Thomas & Mercer, Amazon’s mystery imprint, will publish “Because We Are,” a novel written by Class of 2011 alumnus Ted Oswald.

The book is a murder mystery set in Haiti, where Oswald completed a semester-long co-op placement in the fall of 2010.  As part of that placement, Oswald served as an observer to the nation’s disputed presidential election.  Oswald had previously visited the struggling nation as part of the Haiti Justice Project, which he helped launch at the law school while he was a student.  

In January, Oswald had self-published the novel, dedicating all proceeds to organizations that promote human rights and provide needed services in Haiti. 

Oswald will continue to donate his author’s royalties to these organizations:  Fonkoze, Haiti Partners, the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti/Bureau des Avocats Internationaux, Other Worlds and Zafèn.
“This deal will multiply the book’s impact dramatically,” Oswald said in an email announcing the development. 

The novel will undergo an additional round of editing before being published in May, 2014. 
In the meantime, the original version of the novel can still be downloaded.  And a Kindle edition of Oswald’s follow-up mystery, “The Kings of Nothing,” is available for free until Oct. 14.