The Mark of the Assassin

memories. Some of their insight helped
    shape this work, and some of it was just tucked away, but I am indebted
    to all of them. In my previous life I was privileged to work with Brooks
    Jackson, who covers the intersection of money and politics for CNN and
    is one of the finest reporters in Washington. His wisdom was invaluable,
    though nothing written on the pages of a novel could ever do justice to
    the spirit and expertise of his work. James Hackett and John Pike helped
    me decipher the Rubik's Cube of National Ballistic Missile Defense and
    also argued passionately for and against it. Obviously, I am to blame
    for the frightening oversimplification of missile defense contained in
    this book, not them. I also wish to express my profound thanks to Dr.
    Zev Rosenwaks and Wally Padillo of the Center for Reproductive Medicine
    and Infertility at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. Also, to
    Chris Plante, who helped me better understand Stinger missiles. Over the
    years three dear friends, Tom Kelly, Martha Rogers, and Greg Craig, have
    given me a window on the world of Washington law, even though they never
    realized I was gathering material for a book. I thank them for their
    insight and, more importantly, their friendship. As always, Ion Trewin,
    the managing director of Weidenfeld & Nicolson in London, gave me
    priceless counsel, as did his assistant, Rachel Leyshon. A very special
    thanks to the team at International Creative Management: Heather
    Shroeder, Alicia Gordon, Tricia Davey, Jack Homer, Sloane Harris, and,
    of course, Esther Newberg. And finally, to the talented and dedicated
    staff at Random House: Adam Rothberg, Jake Klisivitch, Sybil Pincus,
    Leona Nevler, and Linda Gray, and especially my editors, Brian De-Fiore
    and Ann Godoff. There are none better.
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR DANIEL SILVA'S first novel, The Unlikely Spy, was a New
    York Times and international best-seller and was sold as a major motion
    picture to Twentieth Century-Fox. A former journalist and television
    producer, Silva has covered everything from Washington politics to the
    conflicts in the Middle East. He lived and worked in Cairo, where some
    of The Mark of the Assassin is set. He now lives in Washington, D.C.,
    with his wife, NBC Today show correspondent Jamie Gangel, and their two
    children. He is currently at work on a new novel.