The Caretaker is a sick little yarn. Definitely my most calculated novel. Unlike most of my work, born out of inspiration and inevitability, The Caretaker arose from a desire to write a first-class psychological thriller. Prompted by my ambitious and eccentric editor at Bantam, Ms. Kate Miciak, I set aside spontaneity in favor of premeditation. It is the only novel I've written from an outline and the only plot I've ever created where I actually worked out the end before I wrote the first sentence. The Caretaker, I might add, is also my bestselling work. It kept me out of the poor house for quite some time. So maybe there's a kernel of truth to the old adage that it's good to know where you're going before you set off on your journey. Unfortunately, this whole deliberative act of premeditation was not why I got into the insane business of novel writing. I write novels for the same reason I read them. Which is really the same reason I watch movies. And listen to music. And go to museums. And take walks in the woods. And travel to distant ports. And seek out interesting people for lengthy chats on a wide variety of topics. Because life is a journey of self discovery. If I wanted to know the end before I set off I'd just sit in front of the TV and watch reruns. That said, The Caretaker really is a great revenge story. It's a classic setup. A guy (and in this case his father) were done wrong decades earlier. Wrong enough that this guy has spent a significant portion of his adult life preparing for retribution. As you'll see, it's quite sick how far this guy has gone to mete out his vengeance. The Caretaker, like most of my stuff, is extremely visual. They're just words on a page but I like to think those words pretty quickly and pretty vividly draw images in your head. For years a variety of Hollywood producers, including a couple fat cats, held options on The Caretaker. Scripts were written, directors hired, actors considered. I'd been through this movie madness before with This Way Madness Lies and The Gypsy Storyteller, but The Caretaker came very close to actually getting produced. Maybe it still will. Anyway, back in its hardcover and softcover heyday there were a hell of a lot of copies of The Caretaker around. It got good reviews and a lot of buzz. Had I written a few more Caretaker type stories I'd be retired now on Bimini bone fishing by day and ruining my liver by night. Instead I'm home where I belong, taking care of my kids.