Husk (28 page)

I owe debts of gratitude:

To my wife and partner in crime, Kara, for believing in me and being my greatest ally when I’m my own worst enemy.

To my parents, Tony and Angela, for encouraging my dreams and raising a storyteller. To my sister, Emma, the best sibling a guy could have.

To my wonderful literary agents Laura Williams and Annabel Merullo, and the amazing team at Peters
Fraser & Dunlop: Rachel Mills, Marilia Savvides, Alexandra Cliff. You are all undoubtedly the best in the business.

To Dom Zbogar, the go-to guy who never fails me.

To Peter Sellers for his honesty and for keeping expectations high.

To Rowland White, Emad Akhtar and all the fantastic people at Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House UK, for their great work on this novel.

And to all my friends,
family, and fans for their continual love and support. Many Thanks. You make all the difference.

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First published 2015

Copyright © J. Kent Messum, 2015

Cover images: Woman: © Nina Masic / Trevillion Images. Man: © Klubovy/Getty Images

The moral right of the author has been asserted

ISBN: 978-1-405-91427-7