Smoke Screen

AUTHOR’S NOTE

The fire in this novel is purely fictitious. In order to tell my story, I took creative license and invented a police station and the blaze that destroyed it.

I was well into writing this book when the deadly fire at the Sofa Super Store in Charleston occurred on June 18, 2007. It was an unsettling coincidence. For months, I considered changing the location of my story, fearing that it would appear insensitive to set it in a city that had withstood such a catastrophic loss.

But I changed my mind. That fire prompted reviews by numerous state and federal agencies, resulting in stricter safety measures and more effective fire-fighting procedures, which since have been adapted by fire departments all over the country. Hopefully this positive outcome will prevent another such devastating loss to a community, and to the individuals whose loss was much more personal.

Sandra Brown