Why Mermaids Sing

A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery

Obsidian
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First published by Obsidian, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Copyright © The Two Talers, LLC, 2007
All rights reserved

OBSIDIAN and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Harris, C. S.
Why mermaids sing: a Sebastian St. Cyr mystery/C. S. Harris.
p. cm.
ISBN: 1-4295-8431-9
1. Great Britain—History—George III, 1760–1820—Fiction. 2. Nobility—Crimes against—Fiction.
3. London (England)—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3566.R5877W48 2007
813.6—dc22 2006102818

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For the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast,

who suffered so much, and are still suffering,

from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

Why Mermaids Sing
will always be, for me, my “Katrina book.” I began the first chapter just days before the storm slammed into my New Orleans–area home. In the dark months that followed, as we shifted from one place of refuge to the next and started on the long, hard road to reconstruction, there were many times when I seriously doubted the manuscript would ever see publication. I wrote this book in a Baton Rouge apartment, in a cabin by a lake in central Louisiana, in the back room of my mother’s house, and in the gutted office of my own half-built home. That I managed to pull it off is due to the many wonderful people who stood by me.

I am especially grateful to my editor, Ellen Edwards, and all the great people at NAL who were so supportive and understanding; my agent, Helen Breitwieser, who said cheerfully, “You can do it!” everytime I started losing faith; all the many friends who were there for us, including Jon, Ben, Bruce and Emily, Laura, Elora, and Charles; and my incredible, resilient, unbeatable family—my mother, Penny, Samantha, Danielle, and Steve.

Thank you all.