One Virtue And A Thousand Crimes – Book One
A gentleman smuggler. Woman determined to become pirate. One customs inspector standing in their way.
New Orleans, 1813. Jean Laffite has built a profitable life in the shadows – and insists on considering himself a gentleman while doing it. Then he meets Cosma, a young woman with dangerous ambitions, a grudge against Inspector Gilbert, and information Jean cannot afford to ignore.
What others are saying about this novelette
“Her depictions of the characters are spot on.”
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“Well written and well paced.”
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About The Adventuress
New Orleans, 1813.
Smuggler Jean Laffite has spent years staying one move ahead of the authorities. But customs inspector Walker Gilbert is getting uncomfortably close to his operation – and Jean’s usual charm may not be enough to keep business running smoothly.
Then, at a masquerade ball, he meets Cosma.
She doesn’t want protection. She doesn’t want to become his assistant. She wants to work beside him as an equal – and learn to become a pirate.
Jean considers the idea absurd. Unfortunately, Cosma has something he needs: access to Gilbert and the information that comes with it.
What begins as a useful arrangement soon draws Cosma into Jean’s smuggling expeditions through the waterways of Louisiana, where wit, loyalty and one well-times betrayal can matter as much as a loaded pistol.
The Adventuress is a fast historical novelette introducing the characters and world of One Virtue And A Thousand Crimes.
What you’ll find inside
Jean Laffite before the legend
A smuggler balancing charm, business, reputation and increasingly dangerous attention from authorities.
A woman who refuses the role offered to her
Cosma doesn’t want to help from the sidelines. She wants entry into a world not designed to admit her.
New Orleans and the Mississippi, 1813
Masquerades, contraband, muddy waterways and the uneasy boundary between respectable commerce and crime.
Wit before cannon fire
This is as much a contest of information, deception and personality as it is a pirate adventure.
History beneath the story
The Adventuress mixes fictional characters and incidents with real people and events surrounding Jean and Pierre Laffite’s world in 1813 Louisiana. Jean Laffite, Pierre Laffite, Governor Claiborne and Walker Gilbert were historical figures; Cosma is fictional.
The line between history and invention is explained in the author’s note at the end of the novelette.
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Continue the story
The Ocean’s Calling
Many women of her time want protection or freedom. Cosma wants to be a pirate.
The story continues in The Ocean’s Calling, where Cosma moves from meddling in Jean Laffite’s affairs toward claiming a life at sea for herself.
Currently in progress.
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FAQs
What is The Adventuress about?
The Adventuress is a historical novelette set in New Orleans and along the Mississippi in 1813. It follows smuggler Jean Laffite as increasing pressure from authorities collides with the arrival of Cosma, a woman determined to enter his world on her own terms.
Is Jean Laffite a real person?
Yes. Jean Laffite and several other characters were historical figures. The novelette combines historical people and events with fictional characters and incidents.
Is Cosma real?
No. Cosma is fictional. She was created for the One Virtue And A Thousand Crimes series.
Is The Adventuress a romance?
No. Attraction and relationships appear in the story, but The Adventuress is primarily historical fiction and adventure.
What comes next?
The Ocean’s Calling continues the story and is currently in progress.
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