Voices of the Elysian Fields by Michael Rigg

About the Book:

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.

My Review:

I enjoyed this mystery set in New Orleans. Gray is a good sleuth, a mix of amateur and law enforcement. As coroner for New Orleans, he carries a weapon but he has not been trained in police procedure. Nonetheless, he does a good job investigating the puzzling death of his boss. Then there are more deaths. Powerful people in the city may be involved in not only murder but in the cover up of additional crimes. That comes to light when Gray is asked by the Archbishop to investigate a possible need for sanctuary. Missing women and unfiled death certificates deepen the mystery.

Rigg has given readers a good mystery involving puzzling evidence, powerful politicians and wealthy families. The setting is done well and the main characters are fully developed. The plot is believable right up to the surprising twist and the final action which seemed beyond belief for me. Nonetheless, this is a fine debut effort and I look forward to reviewing the second novel in the series in a few weeks.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Agatha and Anthony-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.

Level Best Books, 344 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Partners in Crime Book Tours. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-An exceptional book, 4-Better than average, relevant and liked by me, 3-It is average, 2-It is below average and not liked by me, 1-It is practically unreadable.)