Headhunter

Author's Note

This is a work of fiction. The plot, the characters-in-action are a product of the author's imagination. Where real persons, places, or institutions have been used for background to create the illusion of authenticity they are used fictitiously. Facts have been altered if necessary for the purpose of the story.

It would not have been possible to write this novel, however, without the generous help of certain individuals who aided in the research and to whom the author owes a debt of gratitude:

To Dr. James S. Tyhurst of the Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, for directing my reading toward The Psychology of Insanity by Bernard Hart.

To The Clash of London, England — both for their music and for permission to use the lyrics of "Jimmy Jazz."

To Earl Hall of the RCMP Crime Detection Lab, Vancouver, BC, who — without knowing the plot or where I was going — helped with the ballistics.

To Gerald Straley of VanDusen Botanical Gardens. Vancouver, BC, for a short course in botany.

To Pacific Press Ltd for the consistent quality of The Sun newspaper, Vancouver, BC.

To Annie Hill, for translation.

To Vicki Murdoch, for her artwork.

And to Bill Duthie, who for thirty years provided the best library in town.

In addition, I must acknowledge the influence of. and the wealth of knowledge contained within, the following non-fiction sources:

Burroughs, William S. Junky,Penguin, 1977, London

Butler, William F. The Great Lone Land. Hurtig. 1968, Edmonton

Dolinger, Jane. The Head With The Long Yellow Hair, Robert Hale, 1958, London

Greene, Gerald and Caroline. S-M: The Last Taboo,Grove, 1974, New York

Hart, Bernard. The Psychology of Insanity,Cambridge University Press, 1957

Haskins, Jim. Voodoo and Hoodoo,Stein and Day, 1978, New York

Hogg, Gaixy. Cannibalism and Human Sacrifice,Pan Books, 1958, London

Horrall. S. W. The Pictorial History of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police,McGraw-Hill, 1973, Toronto

Huxley, Francis. The Invisibles: Voodoo Gods in Haiti, McGraw-Hill, 1969, New York

Keating, H. R. F. Whodunit? A Guide To Crime., Suspense and Spy Fiction,Van Nostrand, 1982, New York

Stone, Alan A. and Sue Smart. (Editors).The Abnormal Personality Through Literature,Prentice-Hall, 1966, New Jersey

Tierney, John. "Common Threads From Atlanta,"Science '81

Wilson, Colin. Order of Assassins,Panther Books, 1975, London

Wilson, Colin. Origins of the Sexual Impulse,Granada, 1966, London

And finally, my sincere thanks to those who — one way or another — saw this into print:

To Bob Tanner, publisher extraordinaire,who plucked it from the mail.

To Hilary Muray, Kristina Lindbergh and Dudley Frasier, who turned the lens and brought it into focus.

To Lee, who gave birth to Michael Slade.

To Kevin Williams, for his counsel.

To the management and staff of the Sylvia Hotel, Vancouver, BC, and to the Mills of East Lothian, Scotland, beneath whose warm hospitality it all came together.

Of course, to Lois McMahon, Slade's right arm, for everything.

And to Evan Hunter and Howard Phillips Lovecraft for inspiration.