Behind the Name on the Cover
A Personal History of the Partnership Behind My Books
This is a somewhat different kind of post for Just the Facts.
Many of you come here for my reporting on current events and investigative stories. Others may have found me through one of my books. But I suspect a fair number of subscribers are not familiar with the full body of my work, much less the role my wife, Trisha Posner, has played in every one of those books.
So today I wanted to share something more personal. It is also, I hope, a glimpse into the real world of publishing and long-form investigative nonfiction as I have lived it. I’ll be back soon with the reporting I’m working on now. But in the meantime, I thought it was worth opening a window onto the story behind the books, and behind the name on the cover.
Readers see a single name on a book cover and assume authorship is a solitary act.
It rarely is.
Over the past four decades, I have written 13 books. My name is on the spine of each one, and with that I have gotten the the praise and the criticism. But anyone who knows me well knows those books were never the work of one person.
They were built, line by line, interview by interview, draft by draft, with my wife, Trisha.
The only place that truth consistently appears in print is in the acknowledgments. It’s an odd corner of publishing. Readers often skip it. Publishers sometimes treat it as an afterthought. But for authors, it can be the only place where the real story of a book’s making is told plainly.
Over time, those acknowledgments become something more than a list of thank-yous. They form a record of collaboration, pressure, doubt, endurance, and trust. Looking back across my books, there are literally hundreds of people who were instrumental in telling those stories. But there is only one constant: Trisha’s role in every project I have ever undertaken.
What follows is something I have never done before: a collection of those acknowledgments to her, written over 40 years, across very different subjects, from Josef Mengele to Big Pharma, from the JFK assassination to the Vatican.
They were written at different moments, under different pressures, and in different stages of our lives. But they all point to the same reality: the work was never mine alone. Every book carries a piece of her.
And, fair warning: as with my books, even the shortened version of these acknowledgments is not exactly short.
PHARMA (2020)
Anyone familiar with my work knows that Pharma would not be possible without my wife, the author Trisha Posner. She had completed her own book in 2017, one with a different pharmaceutical theme. The Pharmacist of Auschwitz was the first nonfiction account of the Bayer druggist who ran the dispensary at the largest Nazi death camp. Trisha might have liked a break before going directly from the dark tale of Nazi medicine to the often disturbing history of the American pharmaceutical industry. If that was the case, she never mentioned it. Instead, she once again threw herself enthusiastically into this project, sifting thousands of pages of documents and sharing with me every interview. It was her idea to convert the only blank wall in our home office into a whiteboard. With its dozens of arrows and circles and groupings it looked at times more like the schematic for a complex criminal investigation than the outline for a book about the drug industry. This was, at times, all-consuming. For days on end, we did not leave our apartment but stayed in our “book cave” to meet a seemingly endless series of self-imposed deadlines. When a friend asked once how long we expected to spend on the story of American pharma, Trisha had a ready answer. “It’s a six-year project, but we are doing it in three.” Putting Trisha’s name on the front cover as a coauthor would do her justice. Until she agrees to that one day, this public acknowledgment shall have to suffice in showing that Pharma is as much hers as mine.
GOD’S BANKERS (2015)
It is not an exaggeration to say that my wife, Trisha, is a force of nature responsible for any of my success. She did far more than suffer patiently while I worked on this project. Instead, as an author in her own right, she is my incredibly resourceful partner, accompanying me on trips, sifting through archival files for days on end, and helping in every interview. The best information I uncover is often because Trisha has established a relationship of trust with an important source or somehow manages to ask just the key question at the right moment. Her judgment is unerring. Trisha’s commitment to the truth and her tremendous energy inspire me. When she grew up as a Jewish Londoner, it is unlikely she thought that one day she might marry an American Catholic. And beyond her imagination was that she would spend nearly a decade of her life delving into the wonderful mysteries of the Catholic Church and the Vatican. But to my eternal gratitude, she has done both. I get the credit because my name is on the cover. But I know this book is as much hers as mine.
Although God’s Bankers would not have been possible without the help of everyone listed above, I am ultimately responsible for what was done or left undone. I accept sole responsibility.
MIAMI BABYLON (2009)
Anyone who knows me realizes how lucky I am to have Trisha as my wife and partner. She does every interview with me, some on her own, and sifts through the boxes of often tedious documents and frayed clippings. She is my indomitable collaborator, listening to incessant complaints and self-doubt, and keeping me focused and enthusiastic through the long reporting. She has a knack for knowing what is important and helps prevent me from taking long detours into interesting but unrelated topics. Until she one day allows me to put her name on the front of the book, this thank you is my only way of saying that Miami Babylon is as much hers as it is mine.
SECRETS OF THE KINGDOM (2005)
It is getting more difficult in each book to thank my wife, Trisha, as I am running out of synonyms for “indispensable” and “fantastic.”
She has been my inseparable partner since my first project on Josef Mengele in the early 1980s, but her role with my books has evolved. Initially, Trisha was an indefatigable researcher, her natural inquisitiveness leading to wonderful reporting discoveries.
