The Swamp Ghost - A Review, Excerpt, & Giveaway

 Review

THE SWAMP GHOST by Christi Keating Sumich
The First Old New Orleans Bookshop Mystery 

 

Mary Catherine Whitney is at her wits end. Very pregnant, her husband is urging her to rest more and get someone to help around the house, at least part time to cook and help with their two hellion young boys. Something even more interesting comes her way, however. Aiden Doyle is the foreman of the front running crew of ditchers, digging the New Basin Canal. One of his men claimed a blur orb chased him back to camp. The other ditchers said it was a fifolet, a pirate ghost guarding treasure. The next morning the man is dead and the other ditcherers refuse to come back to work. With his job on the line, Aiden follows his fiancée's advice and asks Mrs. Whitney for help. After all, she was clever enough to write that pirate book about Jean Lafitte! With a little help from unexpected places Mary Catherine will set about trying to determine just who, or what, killed the ditcher. 

 

The first Old New Orleans Bookshop Mystery brings back characters from a previous novel. Where LAFITTE LIVES was more of an adventure yarn, THE SWAMP GHOST is distinctly a mystery, a historical cozy one at that! This shift is probably why this book is considered the first in the series, even though we've seen the main characters before. While I really enjoyed LAFITTE LIVES I absolutely adored THE SWAMP GHOST!

 

Mary Catherine Whitney is a force to be reckoned with! She's loud, opinionated, dramatic, funny, and smart. And she's not about to let being very pregnant in 1833 New Orleans stop her from using her wit, and wiles, to solve a murder! She had me laughing... that scene at the bank!...and her dealings with her neighbor and her boys. I'm laughing again thinking about those scenes. I also love the addition of Henrietta, a perfect match for Mary Catherine. While Tobias takes more of a backseat in this story, his quiet strength is always evident and he's always there when needed, providing love and support.

 

Delightfully funny with a heady mix of history and adventure THE SWAMP GHOST is an engaging mystery and one of the best books I've read all year. 

 

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THE SWAMP GHOST

by Christi Keating Sumich

October 12 - November 6, 2026 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

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.

Praise for The Swamp Ghost:

"In The Swamp Ghost, the lovable Mary Catherine Whitney returns to lead readers on a captivating adventure through 1833 New Orleans as she investigates the mysterious death of a troublemaker who died while digging a canal. Word goes out that an evil spirit attacked him. A merry band of helpers joins Mary Catherine to find the true killer — or confirm the evil spirit tale. Along the way, they encounter pirates, gamblers, and drunkards. Once again, Christi Keating Sumich entertains us while immersing us in the sights, sounds, smells, and folklore of New Orleans."
~ Marlie Parker Wasserman, author of First Daughter

"If you love strong-willed women solving spooky mysteries in the heat of the bayou, this book is perfect for you! Introduced to the Whitney family in Sumich's first book, THE SWAMP GHOST expands their world and the mysteries in it. Mary Catherine Whitney is a force to be reckoned with. Even the supernatural can't hide from her investigations."
~ Nicole Asselin, Author of the Minor League Mysteries, Host of Baseball, Books, and Banter podcast.

'In Christi Sumich's new novel featuring the Whitney family, feisty Mary Catherine continues to berate her rambunctious sons and, if I may say, saintly husband, but is now stepping not-so-quietly into the world of the amateur sleuth, with help from her equally acerbic cook, Mrs. Clarke. We return to New Orleans. It's a divided city, where the Creoles and the influx of Irish are vying for economic and political dominance. At the heart of this novel is the death of an Irish "digger," just one of hundreds who are digging a new canal out of a swamp. Was his death a murder, or did a ghost protecting pirate treasure kill him? Although this is your classic who-dun-it, albeit with ghosts and pirates, the background of a city and the plight of immigrants is nicely documented. I'm looking forward to Mary Catherine's next "case"!'
~ Claire M. Johnson, author of the Fog City Noir series

