Mysteries

Guest Chick: Michael Rigg

I’m thrilled to welcome Michael Rigg, my Mardi Gras parade whisperer and fellow NOLA chronicler, to Chicks today. He’s been on quite a ride as he anticipates the release of his second Jonathan Gray, M.D. mystery – which is great, BTW!

Thanks for the opportunity to update “the Chicks and Krewe” since my last visit on November 5, 2025. What a six-months it’s been!

In February—after ten days in New Orleans celebrating Mardi Gras—I attended my first Left Coast Conference. Along with an opportunity to tour San Francisco via cable car (always an enjoyable activity for a chubby introvert), I co-hosted an Author-Reader Connection (ARC) with Ellen Byron called “A New Orleans Nightcap.” It was subtitled “Cozies and Coroners,” but could have been “Booze and Krewes,” as we treated our four reader-guests to a free round of New Orleans-themed adult beverages and tales of our adventures during Mardi Gras. Also at LCC, Ellen and I teamed up for the Author Roundtable. We followed a practice I recall Ellen and Leslie Karst using at Bouchercon in NOLA. Ellen presented my novel and I presented hers. What a great idea. To top off a fantastic conference, I co-sponsored a banquet table with Lefty Nominee and fellow Level Best Books author, Elizabeth Crowens. Tons of fun all around.

And then there was Malice Domestic and an Agatha nomination as Best First Novel for Voices of the Elysian Fields, which has the Coroner of Orleans Parish as protagonist. As I noted during our nominees’ panel at Malice, it was “Four Cozies and a Coroner.” I’ll let you figure out which side of that equation came out on top. Regardless of the result, it was an honor to be in the company of such great authors (and wonderful people).

Finally, six-months to the day after my last visit, May 5, 2026 was the release date for my second novel, Shadows of Frenchmen. (Cinco de Mayo is now my favorite holiday.) Also set in New Orleans, Shadows of Frenchmen is a bit darker than Voices of the Elysian Fields. (Think “The Zodiac Killer Comes to Carnival.”) But it also has a “cozy” ending with justice triumphant—along with food, cats, and the spirit of Mardi Gras along the way. Here’s a link to the Amazon product page:  Shadows of Frenchmen: A Jonathan Gray, M.D. Mystery – Kindle edition by Rigg, Michael . Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Thanks, again, for another day in the Sun as a “Guest Chick.” And, as always, laissez le bon temps rouler.

BIO: Agatha-nominated author Michael Rigg—a lawyer 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.

SYNOPSIS: On a frosty Sunday morning in February, Dr. Jonathan Gray, Coroner of Orleans Parish, faces a gruesome sight. A dead man splayed against the circular steel and cut-glass blocks of the city’s AIDS memorial in Washington Square Park has strange symbols carved into his forehead and chest. A coded note—a cipher—has been placed under one hand. The body mutilation and note are hallmarks of a serial killer dubbed by the news media as the “Mardi Gras Sweeper,” because he strikes during Carnival season and leaves coded manifestos taunting police and giving hints about his next victim.

Hoping to avoid a panic during the city’s most profitable season, Mayor Max Jamerson asks Gray to investigate the murder “on the sly,” without formal assistance from the New Orleans Police Department. Time is of the essence as Gray races to figure out the cipher and track down the Sweeper in order to prevent additional killings—and save Mardi Gras.

33 thoughts on “Guest Chick: Michael Rigg”

  1. it was a pleasure to meet you at Malice and in Jane’s class, Michael. Congrats on the second book! It sounds like a whirlwind of a year. You were handling the busy-ness very well, and hope to get to know you better next year.
    As a reader who does my traveling around the globe via the written word, I need to read your first book. I love New Orleans books, as Ellen can attest to. I am grateful to authors who take me places and show me things I’d never see if I went there irl.
    I’m okay with darker mysteries as long as the gore involved doesn’t give me nightmares. Hence the refusal to read Stephen King.
    Congrats again, and I look forward to watching you grow.

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    2. Thank you! And Jane’s class was great! I’m ready to take on the “bots” and win. The class was just the right size to meet so many great writers, to learn, and to exchange ideas.

      The Agatha process was very much fun despite not winning. Although, technically, we were “in competition,” I made four new friends (five if you count our Moderator, Maddie Day).

      And along with the Agatha nomination and Shadows of Frenchmen hitting the streets, these past few weeks brought yet a third bit of great news. While at ThrillerFest last week, I learned that Voices of the Elysian Fields was nominated for an Anthony in the Best First Novel category.

      I hope you enjoy Shadows of Frenchmen. I tried to keep the violence at the PG-13 level. Spoiler alert: in the end, Justice prevails.

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  2. Can’t wait to read Shadows of Frenchmen. The title makes me think of Frenchmen Street, where Bob and I go to listen to jazz and blues when we’re in NOLA.

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    1. Thanks, Mary. Some of the establishments on Frenchmen Street in the novel are real. Others are real but the names have been changed. I’ll be interested to see if you and Bob can guess the identity of the “fake” ones.

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  3. Michael, it’s so nice to “meet” you again, and thank you for visiting Chicks today. Congrats on the pub of Shadows of Frenchment–it sounds amazing! Wish I’d gotten more of a chance to speak with you in San Fran–you were quite in demand! Next time…

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  4. Shadows of Frenchmen is queued up on my kindle. I can hardly wait to read it. I simply loved Voices of the Elysian Fields and thoroughly enjoyed meeting you at Malice. Congrats on the Anthony nomination!

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    1. Thanks! Hope you enjoy Shadows of Frenchmen. Knock on wood, you’ll like the differences in style and tone between “Shadows” and “Voices.” I’ll especially be interested to learn how your feelings about the Antagonist evolve over the course of the novel.

      Looking forward to seeing you in Calgary!

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  5. Michael, so glad you’re back! What a fun ride you’ve been on, and congrats on book two!

    I love the idea of pitching others’ books you adore instead of your own. And next time we’re at the same con, make sure you or Ellen flag me down to chat. 🙂

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    1. Thanks, Jennifer! I appreciate opportunity for a second go-round as a Guest Chick.

      And it looks like the ride gets bumpier (or smoother, depending on your perspective). When I was a ThrillerFest last week I learned that Voices of the Elysian Fields (subject of my last visit) was nominated for an Anthony in the Best First Novel category.

      Let the good times (continue to) roll!

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    1. Thanks, Leslie! I had hoped the beads would be a good luck charm for you in the Agathas. Unfortunately, there was apparently an Hawaiian dance (involving a grass skirt, coconuts, and flaming torches) I was supposed to perform to make the charm effective. Apologies for my lack of research. Maybe next time…

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    1. Thanks, Colonel! The tea is my favorite part of Malice, I think. There’s the tea and scones, of course. But it’s a wonderful opportunity to meet new people and chat.

      I’m sure I’ll “see you around the compound.”

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  9. I almost met you at LCC — I saw you and Ellen hanging out in the bar and was headed over to join you when I realized you were having your ARC. I shoulda just crashed! 😄 Thanks for stopping by today and congrats on the new book!

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  11. Michael, thank you so much for visiting with us today! Very, very fun post! 😃😃😃 Congratulations on the release of Shadows of Frenchmen. It sounds intense. Love that. Fingers crossed for your Anthony win! 🤞🏿🤞🏿🤞🏿

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