Smoke Screen (39 page)
Authors: Sandra Brown
Tags: #Mystery, #Contemporary, #Romance, #Suspense, #Adult, #Thriller
The fire in this novel is purely fictitious. In order to tell my story, I took creative license and invented a police station and the blaze that destroyed it.
I was well into writing this book when the deadly fire at the Sofa Super Store in Charleston occurred on June 18, 2007. It was an unsettling coincidence. For months, I considered changing the location of my story, fearing that it would appear insensitive to set it in a city that had withstood such a catastrophic loss.
But I changed my mind. That fire prompted reviews by numerous state and federal agencies, resulting in stricter safety measures and more effective fire-fighting procedures, which since have been adapted by fire departments all over the country. Hopefully this positive outcome will prevent another such devastating loss to a community, and to the individuals whose loss was much more personal.
Sandra Brown
The Charleston Police Department moved into its present headquarters in 1974. I became acquainted with that facility when I wrote
The Alibi.
Prior to its relocation, the department had occupied a venerable stone building at the corner of St. Philip and Vanderhorst streets in the historic district. Within a year of being vacated, that building was demolished. I appreciate the help of Amie Gray of my staff, along with Jan Hiester and The Charleston Museum, for providing me with information and photos.
Special thanks, too, to the three citizens of Yemassee, South Carolina, who on a quiet Sunday morning directed my husband, Michael, and me to the Combahee River, which wasn’t where it was supposed to be according to our map of the back roads. Once we assured these gentlemen that we weren’t property developers, they were friendly, hospitable, and most generous with their assistance.
When lost, I’ve often “…depended on the kindness of strangers.”
Sandra Brown is the author of numerous
New York Times
bestsellers, including
Play Dirty, Ricochet, Chill Factor, White Hot, The Crush, Envy,
and
The Switch.
She lives with her husband in Arlington, Texas.