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Mystery
Published by: Level Best Books
Publication Date: September 22, 2026
Number of Pages: 232
Series: An Old New Orleans Bookshop Mystery, Book 1
Book Links: Amazon | Kindle | Goodreads | BookBub

Read an excerpt:

Swamps Outside of New Orleans
1833

Chapter One

Sean Leery smacked his own cheek with such force that he felt like he was back in Ireland, on the receiving end of a blow in one of his many pub brawls. He missed County Cork and his cottage there. It hadn’t been much, but it was certainly better than his present circumstances, trying to catch some sleep in a sweltering Louisiana swamp. The pitiful cypress log hut that was his temporary home while he was out digging the New Basin Canal offered little comfort and couldn’t keep out the water from the daily rainstorms, let alone the mosquitoes that swarmed him and his fellow diggers.

He wiped a smear of blood from his face, slightly mollified to see this one had a full belly, judging by the sizable blood splatter. Hell, most of it was probably his to begin with, but at least the menace would feast on him no more this evening. Not that it would do much good. Ridding the Louisiana bayous of one mosquito had about the same effect as plucking a snowflake off an avalanche. God, he even missed the snow and cold of his homeland, though he still recalled shivering next to the stove, trying to extract the last bit of warmth from the feeble coal remnants. It was just so hot here. And not only during the day. In the summer, which seemed to last most of the year, it was equally unbearable at night, especially in the swamp. Even now, in October, the air was so thick he felt he needed to chew it before he could breathe it in.

He stretched his feet past the edge of his cot to restore circulation before tucking them back under the mosquito netting. Tomorrow, he’d have to find the hole where they were getting in and stitch it up. Cagey little suckers, they were. They’d weasel their way through the tiniest opening. He flopped onto his side, hoping sleep would envelop him again. He needed to rest if he had any hope of performing the arduous labor his job required. The sooner they finished their digging, the sooner he could high-tail it back to New Orleans and civilization.

Though the working and living conditions were less than ideal, Sean considered himself lucky to be on Aiden Doyle’s digging crew. Aiden was a fair foreman, much better than some of the others. He treated his “ditchers” well, as the men digging out the swamp were called.

They were the lead crew on the project, an ambitious plan by the New Orleans Canal and Banking Company to dig a navigable commercial waterway from Lake Pontchartrain to the American Sector of New Orleans, located behind the Vieux Carré, or the French Quarter, as the Americans called it. The canal was to be six to ten feet deep, sixty yards wide, and six miles long. It was being dug by a workforce composed mainly of Irish immigrants wielding picks, shovels, and wheelbarrows, slowly making their way through the swamps outside the city.

It was dangerous, backbreaking work. Ditchers, even young ones, often did not fare well. Because Irish immigrants were arriving in New Orleans in large numbers and were willing to toil for low wages, the company hired them as “expendable labor,” knowing that excavating mosquito-infested swampland meant losing many workers to yellow fever, cholera, and malaria. Some of the foremen joked that to dig a canal, at least four things were necessary: a shovel, a pick, a wheelbarrow, and an Irishman.

Aiden Doyle was Irish, so Sean supposed that might explain his more compassionate nature. Most bosses wouldn’t have taken on someone as old as Sean, let alone someone with his less-than-stellar reputation. Sean would be forty-two on his next birthday, but he looked far older. Hard living took its toll on a man. So did drinking too much whiskey and trying to live by his wits for too long, especially since he hadn’t been blessed with an abundance of them. His bulbous nose was a testament to his love of drink, and its crookedness to the brawling that generally followed.

Sean also loved cards, and he owed debts to the sort of people who expressed their displeasure at not being promptly reimbursed in unfortunate physical ways. So when his debts began piling up and he feared the threats of bodily harm were no longer mere threats, he sought employment out of sheer necessity. He would work until he could pay the most pressing debts to the most violent of his creditors, then quit and resume his life of gambling, drinking, and enjoying the company of disreputable women. Such was his pattern, and Sean was eager to return to it—if he survived this present job.

Sean flopped onto his back, blowing out a frustrated breath. In addition to the stifling heat and swarming blood suckers, his ability to fall back asleep was being hindered by Darren’s snoring and Murph’s farts. Might as well take a piss while I’m awake.

Sean grunted as he shifted to his feet. They were sore after the day’s labors. Every inch of him hurt, but the worst was his shoulders. They ached and throbbed, adding to his insomnia. He needed to sleep if he was to get up the next day and do more digging. If he couldn’t work, Aiden would have to replace him on his crew. Sean wasn’t keen to find another crew. He didn’t particularly like any of the men he worked with out here in this godforsaken place, but he figured he had less than a month to go before he would have enough money to quit. What could be worse than having to beg your way back onto a job you hated? He needed to tough it out.

He pulled on his boots and left the shack. The sliver of moon did little to dispel the swamp's stygian darkness. As he made his way to the temporary privy the crew had erected, he was careful not to trip over the cypress knees poking out of the semi-solid earth and to avoid any snakes that might be hiding in the tall grass. No doubt there were alligators to avoid as well. He shuddered at the thought of disturbing a sleeping gator as he swatted futilely at the mosquitoes buzzing around his head.

Suddenly, his hand froze in front of his face. Were his eyes playing tricks on him? The sight before him shouldn’t be there. A bright blue orb was dancing in the distance, just beyond a copse of water gum trees. Could it be his imagination? It was easy to think so. After all, this landscape was eerie and otherworldly at night. It occupied a nebulous space between water and earth, always wet and only sometimes solid. The densely packed cypress trees, dripping with tattered Spanish moss that reminded Sean of ghosts caught in the branches, crowded out the sun during the day, making it perpetual dusk at its brightest and forcing the humid air to hover over the swamp dwellers like a hot, moist blanket.

Sean had seen some unusual sights out here, but this went beyond any of them. Could it be the moonlight illuminating some swamp gas? He knew this wasn’t it, but he was desperate for a logical explanation. Sean was not superstitious, unlike some of the men he worked with, fools still clinging to their Irish folklore like a lifeline in this strange place. Yet the sight before him sent chills down his body, straight through his aching arms and into his cramping feet.

What was he looking at? There should not be a blue light shining in front of him out here in the desolate swamp. It was not a fire or a lantern, of that he was certain.

Sean was not a religious man, yet he crossed himself in an unconscious, protective gesture. He needed to get back to the safety of the shack and the other diggers, but fear froze him in place. There was a terrifying moment of stasis, and then the blue orb advanced rapidly toward Sean, as if sensing his presence and locking onto him, preparing to give chase. Sean heard a scream and realized it was coming from his own throat. He turned and ran back through the swamp, trying to stay upright as he stumbled over the cypress knees and deep eddies, all thoughts of sleeping gators and rattlers driven from his mind. He burst into the shack, waking the rest of the crew.

As they rubbed sleep from their eyes and sat up in astonishment, trying to make sense of what was happening, they took in the strange sight before them. Sean Leery, the ornery old bastard they had assumed feared nothing and no one, was gasping for breath, sputtering about something he’d spotted in the swamp. His face was as white as if he’d seen the very devil himself, and a dark, wet spot spread across the front of his breeches where he’d pissed himself.

***

Excerpt from The Swamp Ghost by Christi Keating Sumich. Copyright 2026 by Christi Keating Sumich. Reproduced with permission from Christi Keating Sumich. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

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.

Catch Up With Christi Keating Sumich:

ChristiSumich.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub - @sumichchristi
Instagram - @casumich
Facebook - @christi.keating.sumich.author

 

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Currently Reading...

I just finished reading The Swamp Ghost by Christi Keating Sumich. This book is the first in the Old New Orleans Bookshop Mystery series and was released last month.

