5-STAR REVIEW: LAFITTE LIVES by Christi Keating Sumich

About The Book

An Old New Orleans Bookshop Mystery: Book 1
Publication Date: February 24, 2026

Secrets can’t stay buried forever—but maybe some should.

In bustling, multicultural 1831 New Orleans, Tobias Whitney, the sexton of St. Louis Cemetery No. 2, uncovers a journal sealed inside the tomb of Dominique You—war hero of the Battle of New Orleans, privateer, and half-brother of the notorious pirate Jean Lafitte. Convinced that the journal holds the key to Lafitte’s lost treasure, Tobias turns to his sharp-witted and outspoken wife, Mary Catherine, to translate its cryptic French passages.

Tobias and Mary Catherine discover secrets they could not have imagined—secrets that could change their lives forever. But is it really the truth? As the journal warns, Never trust a pirate!

Lafitte Lives blends meticulous historical research with a page-turning mystery, bringing the legend of Jean Lafitte to life while telling the redemptive story of Tobias’s grief and Mary Catherine’s quest to help him overcome it.

Excerpt

The Review

One of the interesting features of a legend is that, within all of the bluster, there is typically at least a smidgen of truth.

Author Christi Keating Sumich mixes a bit of fact and fiction to craft an intriguing story about an infamous French pirate with connections to New Orleans.

Lafitte Lives tells the story of Jean Lafitte using 1830s New Orleans as the setting. One of the main characters, Tobias Whitney, serves as caretaker of St. Louis Cemetery No. 2.

Through descriptive language, readers can imagine the foul smell of rotting bodies mingled with receding floodwaters. Tobias seems to be a meticulous fellow who cares about doing a good job.

When he discovers a journal in a war hero’s tomb, Tobias must rely on his spirited wife to translate it from French to English. The journal tells the real story of the man behind the legend, offering the Whitneys’ incredible knowledge.

Lafitte Lives offers an engaging storyline and interesting characters along with a search for redemption.

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About The Author

Christi Keating Sumich holds a PhD in history from Tulane University and a master’s degree in English. Her research field is seventeenth-century disease and healing.

Christi’s writing combines her fascination with history with her love of the mystery genre. Her debut novel, Lafitte Lives (Level Best Books, March 2026), is a historical mystery centered on her ancestor, the notorious pirate Jean Lafitte. She is also the author of the Old New Orleans Bookshop Series, mysteries featuring characters from Lafitte Lives. The Swamp Ghost is the first book in the series (Level Best Books, September 2026).

Christi is also part of a writing team with her mother, Sharon Keating. They are the co-authors of Hauntingly Good Spirits: New Orleans Cocktails to Die For (Wellfleet Press, 2024) and The Brandy Milk Punch (Louisiana State University Press, 2025), part of the Iconic New Orleans Cocktail Series.