While Dead Lock is a work of fiction, the plot is based on a fear that was very real during the early days of WWII. If the locks at Sault Ste. Marie had been destroyed, the Allied war effort would have been badly compromised.

I’ve attempted to keep the background as factual as possible. There actually were some 7,300 troops stationed at the Soo in late 1942 and early 1943, armed with anti-aircraft weapons. There were submarine nets and barrage balloons – balloons that sometimes broke loose from their moorings and drifted away to be found miles away.

This kind of accuracy requires a dedication to research. And for information that helped Dead Lock come to life I thank a number of people, beginning with Bernie Arbic. His excellent histories, City of the Rapids and Upbound Downbound, formed the base of my knowledge of the region and its past. I also thank Paul Sabourin who spent many hours showing me locations where actual events took place.

The late Chuck Payment provided extremely helpful input: he worked for the Soo Evening News in 1941. Dr. Donald McKinnon, once assigned to Army Intelligence, was at the dedication of the MacArthur Lock, and gave me a valuable glimpse into the happenings of that day, as well as life in the Soo at that time.

To Ralph Kiefer and Heide Borsdorf go thanks for providing the German translation in the chapter on the Enigma.

Thanks to Margaret Chaney and Jean MacLellan for their knowledge of Detroit in the 40s and what it was like to work on the Detroit Times newspaper.

Paul Bressler and “David” of Allexperts.com contributed a great deal of advice on fine wine of the time. Paul Sutton lent insight into the anti-aircraft weaponry used at the Soo during WWII.

Finally, thanks go to Eric Treece for his cover photo and to Chris Ivy for the photo of the author.