She had gone on dozens of Captain Dave whale- watc h adventures over the last seventeen years: her best friend’s father was Captain Dave Angeln himself, and her own dad- a researcher at Woods Hole- often used the trips to collect data and observe mamma- lian life in the bay. The oce an ﬁlled her with joy and longing, all at once. She shoved it behind her ears and closed her eyes for a second, taking a deep br ea th of sea air- faintly like salt, faintl y like cucumbers. Summary: In alternati ng chapters, tells of the mermaid Syrenka’ s love for Ezra in 1872 that leads to a series of horriﬁc murders, and present-day Hester’s encounter with a ghost that reveals her connection to the murders and to Syrenka.

Printed in the United States of America First edition, 2012 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Pu blication Data Fama, Elizabeth. The author gratefully acknowledges the research help of John Kemp, Buddy Tripp, Bill Rudder, and Kerri Helme (all of Plimoth Plantation), Christine Cook (Plymouth genealogy), and Adam Cifu (medical) and the editorial insights of Beth Potter, Sara Crowe, Susan Fine, Kate Hannigan, Linda Hoffman Kimball, and Carol Fisher Saller Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers 175 Fifth Avenue, New York 10010 Copyright © 2012 by Elizabeth Fama All rights reserved Distributed in Canada by D&M Publishers, Inc.

Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama