I'm currently reading Lafitte Lives by Christi Keating Sumich. This historical mystery was released earlier this year.
After the loss of three of his five children to yellow fever Tobias Whitney sold his bookshop and lived in a miasma of grief. Taking a job as sexton at St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 Tobias tends to the graves, appreciating the silence and solitude despite the stench of a New Orleans summer in 1831. Noticing a bow on the nameplate of one of the mausoleums Tobias intends to repair it, but finds it hollowed out and a journal inside. Written in French, a language he is unable to read, Tobias shares his discovery with his wife. With Mary Catherine translating the journal tells the story of Jean Lafitte, written by his step-brother Dominique You. Even better than the adventure yarns he usually reads, Tobias learns that Lafitte did not die when everyone believed. The journal reveals many secrets about the legendary man, but will it also lead to treasure?
Tobias is such a heavy character because that grief from losing his children to yellow fever makes his retreat into a cemetery feel so earned. The contrast between the silence of the graves and the chaos of Jean Lafitte’s life in that journal is a brilliant way to pull him back into the world of the living. Mary Catherine having to translate the French means they are actually processing this mystery together, which is a nice touch for a couple dealing with so much loss. I wonder if Dominique You wrote those secrets to actually help someone or if the treasure is just a lure into more trouble. Do you think Tobias is more interested in the gold or is the story itself the only thing finally clearing his miasma? Read more at https://www.melodyjacob.com/.
ReplyDelete