Reviews
Norman Woolworth is a writer with an impeccable eye for detail, and his cleverly plotted novel is infused with the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of New Orleans. His descriptions of food and beverages alone will leave you eager to book the next flight to the Crescent City.
Proal Heartwell - In Beauty It Is Finished and The Boardinghouse
The Lafitte Affair, exquisitely written and full of delightful plot twists, is peopled with Southern eccentrics drawn with insight, humor, and compassion. Those who love great Southern mystery writers like Greg Isles and John Berendt will appreciate Woolworth’s weaving of real-life history with a modern New Orleans flare. Don’t miss the first book in this series, featuring gourmand antiques dealer Bruneau Abellard as the quirky, lovable sleuth.
Claire Holman Thompson – The Ring and The Blue Water
Bruneau Abellard doesn’t necessarily need a mystery on his hands, but his friends think otherwise. With colonial pirate treasure, grave-robbing, decoding secret letters, and ties to Napoleon, the New Orleans gourmet finds himself tangled in an investigation of international proportions. Wonderfully intriguing; a little gritty and a lot of fun, Woolworth’s debut offers good food, great wine and an exceptional whodunit.
Chris Keefer - No Comfort for the Undertaker and Tragedy’s Twin, the Carrie Lisbon Mysteries
Grave robbing, diamonds, pirates, a love affair and a great ‘whodunnit’. This is such a great book! … Not just a mystery story but a well-rounded character driven fiction.
Stacey M. - NetGalley Reviewer
This is the most New Orleans book I’ve ever read, and I do mean that in a good way. As a local reading this, it’s obvious that the author has lived here and enjoyed his time here as there are navigations and random locations that are not tourist go-to’s and really only someone who lives here would be aware of. I very much enjoyed this aspect, as it really helped me visualize “the scene.”
Amanda C. - NetGalley Reviewer
After reading Norman Woolworth’s The Laffite Affair we are convinced that this fictional tale could easily have happened. After having experienced our own real-life “Laffite affair” during the research and writing of Jean Laffite Revealed: Unraveling One of America’s Longest Running Mysteries, we easily fell into the rhythm of twists and turns laid out in this novel. Knowing the old pirate as we do, we can say with confidence that Woolworth portrays him in a fascinating and yet very believable light.
Dr. Ashley Oliphant and Beth Yarbrough -- co-authors, Jean Laffite Revealed: Unraveling One Of America’s Longest Running Mysteries
This book engaged me from the start. New Orleans is the perfect setting for this modern day crime rooted to the past. The crime, the breaking into of a grave of an actress from the 1800's, could have been written off by the police as unimportant but the detective, Bo Duplessis consulted a friend, antiques dealer Bruneau (Bru) Abellard to learn about the actress. Ties between Jane Placide, the actress, and the pirate, Jean Lafitte are discovered, and Bru is hooked on learning more. With every discovery by Bru and his friends the more questions there are. What secrets were hidden in the grave? The cast of characters are quirky and interesting and their relationships with each other add depth to the story. I loved the historical research and problem solving involved in figuring out this mystery. There was so much to love and I hope there are more books with these characters. I highly recommend this book to readers of mysteries or historical fiction.
Chris M., Librarian and NetGalley Reviewer