VOICES OF THE ELYSIAN FIELDS: AGATHA FINALIST by Michael Rigg

Each year, attendees (authors and “fans” a/k/a readers) at the Malice Domestic conference in Bethesda, Maryland vote for nominees in six categories to receive an “Agatha.” According to the conference website:

The Agatha Awards celebrate the TRADITIONAL MYSTERY, best typified by the works of AGATHA CHRISTIE. The genre is loosely defined as mysteries that contain no explicit sex, excessive gore, or gratuitous violence, and would not be classified as "hard-boiled."

​The Agatha Award categories are:

• Best Contemporary Novel
• Best Historical Novel
• Best First Novel
• Best Nonfiction
• Best Short Story
• Best Children's/Young Adult Novel

(For more information about the Agatha Award process, see: Agatha Award Process | Malice Domestic Ltd.)

Voices of the Elysian Fields—my debut novel—is one of five finalists in the running for an Agatha as Best First Novel. Here is a short description of the story:

Two days before Christmas, Jonathan Gray, M. D., Chief Deputy Coroner for Orleans Parish, receives shocking news. Robby O’Malley—Jonathan’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.

Malice Domestic formally opens on the morning of Friday, April 24, 2026. (There’s early registration, as well as some preliminary activities, on Thursday evening.) The conference ends on Sunday afternoon (April 26^th) around 3:00 p.m. The final session is the annual Agatha Tea Party and, this year, the Theater of the Air presentation, “Vengeance in Vegas.”

I believe registration is still open. For more information, see Home | Malice Domestic Ltd.

If you’re at Malice this year, please drop by and say “Hi.” If you’d like to learn more about Voices of the Elysian Fields (whether you are attending Malice or not), I have a book trailer and have arranged for the Advance Review Copy (ARC) to be available on NetGalley for the next few weeks. Of course, you can always check out the product page on Amazon.com, read a sample and, hopefully, buy a copy. Relevant links are:

Book Trailer: "Voices of the Elysian Fields: A Jonathan Gray, M.D. Mystery" - by Michael Rigg - BOOK TRAILER

NetGalley: Voices of the Elysian Fields | Michael Rigg | 9781685129248 | NetGalley

Amazon Book Link: Amazon.com: Voices of the Elysian Fields: A Jonathan Gray, M.D. Mystery: 9781685129248: Rigg, Michael: Books

I look forward to seeing you in Bethesda and hope I will earn your vote.

VOICES OF THE ELYSIAN FIELDS: IT'S HERE! by Michael Rigg

Finally. It seems like it took forever. But it's here. Voices of the Elysian Fields, my debut novel, published by Level Best Books, launches on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. The e-book version is on Amazon.com for preorder. Future availability and distribution of both the e-book and paperback will be forthcoming. 

Voices of the Elysian Fields is a medico-legal thriller. Two days before Christmas, Jonathan Gray, M. D., Chief Deputy Coroner for Orleans Parish, learns that Robby O’Malley—Jonathan’s mentor for nearly forty years—died under mysterious circumstances. Within hours, 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, Archbishop Phillip Fontenot asks Gray to investigate the sexual assault of a parishioners, as well as the disappearance of her sister—without involving the police. As Gray investigates, he uncovers secrets that members of the city’s power elite would just as soon remain hidden.

I plan to outline some lessons learned and experiences in future blog posts. For now, please order your copy of Voices of the Elysian Fields. And, feel free to nag your local library about adding Voices of the Elysian Fields to their collection. 

Enjoy. And, as always, laissez le bon temps rouler!

For more information about me, check out Facebook ( www.facebook.com/michael.rigg.author), my website (www.michaelrigg.com), Twitter/X (@MDR102030), and Instagram (Instagram).