Mary Catherine Whitney is at her wits end. Very pregnant, her husband is urging her to rest more and get someone to help around the house, at least part time to cook and help with their two hellion young boys. Something even more interesting comes her way, however. Aiden Doyle is the foreman of the front running crew of ditchers, digging the New Basin Canal. One of his men claimed a blur orb chased him back to camp. The other ditchers said it was a fifolet, a pirate ghost guarding treasure. The next morning the man is dead and the other ditchers refuse to come back to work. With his job on the line, Aiden follows his fiancée's advice and asks Mrs. Whitney for help. After all, she was clever enough to write that pirate book about Jean Lafitte! With a little help from unexpected places Mary Catherine will set about trying to determine just who, or what, killed the ditcher.

Murder on Flesher Pass - An Interview & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome K. L. Borges to Cozy Up With Kathy today. K. L. writes the Montana Animal Rescue Mystery series. Murder on Flesher Pass is the second book in the series and was released last week.

Kathy: The Montana Animal Rescue Mystery series is operated solely for the benefit of Montana dogs. How did this practice come about?

KLB: Each rescue needs to set their own policy regarding what animals to take in. Some handle animals from around the country, while others choose to keep their resources dedicated to local ones. RogerDog Rescue, in the series, is small and always full to capacity with dogs from the Helena area. If out-of-state dogs were allowed into the rescue, they would take spots that otherwise would be for Montana dogs. Betty Mills, the rescue’s head honcho, has decreed that this is not to happen at RogerDog Rescue.

Kathy: Do you volunteer with an animal rescue or have any rescued animals?

KLB: I do volunteer, weekly, at a local animal rescue, working in with the dogs. I love taking care of them and seeing them adopted is wonderful.

Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

KLB: I enjoy reading cozy mysteries and when I was developing the story that became Murder in the Crazy Mountains, my debut mystery, writing a cozy, rather than, say, a police procedural was much more in my wheelhouse.

Kathy: Do you write in any other genres?

KLB: Not yet! I would like to, though, maybe a gritty traditional mystery or thriller.

Kathy: Tell us about your series. 

KLB: The Montana Animal Rescue Mysteries are set around the operation of RogerDog Rescue in Helena, Montana and the crew of sometimes zany people who run it, investigating murders that come their way. The stories alternate between humor and suspense, take place in modern-day Montana and are realistically plotted: events are fictional but could have happened.

Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?

KLB: I have to say Betty Mills is my favorite character. She is incorrigible, gruff and growly and you could have no better friend. I’ve been blessed to know (and be related to) several people like her in life. She and her real-life counterparts are alter-egos to me, a retired high school math teacher.

Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?

KLB: I began the series when I was recently retired as a high school math teacher and came across an online post about a dog brought into rescue with several gunshot wounds. I started spinning a story around him and it turned into the plot for Murder in the Crazy Mountains.

Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

KLB: I wrote my original manuscript about the gunshot dog and mystery surrounding him for personal enjoyment. Friends read the story and encouraged me to get the story published. I gave it a whirl and landed a three-book contract with Camel Press!

· Murder in the Crazy Mountains, 2025

· Murder on Flesher Pass, 2026

· Murder in Bad Moon Canyon, 2027

Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?

KLB: Laurien Berenson (Melanie Travis Mysteries), Robert Crais (Elvis Cole Mysteries), Elly Griffith (Ruth Galloway Mysteries) and Ed McBain aka Evan Hunter (87th Precinct Mysteries). Everyone in this group has exceptional humor woven into their stories which range from lighthearted to very dark indeed.

Kathy: What are you currently reading?

KLB: A nonfiction book: The Golden Spruce. The actual events took place in southeast Alaska where I visited this summer. It adds a lot to the reading to have been in the locations.

Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?

KLB: I like to rockhound, bird watch, camp and visit new, interesting places. It’s really wonderful when all of these things are happening at once!

Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.

KLB: Roasted green chili from New Mexico.

Good quality coffee (and creamer)

Makings for no-nonsense Margaritas

Fresh fruit

Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?

KLB: In the current series, a third book, Murder in Bad Moon Canyon, is planned for release in 2027. I vaguely think there will be more books in the series, but I haven’t started writing them, yet.

Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?

KLB: Meeting people and sharing my books with them. It’s so much fun!

