To the men and women who serve

As always I must first thank my best friend and love of my life, my wife, Lysa. As my friends are fond of pointing out, I definitely overachieved when I married you. To my editor, Emily Bestler, and my agent Sloan Harris, thank you once again for all of your guidance and friendship. I can't imagine working with anyone else in the business. To Sarah Branham and Katherine Cluverius, thank you for putting up with me. To Jack Romanos and Carolyn Reidy at Simon & Schuster, two of the smartest people in publishing, a sincere thanks for all of your support. To Judith Curr and Louise Burke, your enthusiasm and humor are two of the many reasons why I enjoy being published by Atria and Pocket Books. To Paolo Pepe for his creativity, Seale Ballenger for his commitment and hard work, and as always, to the entire S&S sales force. To John Attenborough and all of the folks at S&S Australia, thank you for showing my wife and me your lovely country. We can't wait to come back. Also, a special thanks to Jeffrey Berg at ICM for taking such a personal interest in Memorial Day.

One of the best parts of my job is getting to meet the people I base my fiction on. At the CIA I'd like to thank Bill Harlow, Chase Brandon, Robert Richer, Michael Tadie, and all of the people at the CTC who gave me such a warm reception last year. At the FBI I'd like to thank Brad Garret, Pat O'Brien, and Jay Rooney. I admire the commitment and sacrifice that all of you make. To Larry Johnson, again, thank you for your always unique take on national security. To Kat, your frank advice and humor are always welcome. And to Carl Pohlad, thank you for all your generosity and friendship.