24 Hours by Greg Iles A letter to the antagonist, Joe Hickey

Joe- Because I sincerely feel your pain, and I have gone through a similar tragedy, I can sympathize with you in regards to the pain and heartbreak you felt when your mother died. My grandmother died as a direct result of a mistake that the hospital in which she was attending made. However, I do not hold a grudge, for they were trying to do their job as best as they possibly could. Your mother's …

…Did you expect her to be loyal to you? After you put her in a nightclub to strip and give "sofa dances"? No wife would be- and your wife wasn't. Huey will be put in a mental institution, and because he was under your mercy, as soon as he is mentally healthy he will be released. They say misery loves company, but you're going to get to wallow in your misery all by your lonesome.