Spy in a Little Black Dress - By Maxine Kenneth Page 0,119
married couple, they had had their ups and downs, but, despite all the big and little upheavals, they were still together.
In a little while, Jackie knew, Jack would have to return to his Ex Comm meeting, and she would return to bed, where, she felt sure now, sleep would come. She had faith that her husband would commit to whatever course necessary to ensure the safety of the country, to turn the world away from the brink of nuclear destruction. And no matter what happened, and no matter how things turned out, Jackie affirmed to herself that she would be there, right where she had always belonged, by Jack’s side.
Acknowledgments
It’s been a long and circuitous road since I first came up with the concept for a series of novels about young Jacqueline Bouvier working as a spy for the CIA. And these are the people I would like to mention for providing me with assistance on this leg of the journey. With thanks and gratitude—
To our editor, Alex Logan, for having the patience of Job, the wisdom of Solomon, and the diplomatic skills of Dean Acheson.
To Beth de Guzman and the entire dedicated team at Grand Central Publishing, including our intrepid publicists, Jillian Sanders and Brianne Beers.
To our wonderful agent, Melissa Chinchillo at Fletcher & Company, for service above and beyond the call of duty.
To our movie agent, Rich Green at CAA, for displaying such early faith in the project.
To the baristas at Bourbon Coffee, where much of this book was written, for keepin’ the iced tea comin’.
To Vince Cosgrove, for lending an old newsman’s practiced eye to chapter 27.
To Hope Tarr and the good people at Lady Jane’s Salon in NYC for making a newbie author feel right at home.
To novelist Caroline Leavitt for her generosity of spirit toward her fellow writers.
To Terry Mort, whose The Hemingway Patrols (Scribner, 2009) helped place me on the flying bridge of Pilar alongside Papa.
To T.J. English, whose Havana Nocturne (Morrow, 2008) transported me back to Cuba in the days leading up to Castro’s revolution.
To Richard D. Mahoney, whose Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy (Arcade, 1999) took me behind the scenes at the White House during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962.
To David J. Skal, whose The Horror Show (Penguin Books, 1994) first introduced me to the “Mexican Dracula.”
To Henri-Georges Clouzot, Sir Carol Reed, Francis Ford Coppola, Richard Lester, Sydney Pollack, Julian Schnabel, and Andy Garcia for their visual cues.
To Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Arturo Sandoval, Perez Prado, and the Buena Vista Social Club for providing the soundtrack to which this novel was written.
And above all, to Marilyn and Rachel, for the constancy and amplitude of their love and support.
—Ken Salikof
Acknowledgments
My career as a writer has had many midwives. None of the books I’ve written or co-authored over the years would have seen the light of day had it not been for some wonderful agents who have represented my work, including Meredith Bernstein, Mary Tahan, and, currently, Melissa Chinchilla of Fletcher & Company. Thanks to Melissa for getting this book and its predecessor, Paris to Die For, to Grand Central Publishing and to Alex Logan, who assiduously edited both books and has been unflagging in her support. Beth deGuzman and the incredibly hardworking staff at Grand Central have provided an ideal home for the two novels.
I’m very grateful to the friends and family who enthusiastically embraced the concept of Jacqueline Bouvier as a CIA agent. Some early and particularly vocal supporters who deserve special thanks are Klaus Braemer, Tom King, Ellen Gordesky, Ibi Nathans, Seth Barsky, Dr. David Mitnick, Lisa Mitnick, and the rest of the Mitnick clan (you know who you are). I’m also especially grateful for the kindness I received from Monica Cataluna-Shand, Teanna McDonald, and Sally Grant of the National Association of Women Business Owners and from Evelyn Benson, Gonny Van Den Broek, Jonathan Rose, Lynn MacKinnon, Norma Chew, and Dorothy White of the South Florida Writers Association. NBC Miami’s Trina Robinson has to be the best television host ever when it comes to promoting an author’s work.
Edward Klein’s All Too Human and William H.A. Carr’s Those Fabulous Kennedy Women were valuable resources for the budding romance between Jacqueline Bouvier and Jack Kennedy. I’m also grateful for a wealth of information on Fidel Castro and Fulgencio Batista provided by T.J. English’s Havana Nocturne.
As a Floridian, I want to thank Little Havana in Miami for giving me a taste of life in its namesake city,