There are few accurate accounts of pirates in the realm of historical writing that are comparable to the William C. Davis biography of Jean and Pierre Laffite in The Pirates Laffite:The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf. The unparalleled level of research Davis completed for his study is evident in its attention to detail and scrupulous description of their lives and legacies. It is an outstanding account of the lives of two brothers who had been clouded in the fog of obscurity.

When the United States gained possession of the Louisiana territory from the French in 1803, the country also inherited a wealth of smugglers, privateers, and pirates. The most renowned and industrious of these Gulf brigands were the brothers Laffite, who established various “kingdoms” at Barataria and later Galveston to conduct complex smuggling and filibustering operations. Pardoned by President Monroe for heroics in the Battle of 1812, the Laffite brothers became spies for the Spanish and later returned to their lives as corsairs upon the waters of the Caribbean until their subsequent demise, apart from one another.

For any reader unfamiliar with the covert operations of the pirates of the early 19th century, The Pirates Laffite will be enlightening. Most fascinating are the passages about the Laffite’s corsair headquarters on Grande Terre Island, and the intricate system of bayou waterways through which contraband items were smuggled, under the noses of authority and into the markets of New Orleans.

While pirates have been popularly romanticized in the present day, Davis delivers an even-handed account of the Laffite brothers.  The reader can tell that he doesn’t trust them (“Laffite entertained his guests with often amusing stories from his past, many of them no doubt invented for their benefit”), but also recognizes their fundamental influence as prominent members of early Louisiana society. (409) They were charismatic and persuading, deceiving anyone and holding no loyalties except to each other.  Unlike many other contemporary biographies, Davis’ extremely well-researched account of their lives paints the reader a vivid picture of the place of Jean and Pierre Laffite in their timeframe in history.

Yet because Davis spends so much time on the details of their lives, he incorporates some material that stretches far outside the bounds of the Laffites'.  In other words, because there is so much detail involved in the story, the reader may find it arduous to remember all of the different names of individuals who weave their way into the lives of the brothers. Occasionally, it is difficult for the reader to stay on-track with the historical tangent Davis is riding.  

The Pirates Laffite is a biography of such depth, it has very few peers. For years, historians who have studied the Laffite brothers have speculated upon the validity of their legends. Davis offers concrete answers to many questions historians have asked about the Laffites in the past. His biography is a concise account of two brothers, whose lives were often overshadowed by their legend.