As always I’ve received a lot of help from a lot of people while I was writing this book and I’d like to thank: Ishbel Gall, Prof. Lorna Dawson, Prof. Dave Barclay, Dr James Grieve, and Prof. Sue Black, for all their forensic cleverness; Deputy Divisional Commander Mark Cooper, Sergeant Bruce Crawford, the excellent officers and support staff of B Division, everyone at the Mintlaw Road Policing Unit, Alison Cowie, Lisa Shand, and all the OST instructors; Fiona, Magnus, and Alan; Sarah Hodgson, Jane Johnson, Julia Wisdom, Louise Swannell, Oliver Malcolm, Sarah Collett, Roger Cazalet, Kate Elton, Sarah Benton, Damon Greeney, Kate Stephenson, Lucy Dauman, Anne O’Brien, Marie Goldie, the DC Bishopbriggs Wild Brigade, and all the lovely people at HarperCollins (you’re all great); and Phil Patterson and the team at Marjacq Scripts, for keeping my cat in shoes all these years.

More thanks to the naughty Alex, Nadine, Dave, Maureen, Al, Donna, Zoë, Mark, Peter, Russel, Chris, Christopher, Scott, and Catherine. And Russell (who inspired Bikini Golf).

A number of people have helped raise a lot of money for charity by bidding to have a character named after them in this book: Dean Scott, Syd Fraser, and Denise Wishart (Tony’s mum).

And, as per tradition, saving the best for last: Fiona and Grendel.

I’ve taken the occasional liberty with the street names and geography of the northeast, for what, I hope, are obvious reasons. But I’ve been entirely accurate about how beautiful the place is. Don’t take

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