Chapter 4
526 Words
I would like to thank the following people for all their contributions and advice;
Mike Smith of Advanced Armament Corp, USA for his expertise on all weapons suppressed and for his fascinating insight into the SDK "Gestapo" Rifle that Marquez uses.
To my old friend, science fiction writer, Daniel Webster for all his help and encouragement over the years and for helping me find Gorilla"s favorite tool of the trade, the S&W "39. Phut – Phut – Phut!
Phut – Phut – PhutTo John Nuttall, for sharing his knowledge of the Cornish Coast and for his advice on all things "boat" related. Any errors are mine and should in no way be attributed to John"s excellent advice.
To my "Scottish Editor", Claire Piercy, for advising me on the correct way that those north of the border converse. I owe you a dram.
To the fantastic LE Fitzpatrick for saving the day at the last moment with her magical skills of proofreading and formatting to make this book the best that it can possibly be.
To Rachel Graves, for putting to work her contacts and for guiding me through the fascinating world of forensic pathology and science.
The staff at the British Embassy in Vienna for all their help with getting the details of the old Embassy correct.
To "Ned Brockman" former agent of the old Federal Narcotics Bureau (and later its renamed manifestation, the d**g Enforcement Administration) for all his help in guiding me through the type of operations that the DEA excels at. I was lucky enough to meet up with "Ned" for lunch in London and I think it"s only fair that next time, I pay!
And last, but not least, to "Lulu" for writing the last line of the book. I couldn"t have done it without you. xxx
QJ/WIN and WI/ROGUE were real agents recruited to work for the CIA in the 1960"s. Their identities have never truly been revealed, and I have taken liberties with the backgrounds and operations that they may have been involved in during this period of history.
The character of Jack "Gorilla" Grant is one I hope the readers will take to. He is the very antithesis of James Bond. He is a working class spy.
He is based, if he is based on anybody, upon a number of people that I know or have known. Some worked, and continue to work, in the secret world and some don"t. I stole a piece of each of them and melded them into both a physical and personality-based profile.
Of Grant"s SIS work name, "Gorilla", I was searching around for a codename for my spy/assassin. I toyed with many, all, I admit, sounding a bit too gung-ho, macho, Roman Godlike or predatory animal. I wanted something almost banal, but that also conveyed a workmanlike approach to the job that Jack Grant has to do. None seemed to reflect the almost casual disdain that Grant has for such frivolities better than "Gorilla"; after all, he"s a worker, but he"s got better things to worry about than what people call him… and anyway, what"s in a name?
J.Q
London, 2015
- Writer
