Meet Michael Rigg, whose debut novel, Voices of the Elysian Fields, is scheduled for release on April 8, 2025, by Level Best Books.
Michael, who has been an attorney for more than four decades,
writes mysteries and thrillers set in two very different locations: Virginia
Beach (where he lives) and New Orleans (which he visits as often as possible
“for research,” including participation in three Mardi Gras Krewes). He is a
retired Navy Judge Advocate and a retired civilian government attorney,
formerly working for the Department of the Navy Office of the General Counsel.
He is a member of International Thriller Writers, Mystery
Writers of America, and both the Sisters in Crime national organization and its
Southeastern Virginia Chapter—Mystery by the Sea.
Two days before Christmas, Jonathan
Gray, M. D., Chief Deputy Coroner for Orleans Parish, receives shocking news.
Robby O’Malley—Gray’s mentor for nearly forty years—has died under mysterious
circumstances. Within hours after Robby’s death, Gray takes the oath of office
as Coroner and participates in autopsies of an elderly couple murdered in their
Garden District home. After mass on Christmas morning, Archbishop Phillip
Fontenot asks Gray to investigate the sexual assault of one of his
parishioners, as well as the disappearance of her sister—without involving the
police. As Jonathan winds his way through what appear to be separate incidents,
he uncovers connections and secrets that members of the city’s power elite
would just as soon remain hidden.
What inspired this book?
A detailed
response would likely take up this entire blog and more. The basic idea for the
plot in Voices of the Elysian Fields started with a newspaper article
about an elderly couple—both of whom had been Navy officers in World War Two—celebrating
their seventieth wedding anniversary. After that came a series of “what-ifs,”
“whys,” and “how-abouts,” until, voila, a novel emerged.
What
kind of research did you do for the book? Any strange or odd fact that you
uncovered in your research?
Voices
of the Elysian Fields
involves the Coroner of Orleans Parish. So, there was a lot of medico-legal
research, e.g., learning about autopsies. And the Louisiana Coroner system is
unique. Along with autopsies, Coroners in Louisiana are responsible for
conducting sexual assault examinations and are involved in mental health
commitments. This added a level of complexity to the research. Of course,
having New Orleans as the locale required a lot of in-person research to ensure
that the story and narrative were authentic to the area.
Among the
many odd, strange, and interesting facts I learned about is perhaps my
favorite, the resurrection fern. The resurrection fern is a plant that grows on
the ubiquitous live oak trees in New Orleans.
I’m not a
botanist, so here’s the description from the National Park Service website:
This
fern is an epiphyte, meaning it grows on other plants (usually live oaks or
cypress trees). They do not commandeer any water or nutrients from the plants
they grown on; instead they absorb them from the surrounding air. In periods of
no rain, they conserve water by shriveling up their fronds and turning brown.
Resurrection ferns can lose up to 75% of their water content, a feat not many
living species can survive. Once sufficient moisture soaks the area, they
‘resurrect’ and unfurl with fronds of vibrant green again. Because it looks
like they come back to life each time this happens, they have received the
common name of resurrection fern.
I’m not
quite sure why learning about the resurrection fern struck such a chord with
me. But it did. Perhaps it’s a symbol of New Orleans. Just when you think the
city’s dead, it’s spirit broken—from a hurricane, pandemic, terrorist attack,
or other disaster—it roars back to life.
Where are
your books available for purchase?
In
addition to Voices of the Elysian Fields, I am the author of a
novelette, Ghosts of the French Market, and have short stories in
several anthologies—including Coastal Crimes 1: Mystery by the Sea and Coastal
Crimes 2: Death Takes a Vacation, which were produced by our Sisters in
Crime chapter, Mystery by the Sea.
All
of my published works are available on Amazon.com.
What
are you currently writing?
My primary
work-in-progress is the follow-on novel to Voices of the Elysian Fields.
The working title is Shadows of Frenchmen Street.
Anything
else you want readers to know about you? Where can readers find you online?
Before I
say anything else, I want to give a heartfelt “thanks” to Teresa Inge and the members
of “Writers Who Kill” for this outstanding, much appreciated, opportunity.
Along
with Teresa, I am a Contributing Author to the Murder by the Sea blog, “Sand in
Our Shorts” at https://sandinourshorts.blogspot.com/. You can also find me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/michael.rigg.author),
my website (www.michaelrigg.com), Twitter/X (@MDR102030), and Instagram (Instagram).
Michael Rigg