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 Murder on Flesher Pass (Montana Animal Rescue Mystery Series) by K. L. Borges

About Murder on Flesher Pass

Murder on Flesher Pass (Montana Animal Rescue Mystery Series)
Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series
Setting - Montana
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Camel Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 14, 2026
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 316 pages

RogerDog Rescue of Helena, Montana, is operated solely for the benefit of Montana dogs, no transported outsiders allowed.

When a fellow rescuer dies while completing a transport for an infamous Butte operation, Betty Mills, Kelly Boyd and Cici Vargas don't believe it was an accident. They infilter the Butte group, just in time to partake in a rescue flight from Mexico. Plans go awry and they unwittingly wind up with something that multiple suspicious characters want to get their hands on. Is it the foreign dogs themselves or something else? The body count begins to grow and the danger spreads to other RogerDog workers.

Can they solve the mystery before it is too late?

About K.L. Borges

K.L. Borges, an Agatha Award-nominated author, moved to Montana thirty-five years ago with her husband to raise their three children alongside a series of herding dogs. Prior to becoming an author, she taught math at a private Billings high school (Go, Rams!). Borges is a member of the Billings Gem and Mineral Club and Sisters in Crime. She and her husband are often found enjoying the Montana outdoors with their two blue heelers.

Author Links: 

Author website: K.L. Borges - Home  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profilr.php?id=61557406862657  

Buy links: Amazon B&N This House of Books

French Toast a la Santa Fe - A Guest Post, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Agnes Nelson to Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Agnes on the pages of FRENCH TOAST A LA SANTA FE by Suzanne Stauffer. This book is the second in the Courier Mystery series and was released last week.

How do you do? I’m very pleased to meet you. My name is Agnes Nelson and I’m a friend of Prudence Bates’. She’s asked me to say a few words about our three-day Detour together, as she’s already been interviewed twice, but she warned me not to give away too much. It’s a rather difficult challenge, but one I think I can meet. I am, after all, a retired teacher from a girls’ school in the Adelaide area, so I’m used to meeting challenges. Adelaid is the capital of the state of South Australia. Unlike you in the U.S. with your fifty states, we only have six. But you don’t want to hear about Australia. You want to know about French Toast a la Santa Fe and our Detour.

While on the Detour, I purchased numerous picture postcards to remind me of my adventure. I will use some of those to illustrate my story, so that you can enjoy the sights with me.

I learned about the Detours entirely by accident. I happened to walk past a travel agents’ office in Adelaide and my eye was caught by a large poster advertising the Indian Detours. I was immediately drawn to it. It was so mysterious and so exotic. I seemed to remember something about “Santa Fe,” but couldn’t bring the memory to mind. Did it have anything to do with that steam train puffing away in the background? Was that large vehicle a HarveyCar? What did that strange birdlike figure symbolize? What was that building – or was it a city – in the background? Who was that figure wrapped in a blanket in the foreground, and what did those poles signify? Why was there a pot sitting on the mound next to the figure? I will confess that the orange mountain rising in the background did rather remind me of our Ayers Rock, but what was that other flat topped hill farther away? 

Of course, the travel agent provided answers to many of my questions and the brochure that they gave me answered the rest of them. As soon as I had read it, I signed up for the three-day Detour and booked passage on a ship bound for the United States. I wasn’t able to afford first class, but even we second-class passengers enjoyed comfortable private cabins, and even though we shared a lavatory and bathroom, they were maintained to the highest standards. We ate the same food as the first class passengers. The primary difference being that we ate at communal tables.

I spent much of my day in the well-appointed library – I had never had enough time to read for pleasure when I was teaching – and taking exercise on the promenade deck. I attended the concerts and dances some evenings, but only for the music and the companionship.

About a month later, though it seemed much less, I was boarding the Santa Fe railroad in Los Angeles for the Las Vegas, New Mexico, and very shortly after that, I climbed into a HarveyCar and the adventure began.