Then, as she became more confident in her work, she helped me choose book subjects, marshal the voluminous research into cogent outlines, and eventually help with rough chapter drafts and a keen editing eye.
Anyone who knows her marvels at her enthusiasm, and I get the benefit of sharing that tremendous energy with her in our work. Her passion fuels me. I must sound like a broken record when I say she deserves to have her name on the front of the book as much as mine.
Trisha is a published author in her own right, and one day I may convince her to share the book byline as well as the monthly column we do for Ocean Drive. To her I say thanks with all my heart; my gratitude knows no bounds.
WHY AMERICA SLEPT (2003)
Finally, although only my name is on the front of this book, anyone who knows me realizes that anything I do that is worthwhile in life is a result of the amazing relationship I have with my wife, Trisha. An author in her own right, Trisha is a research maven, and I never cease to be amazed by her persistence and the information she covers. But much more than that, she is my muse, not only the person who inspires me, but also the reason for any success I have. She is my eternal partner.
MOTOWN (2002)
Those lucky enough to know my wife, Trisha, understand that it is not hyperbole to say there would be no book without her. She is my indefatigable partner, not only a dream of a spouse but also an author in her own right as well as the collaborator on all my work. Trisha does every interview with me, spends months sifting through documents and libraries and private collections, and helps on everything from the first draft through all the revisions. Maybe one day I shall finally be successful in convincing her that her name belongs on the front cover as much as mine.
KILLING THE DREAM (1998)
And most of all, I pay tribute to my wife, my soul mate, Trisha. Once again, I have incurred a debt to her that I can never repay. Describing her role as researcher, interviewer, webmaster, photocopier, and unofficial editor only partly explains what she does. Trisha also provides unselfish love and nurturing, and her uncanny intuition and commitment to the truth guide me daily. I cannot imagine tackling these projects, all-consuming as they are, without her at my side. Since my name is on the book jacket, I get the credit, but this is very much a team effort, and Killing the Dream is as much hers as mine. I am blessed to have her as my partner.
PEROT (1996)
Finally, I must pay tribute to my wife, Trisha. She works on each of my books, travels with me to conduct the interviews and archival work, organizes the file cabinets of information at home, and scans hundreds of documents into the computer. She listens to my own interminable self-doubts, and then reads every draft of the manuscript, always improving it with her insightful criticisms. She was responsible for first turning my attention to Ross Perot and third-party politics. I am blessed to have her as my partner. This book is as much hers as mine.
CASE CLOSED (1993)
My wife, Trisha, is truly my muse. She is my inspiration at every stage of my work, even enduring my frequent self-doubt when I constantly tormented her with my worries about organizing the masses of information into a solid manuscript by the deadline. She invaluably assists me on each of my projects. Depending on the subject, she endures the daily invasion of figures and trappings from another period. I know she will be happy to no longer live with the shadow of Lee Oswald. There would be no book without her.
HITLER’S CHILDREN (1991)
Finally, last but certainly not least, I pay tribute to my wife, Trisha. As she has in the past, she proved to be my constant and cherished source of motivation. From helping me with the research to reading and criticizing innumerable rough drafts, she lived with this book from its inception. She is my ingenious partner, without whom this book would not be possible.
WARLORDS OF CRIME (1988)
Before thanking them I must first pay tribute to my wife, Trisha, and not merely because she suffered in patience while I toiled on this book. She was my fearless, indomitable, and resourceful partner, accompanying me on most of my journeys, even to countries where the work was uncomfortable and dangerous. Often dealing with faceless, unprincipled, desperate people, who necessarily inhabit the criminal and narcotics underworld, her unerring judgment and commonsense approach proved invaluable in sustaining my own equilibrium and preventing me from falling into the pitfalls that dot the road of such research. At various times she has played the role of researcher, secretary, interviewer, organizer, and unofficial editor. There would be no book without her.
MENGELE (1986)
I was a co-author so there was a joint thank you to our wives: “Finally, and most important, we thank our wives, Trisha Posner and Helena Ware, who have lived with Josef Mengele for five years, and whose support and positive attitudes contributed to and are part of every aspect of this book. It was they who stayed the course, especially during the hectic summer of 1985. It was they who deserve ultimate credit for this record being written.
It gets harder, not easier, to write acknowledgments over time.
Not because there is less to say—but because there are only so many ways to describe something that has remained constant for decades.
Partnership in writing is not just about dividing tasks. It is about shared judgment, curiosity, stamina, and a trust in the moments when a project threatens to come apart.
The acknowledgments capture only a fraction of that. But taken together, over 40 years, they tell a story that the cover never does.
My name may stand alone on the books.
But the work never did.1
Note: My 1989 novel, Bio-Assassins, had no acknowledgments page. That is why there are only 12 here.
Bravo. A well-deserved...and thoughtful tribute to your wife's efforts in helping you. You two are truly a dedicated and talented pair. Thank you.