The Toy Taker (54 page)

‘Jesus Christ, Sean,’ Kate asked. ‘What’s the matter with you?’

‘Nothing,’ he replied, never looking away from the toy. ‘Nothing at all.’

Again I’d like to thank my agent, Simon Trewin at WME and my publishers, Harper Collins for making this third book possible – in particular Kate Elton, my editor Sarah Hodgson, my line editor Anne O’Brien, Kiwi Kate and the Killer Reads team as well as the sales team who did a great job getting the second book –
The Keeper
– into many important outlets. Thank you all.

I’d also like to say a big thanks to some of the people who encouraged me long before agents and publishers ever became involved, and persuaded me my first book –
Cold Killing
– had real potential. Unfortunately I can’t always use their real names for security reasons. Firstly, thanks to my two great detective buddies, McGoo, who I’ve known since training school and is one of the funniest and bravest men I know, and Grim – a hardcore, old school detective who had the villains running scared and once famously said on TV –
‘We’ll hunt them down like the dogs they are’
. They know who they are.

I’d like to thank another cop buddie, Bin and his wife Sal, who loved
Cold Killing
from the start and really encouraged me to keep going, as did our dear friend Tans and not forgetting SH who took the time out of her own busy writing schedule to not only read
Cold Killing
, but to put me in touch with Simon Trewin, which turned out to be the single biggest break I’ve ever had.

To you all. Thanks a million.

LD

Luke Delaney joined the Metropolitan Police Service in the late 1980s and his first posting was to an inner city area of South East London notorious for high levels of crime and extreme violence. He later joined CID where he investigated murders ranging from those committed by fledgling serial killers to gangland assassinations.

Cold Killing

The Keeper

If you’re a DI Sean Corrigan fan, try the first in the series:

A KILLER WHO’LL NEVER STOP.

A DETECTIVE WHO’LL NEVER GIVE UP.

Click
here
to buy
Cold Killing

If you’re a DI Sean Corrigan fan, try the second in the series:

HE’S GOING TO SAVE HER.

WHETHER SHE LIKES IT OR NOT.

Click
here
to buy
The Keeper

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First published by HarperCollins
Publishers
2014

Copyright © Luke Delaney 2014

Cover layout design © HarperCollins
Publishers
2014

Cover photographs © Henry Steadman

Luke Delaney asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

This is entirely a work of fiction. Any references to real people, living or dead, real events, businesses, organizations and localities are intended only to give the fiction a sense of reality and authenticity. All names, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and their resemblance, if any, to real-life counterparts is entirely coincidental.

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Source ISBN: 9780007486120

Ebook Edition © FEBRUARY 2014 ISBN: 9780007486137

Version: 2014-02-13

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