The Constable's Tale (36 page)

I also owe an untold number of novelists whose works I’ve read in a lifetime, including recently David Liss, who assured me (when I needed assuring) that a good story will find readers no matter the era in which it is set; James Grady for his riveting story lines and painterly writing; James W. Hall for his mysteries set in the weirdness of South Florida, and Charles Frazier for the lessons he teaches in, among other subjects, narrative voice. As is true concerning factual content, though, any shortcomings in the literary department are entirely my own.

My thanks to the first person in the New York publishing world who gave me any reason to think I could write a novel that people might want to read: my agent, Jennifer Unter. Thanks to the creative team at Pegasus Books, including the sharp-eyed, deft-handed editor I was lucky enough to have, Maia Larson. Also to Maria Fernandez who came up with the typography, and Kara Davison for her brilliantly conceived and executed cover art, with its circlet of stars suggesting an independent America just beginning to emerge from the mists of the future.

I can’t thank enough three friends who read early manuscripts for their encouragement and wise counsel along the way: Barbara Mathias-Riegel, Punch Wray, and Cathy Healy. Thanks to my two lovely daughters, Hillary and Jessica, for being the delightful people they are; and to my older brother Kendall, who as a child experienced bits of a rapidly disappearing old North Carolina that I, growing up mostly in Northern Virginia, did not.

And finally, the most thanks of all to my wonderful wife, Pat Durkin, an estimable writer herself, and student of natural history, who read earlier drafts, and who has supported me for so long with love, encouragement, and kindnesses large and small. My gratitude to her is beyond measure.

THE CONSTABLE’S TALE

Pegasus Books LLC

New York, NY 10004

Copyright © 2015 by Donald Smith First Pegasus Books cloth edition September 2015

Interior design by Maria Fernandez All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher, except by reviewers who may quote brief excerpts in connection with a review in a newspaper, magazine, or electronic publication; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other, without written permission from the publisher.

The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows: ISBN: 978-1-60598-861-0

ISBN: 978-1-60598-862-7 (e-book) Distributed by W. W. Norton & Company