The first place that we stopped was the Pecos Ruins (Suzanne : they are now a National Historic Park https://www.nps.gov/peco/index.htm]). Spectacular! Just as the brochure described them. We have nothing like this in Australia. So ancient. So enigmatic. I could sense the spirits of the place, but there were far too many Detourists roaming the area for me to make contact. A rather significant event occurred to ... well, I promised not to say too much, so you’ll have to read the book to find out what and to whom and what the outcome was. 

We visited several pueblos over the three days, including Tesuque, Santa Clara, Santo Domingo, and Isleta. I was fascinated by the multi-story buildings, which I immediately recognized from the brochure, and the plazas with their hornos and kivas. If only I had been allowed to descend the ladder into a kiva, I know I could have made contact. Just walking past them, I could feel the psychic energy. But it was prohibited.

We also explored the Puyé Cliff Dwellings [Suzanne : now a National Historic Landmark https://puyecliffdwellings.com/] near Santa Clara. As ancient as the Pecos Ruins are, those at Puyé are older still. While there, where I had a most unexpected experience. I’m sorry that I can’t tell you more about it. It’s all in the book – or what I could remember of it is. 

In the church of San Augustin de Isleta, which we visited on our last day, I finally made contact with a spirit. I can’t tell you much about it, not only because I promised not to include – I think the word is “spoilers” – but also because I don’t really remember very much about it. I was not consciously aware during most of the event. I do remember the beginning when ... oh, dear! I do hope that I haven’t said too much. 

I hope that the images in these postcards have not only inspired you to read FRENCH TOAST A LA SANTA FE but to come on out here to New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, and see the places for yourself! And be sure to subscribed to Suzanne’s Substack newsletter, Amuse-Bouche (https://smstauffer.substack.com/) for prequels and sequels and other short stories. 

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Review

FRENCH TOAST A LA SANTA FE by Suzanne Stauffer

The Second Couriers Mystery

 

In preparation for becoming a courier for the Harvey Company's Southwest Indian Detours Prudence Bates joins a three day tour from Las Vegas, New Mexico to Albuquerque. Her tourmates include a retired Australian schoolteacher, two giggly young ladies from Chicago, a businessman with his wife and two widowed sisters, two young Germans, and a flapper. Petty pilferings, encounters from beyond, and a dead body mar the informative trip. Everyone is getting along so well, so who could be behind the problems with the tour? While penning posts to her mother and thinking about a lost love Prudence will try to deduce what's really going on.

 

In the second Couriers Mystery Prudence continues on her quest to become a courier with the Southwest Indian Detours. Finally on a tour, she's part of the tourist group, but with the keen insight and knowledge of someone who intends to be a guide. I enjoy seeing her grow and learning about this intriguing company. I also enjoy learning about the various sites they visit. Her tourmates make an interesting bunch from the Germans with a secret, the crabby widow, and more. People are more than they seem, for better or worse. It was fun seeing old friends from the first book as well and loved how everything came full circle. While Jerry wasn't in this book, per se, his presence was felt and I'm curious to see what happens in the future.

 

As much as I enjoyed FRENCH TOAST A LA SANTA FE I must admit, there's not much of a mystery here. Yes, there were missing items, but no one was even sure if they were really stolen and no one investigated anything. There was also a dead body, but again, Prudence barely got a glimpse and while she had some ideas, she never investigated. That's not to say something mysterious wasn't going on, it's just that we never really saw any investigating. Prudence also got the wrong end of the stick more than once when she tried to figure out what was going on. So if you're a who-dun-it purist, you may find this book more of a travelogue and less likely to be your cup of tea. That being said, if you like an engaging story with fascinating historical travel bits, FRENCH TOAST A LA SANTA FE certainly hits the spot!

 

With puzzling goings on FRENCH TOAST A LA SANTA FE takes readers on an engaging trip back in time with a historic tour company in this delightful story.

