Pete Scobell, Morgan Luttrell, and Paul Craig are good buddies and exceptional Americans. They helped in key places throughout the book, and I am grateful for their assistance. Next time we’re all in the same town, dinner’s on me.
Rome-based journalist Barbie Latza Nadeau couldn’t have been more generous with her time. Her writing on the refugee crisis in Europe, human smuggling, and the ISIS-Mafia connection is top-notch. If you’d like to learn about any of those subjects, make sure to check out her work. Thank you, Barbie.
My thanks also go to Chad Norberg, Jon Sanchez, Robert O’Brien, Peter Osyff, John Schindler, and Jeff Boss. America isn’t good because it is great, it is great because it is good. The selfless service these men have rendered to our great nation continues to humble me. I am honored to know them and to be able to call on them for help in writing my novels. Thank you.
As many people as I can name, there are also those whom I cannot. To those selfless warriors out there taking the fight to the bad guys each and every day, thank you.
Debra Lovett and Susan Viscovich helped contribute to two wonderful causes near and dear to my heart. These are two absolutely amazing ladies worthy of a novel all their own. I hope they enjoy their namesakes herein, and maybe—just maybe—we’ll see a return appearance in the future. I thank you both.
The publishing world’s equivalent of Scot Harvath is the magnificent Carolyn Reidy. You could not ask for a better champion on your side. Thank you for everything, Carolyn, and here’s to many more years of excitement and success together.
The outstanding Judith Curr and the marvelous Louise Burke take such good care of me. If there’s an issue that needs handling, I only need to ask, and they’re on it. I am thankful for all that you have done and continue to do for me. I am extremely fortunate to be working with you both.
All of my novels have been with Simon & Schuster, and I want to thank everyone in the entire magnificent organization. A more wonderful group of people you will never meet. I am honored to be a part of the family. Thank you.
My absolutely brilliant editor and publisher, Emily Bestler, deserves more thanks than I could ever give her here. There isn’t a single part of the process that she isn’t involved with—and all are made so much better because of her involvement. Simply put, there is none better. Thank you, Emily, for your wisdom and unending well of talent.
So, I have this unbelievable guy from Frank Sinatra’s hometown in New Jersey who can make anything happen. You could write the best book in the world, but if no one knew about it, where would you be? That’s where the tremendous David Brown comes in. He is the publicists’ publicist. Thank you, D—for every single thing.
When you have Cindi Berger and PMK-BNC on your team bringing additional PR heat, it’s like having the Avengers on speed-dial. They are super people and super professionals. Thank you.
My entire Atria, Emily Bestler Books, and Pocket Books family is very important to me and I want to thank them for everything they do all year long. You are the best.
I want to also thank the incomparable Michael Selleck, Gary Urda, and John Hardy, as well as the astounding Colin Shields, Adene Corns, Lisa Keim, Irene Lipsky, Lara Jones, Alison Hinchcliffe, the Emily Bestler Books/Pocket Books sales team, Albert Tang and the Emily Bestler Books/Pocket Books Art Departments, Al “Don’t worry, Brad, I got this” Madocs and the Atria/Emily Bestler Books Production Department, Chris Lynch, Tom Spain, Sarah Lieberman, Desiree Vecchio, Armand Schultz, and the entire Simon & Schuster audio division.
One of the best days of my personal and professional life was the day I met my astonishing agent, Heide Lange of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. I owe Heide more thanks than I will ever be able to convey. Thank you, Heide. You mean the world to me.
As James Bond has Q, Heide (and I) have the incredible Stephanie Delman and Samantha Isman. I thank you both for everything you do for me on a daily basis. And to that, let me also thank everyone else at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates for such wonderful assistance throughout the year.
In a word, Yvonne Ralsky is marvelous. The key to being successful is surrounding yourself with great people and letting them do what they do best. Yvonne, you are one of the greatest. My thanks to you and your wonderful family for being part of the team.
Every year, I thank my awesome entertainment attorney and dear friend, Scott Schwimer. He’s not only a superstar in Hollywood, but he’s also one of the best people I have ever met. Thank you, my friend.
Finally, my biggest thanks of all go to my spectacular family. If it weren’t for you, this book would not have happened. Ours truly is a “family business.” You do more for me than I can list here. No father or husband could ever ask for more supportive people in his life. I love you and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
In closing, please visit my website. I not only create a lot of bonus content for the novels, but I also put out a fun, fast, free newsletter each month that includes a terrific prize. Swing by BradThor.com and check it out.
Now, with the novel complete and everyone thanked, I am off on my next adventure!
RESOURCES
I spend a lot of my time between books reading and doing research. Material ends up piled all around my office, taped to the walls, etc. Picture the movie A Beautiful Mind and you’re about halfway there.
In writing Use of Force, a few resources stand out, and I would like to share them with you: No Easy Day by Mark Owen with Kevin Maurer No Hero by Mark Owen with Kevin Maurer Fearless by Eric Blehm
Beyond Repair by Charles S. Faddis
Fair Play by James M. Olson
As I mentioned in the acknowledgments, I also highly recommend the reporting of Barbie Latza Nadeau on ISIS, the Mafia, and the European refugee crisis.
Scott Onstott’s blog at secretsinplainsight.com provided fascinating information about sacred geometry and patterns of distance between major world landmarks.
Burningman.org and burners.me are excellent resources for anyone wanting to learn more about the Burning Man celebration.
For the writers out there, Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi put out a great series of books covering character expression, flaws, and attributes. If you’re looking for insight into why people do what they do, this is a great place to start.
Finally, in order to satisfy the time constraints of the novel, I took artistic liberty with the start/stop dates of the Burning Man festival and the Fête des Tuileries in Paris. In all other areas, I worked to be as accurate as possible.
Any mistakes in the novel are on me, and I take full responsibility for them.
Thank you for reading Use of Force.