Last Man Standing (80 page)

To my wonderful friends Kelly and Scott Adams for all their help and advice with the equestrian and horse farm aspects of
the novel, and for tramping through the snow with me over a couple thousand acres. Kelly, thanks also for teaching me to ride
Boo. I’ll be back for more!

To my new friend Dr. Stephen P. Long for help on the Oxycontin portion of the book. Steve, your comments were insightful and
right on the mark.

To Lisa Vance and Lucy Childs for keeping my literary life straight.

To Art and Lynette for all they do for us.

To Steve Jennings for again reading every page with his eagle eye.

To Dr. Catherine Broome for patiently explaining complicated medical matters to me in a way even I could understand.

To Aaron Priest for all your great advice on this one. I owe you.

To Frances Jalet-Miller for another superb editing job. You outdid yourself this time, Francie. And to Rob McMahon for his
very thoughtful comments.

To Deborah Hocutt for making my life so much better. And to her husband, Daniel, for designing an incredible website.

To Michelle for keeping our crazy world straight on course.

To all those wonderful souls at the Warner Books family, including Larry, Maureen, Jamie, Tina, Emi, Martha, Karen, Jackie
Joiner and Jackie Meyer, Bob Castillo, Susanna Einstein, Kelly Leonard and Maja Thomas: You’re the best.

And, finally, to
my friend Chris Whitcomb, Hostage Rescue Team operator, who also happens to be a wonderful writer and one of the most extraordinary
individuals I’ve ever met. Chris, I couldn’t have done this novel without you. You went far beyond the call of duty in helping
me and I will never forget it. I wish you every success in your writing career, you deserve it.