 

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 French Toast a la Santa Fe by Suzanne Stauffer

About French Toast a la Santa Fe

French Toast a la Santa Fe
Historical Culinary Cozy Mystery 2nd in the Series
Setting - New Mexico
Publisher: ‎ Artemesia Publishing, LLC
Publication Date: ‎ October 13, 2026
Print Length: ‎ 230 pages

In 1929 New Mexico, Prudence Bates joins ten other Detourists, their Courier, and driver, on the three-day Fred Harvey Indian Detour from Las Vegas through Santa Fe and to Albuquerque.

During the trip small, valuable items belonging to the Detourists begin disappearing, and a retired Australian school teacher falls into a kiva. Or was she pushed? Prudence begins to suspect that someone is trying to kill her fellow traveler and wonders where the flapper from Kansas City disappears to at every stop. Or is La Llorona haunting the Detour? And what secrets are the two German men hiding? Prudence is determined to solve the mysteries and uncover the truth.

About Suzanne Stauffer

 

After 20 years as a librarian and 20 as a professor of library science and library historian, Suzanne Stauffer has moved on to a third career as a mystery novelist. She currently lives in Albuquerque with her Australian husband and brown and white spotted rat terrier dogter, Treme. Her debut novel, Fried Chicken Castañeda (Artemesia Publishing, May 2025), won the CIPA EVVY Bronze Medal in Mystery/Crime/Detection and the New Mexico Book Award for Cozy Mystery.  

Author Links: 

Blog https://couriersseries1926.blogspot.com/  

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/couriers1926/  

Substack Newsletter Amuse-Bouche https://smstauffer.substack.com/

Halloween Spooktacular 2026

Looking for something fun to do tomorrow, but don't feel like leaving the house? Hop over to the Cozy Up With Kathy Party Page on Facebook. It's a group so you need to join by answering the simple membership question. Tomorrow, Sunday, October 17, starting at 3:30pm Eastern join me and several authors as we talk about Halloween, books, and more. There will be prizes! I hope to see you there!

Cast Off the Curse - A Review

 Review

CAST OFF THE CURSE by Rebecca McKinnon
The Sixth Clear Creek Mystery 

It's spooky time in Clear Creek and the town is gearing up for Emmilene's Witches' Walk. But her perfect spot for the event has to change when a dead body is found on the trail. Emmilene immediately calls for Zak, head of the town's security team, to bring Jemma Wilkinson. While her primarily role is that of owner of Black Sheep Yarn and Woolies and bride to be, Jemma has a habit of solving murders. Although the dead woman looks peaceful, with no obvious signs of foul play, Jemma is sure there is something more going on with a woman dressed with a witch's hat dead on the Witches' Walk. Though she immediately calls the sheriff, Jemma knows she'll be investigating as well, it's just a matter of who solves the crime first!

Halloween in the Rocky Mountains is a perfect time, not only for ambiance, but for murder. I love Halloween themed mysteries and the sixth Clear Creek Mystery is no exception. A modern day witch is killed and there are several good suspects. I love how Granny shuts down the obnoxious folklorist. Then there's the angry coven sister and the skeevy nephew. In addition to Granny, I love almost all of the Clear Creek residents, Daniel being the obvious outlier.

CAST OFF THE CURSE doesn't overplay the holiday or the witchyness, instead it provides a modern day look at a very real way of life. It's tasteful and fun, even with huge spiders in the shop and decadent treats.

A solid mystery wrapped in some Samhain spookiness CAST OFF THE CURSE is a magickal read at any time of year.

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading French Toast a la Sante Fe by Suzanne Stauffer. This book is the second in the Couriers Mystery series and was released yesterday.

In preparation for becoming a courier for the Harvey Company's Southwest Indian Detours Prudence Bates joins a three day tour from Las Vegas, New Mexico to Albuquerque. Her tourmates include a retired Australian schoolteacher, two giggly young ladies from Chicago, a businessman with his wife and two widowed sisters, two young Germans, and a flapper. Petty pilferings, encounters from beyond, and a dead body mar the informative trip. Everyone is getting along so well, so could be behind the problems with the tour? While penning posts to her mother and thinking about a lost love Prudence will try to deduce what's really going on.