Barrett Schmanska releases Puget Sound mystery novel tied to Blackbeard legend

Author Barrett Schmanska has released Blackbeard’s Lost Head, a new mystery novel from Koehler Books that links a centuries-old pirate mystery to contemporary tribal life in Puget Sound. The story draws on Schmanska’s decades of work with Native communities in Washington state and Alaska, including projects on the Port Gamble S’Klallam Reservation.

Why it matters: - Blackbeard’s Lost Head ties a well-known American legend to Native communities in Washington state, giving the pirate myth a local Pacific Northwest setting. - The novel also reflects Schmanska’s long professional history with tribal communities, including work that shaped a traditional Coast Salish longhouse on the Port Gamble S’Klallam Reservation. - The book adds another example of commercial fiction drawing from tribal life, history and place without treating those settings as backdrop alone.

What happened: - Author Barrett Schmanska released Blackbeard’s Lost Head through Koehler Books. - Schmanska has spent three decades working with Native communities in Washington state and Alaska. - Schmanska is originally from Hampton, Virginia, but has spent much of his professional life in the Pacific Northwest. - His work has primarily involved managing construction projects. - One of those projects was an award-winning traditional Coast Salish longhouse on the Port Gamble S’Klallam Reservation.

The details: - The novel is set in 2025. - The main character is former FBI agent Dodge Chee Jones. - Dodge is sorting through the estate of a deceased friend on the Port Gamble S’Klallam Reservation when he finds a 1920 letter. - The letter was written by a Native student at Hampton Institute, now Hampton University. - The letter says Blackbeard’s severed head was once hidden in the basement of the school’s museum. - The mystery asks whether the head is still there. - Dodge’s investigation takes him to Virginia. - The trail then leads him back to the Pacific Northwest. - The story connects Blackbeard’s 1718 death with present-day communities around Puget Sound. - The book blends historical intrigue with a contemporary portrait of tribal life. - Schmanska built the novel around the connections among place, memory and history.

Between the lines: - The book appears to use a national legend to anchor a more specific local story about tribal identity and community continuity. - Kelly Sullivan ~ Ha’mekwiten, executive director at Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, said the novel shows Schmanska’s affection for tribal people on Puget Sound and captures daily life in those communities. - Sullivan also said the details likely reflect Schmanska’s 30 years at Port Gamble S’Klallam and Tulalip.

What's next: - Schmanska directs readers to more information about the author and the book. - Koehler Books listed contact information for Hannah Tonsor and shared social media channels for the publisher. - The novel’s setup suggests future reader interest in how the Blackbeard legend intersects with Hampton and Puget Sound history.

The bottom line: - Blackbeard’s Lost Head uses a pirate mystery to connect Virginia, Puget Sound and Native community life in one cross-country story.