An Old New Orleans Bookshop Mystery: Book 1
Publication Date: September 22, 2026
AN OLD NEW ORLEANS BOOKSHOP MYSTERY
In 1833, Irish immigrants are hard at work digging the New Basin Canal, a waterway that will connect New Orleans to Lake Pontchartrain. When one of the workers sees a strange blue orb glowing in the swamp at night, he fears it is a Fifolet (fee-foo-lay) guarding Jean Lafitte’s buried treasure. Legend has it that pirates killed a crewman and buried his body with their loot, dooming his ghost to stand guard forever. The next morning, the worker is found dead. The men believe the site is cursed, and Aiden Doyle, the crew’s leader, must uncover the truth or risk losing his job. When the newly formed police force refuses to investigate, Aiden seeks help from Mary Catherine Whitney, now renowned throughout New Orleans for her mystery-solving skills after she and her husband, Tobias, unraveled the secrets of the notorious pirate Jean Lafitte and wrote a popular adventure story about it. She’ll need all her cleverness and wit to unlock the secrets of the Fifolet, and she may even need a little help from Lafitte himself.
Continuing characters from Lafitte Lives, The Swamp Ghost is the first in the Old New Orleans Bookshop Mysteries, featuring Mary Catherine Whitney, irascible wife, mother, and amateur sleuth in this charming series set in nineteenth-century New Orleans.
This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for The Swamp Ghost by Christi Keating Sumich. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.
The giveaway is for: a $25 Amazon.com Gift Card
THE SWAMP GHOST by Christi Keating Sumich | Gift Card
Christi Keating Sumich holds a PhD in History and a master’s degree in English. Her writing combines her fascination with history with her love of the mystery genre. She is the author of Lafitte Lives (Level Best Books, February 2026), a historical mystery centered on her ancestor, the notorious pirate Jean Lafitte. It is the prequel in the Old New Orleans Bookshop Mysteries, followed by The Swamp Ghost (Level Best Books, September 2026). She is also the author of the short story “The Night Doctor of New Orleans” in Crime Before Our Time (Level Best Books August 2026).
Christi’s nonfiction titles include Hauntingly Good Spirits: New Orleans Cocktails to Die For (Wellfleet Press, 2024) and The Brandy Milk Punch (Louisiana State University Press, 2025), both written with her mother, Sharon Keating.
Christi lives just outside New Orleans with her husband and too many pets, as she has a soft spot for “unconventionally attractive” animals in need of homes. She is the mother of three grown children (plus a daughter-in-law). Her claim to fame is being the winningest contestant on Hollywood Squares.
10/12 Books, Ramblings, and Tea THE SWAMP GHOST Showcase
10/13 Reading by Moonlight THE SWAMP GHOST Review
10/14 Jodys Bookish Haven THE SWAMP GHOST Showcase
10/15 411 ON BOOKS, AUTHORS, AND PUBLISHING NEWS THE SWAMP GHOST Showcase
10/16 arc_by_bethy THE SWAMP GHOST Review
10/19 Country Mamas With Kids THE SWAMP GHOST Review
10/22 Novels Alive THE SWAMP GHOST Review
10/23 Book Reviews From an Avid Reader THE SWAMP GHOST Review
10/23 Cozy Up With Kathy THE SWAMP GHOST Review
10/25 crystal. s. 2 THE SWAMP GHOST Review
10/26 Marbooks88 THE SWAMP GHOST Review
10/28 meloplanner THE SWAMP GHOST Review
10/30 Nevermore Lane THE SWAMP GHOST Review
11/01 Guatemala Paula Loves to Read THE SWAMP GHOST Review
11/02 Books of my Heart THE SWAMP GHOST Review
11/02 Fuonlyknew THE SWAMP GHOST Review
11/03 Melzie Reads THE SWAMP GHOST Review
11/04 The AR Critique THE SWAMP GHOST Review
11/06 Silvers Reviews THE SWAMP GHOST Showcase
11/06 The Page Ladies THE SWAMP GHOST Review
01/22/2027 Books to the Ceiling THE SWAMP GHOST Podcast reading of the excerpt
