Thomas Zigal

Many Rivers to Cross accepted for publication by TCU Press

TCU Press will publish my new novel, Many Rivers to Cross, in the fall of this year. The novel takes place in the first three days after Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana and the Gulf Coast in late August 2005. The narrative follows several characters stranded in the flooded city as they struggle to survive.

It took me four years to research and write the book. It's a work of fiction inspired by actual incidents that happened in the early days after Katrina's landfall. As sources of the story, I relied on visits to New Orleans, personal interviews, email exchanges, blogs, online written and video reports, documentary films, books, and many hours of television and newspaper coverage.

Many Rivers to Cross is the second novel in my New Orleans Trilogy. I am fast at work writing the third and final novel of the trilogy.

Zigal Novels Available on Kindle and in New Paperback Editions

The three Kurt Muller mystery novels and The White League are now available on Kindle and in new paperback editions from the AmazonEncore imprint of Thomas & Mercer. This is the first paperback edition of The White League.

See "Selected Works" on this website for reviews.

Visit Amazon's Thomas Zigal page and order today.

You can also download and read Kindle books with no Kindle required!

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Searching for Anton and Frantiska

The Zigal family is Czech. Or more precisely, Moravian. My great grandfather's name was Anton Zigal, and he and his wife, Fratiska (Frances), left Moravia for America in 1881 and settled in Fayette County, Texas.

In July, I traveled to the Czech Republic with my wife and my sister and brother-in-law to search for traces of Anton and Frantiska in the old country and to look for living relatives. I will be writing about my experiences in short segments over the next few weeks.

The Late Great James Crumley

Legendary crime writer Jim Crumley died in September 2008, and I offered a few thoughts about my old friend in an article entitled "10,000 Barstools Ago" in Texas Monthly online.

The entire article is reproduced in the Newsletter section of this website.

In the online magazine The New Yinzer, I also contributed an article to their "Tribute to James Crumley."


The White League

The White League has received significant attention since its publication in February 2005. Booklist called the novel "a page-turner with a conscience" and Kirkus described it as "deliciously complicated." Crime legend James Crumley declared The White League "a remarkable achievement."

Publishers Weekly described the book as "a gripping novel of racism, justice denied, retribution and redemption in the upper-class environs of New Orleans circa 1990. . . . As in any good Southern novel, present events are dictated by the past, and colorful characters from all stations of life perform both honorable and despicable acts. There's plenty of New Orleans lore . . . in this solidly written, adroitly plotted and satisfyingly ethics-driven tale."

Texas Monthly published the first chapter of The White League in its online site.

The ABA's BookSense chose The White League as a Notable selection for March 2005, and the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association's Killer Books chose it as a Pick for February 2005.


Violet Crown Award

My novel The White League was selected as the winner of the 2005 Violet Crown Award in fiction. The award is given annually by the Writers League of Texas. The winners were announced on October 29, 2005, at a reception in the Texas Governor's Mansion. I am grateful to the Writers League for this award and for their outstanding support of Texas writers for the past 20 years.