pleasant sensation.” Our editor J.L. Gribble is responsible for a lot of that intense effort, with her supernatural ability to zero in on my missing words, your word echoes, and our incomprehensible Kiwi colloquialisms. Dan: I have to thank my long-suffering wife Chrissy, who has adjusted to my being there in the room with her but really not being in the same place at all when I’m down the writing rabbit-hole. My kids for being a constant source of fear and inspiration. Lee: Smooth move, getting in there first, Dan. To David Murray, the reason for my most heartfelt existence (he told me to say that), who shares my office, tolerates my incessant mumbling, and is my instant research tool for anything sciencey. And to our children, Céline and Robbie, my best fans. Dan: And you, Lee. This wouldn’t be much of a collaboration on my own, and Penny continues to put her foot down and keep it real while Matiu goes flailing off on mad tangents. Thanks for carrying on down this dark path with me, it continues to be a wild adventure. Lee: Same! It’s been epic. I couldn’t have done this without your shadowy flair, and those unexpected explosions. But don’t roll up your crime tape just yet because Auckland is in the middle of a crime wave. I heard Detective Inspective Tanner has sixteen active cases on the go…