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Fever Devilin #6
A Corpse's Nightmare
"Storytelling at its finest...beguiling!" -- Kirkus Reviews (starred) on The Drifter's Wheel
Fever Devilin is killed by an intruder. He doesn’t stay dead - thanks to an emergency medical team - but he does slip into a months-long coma. When he comes out of it, there are two things he now knows: that he’s been dreaming about the legendary Paris 20's café scene and that his would-be killer was after a blue tin box, containing a photo of what Fever believes to be an angel. As Fever struggles to recover, out there is a would-be killer who must be found while there's still time.
Fever Devilin is killed by an intruder. He doesn’t stay dead - thanks to an emergency medical team - but he does slip into a months-long coma. When he comes out of it, there are two things he now knows: that he’s been dreaming about the legendary Paris 20's café scene and that his would-be killer was after a blue tin box, containing a photo of what Fever believes to be an angel. As Fever struggles to recover, out there is a would-be killer who must be found while there's still time.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
7 people are currently reading
211 people want to read
About the author
Phillip DePoy
36 books83 followersPhillip DePoy has published short fiction, poetry, and criticism in Story, The Southern Poetry Review, Xanadu, Yankee, and other magazines. He is currently the creative director of the Maurice Townsend Center for the Performing Arts at the State University of West Georgia, and has had many productions of his plays at regional theaters throughout the south. He is the recipient of numerous grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the state of Georgia, the Georgia Council for the Arts, the Arts Festival of Atlanta, the South Carolina Council for the Arts, etc. He composed the scores for the regional Angels in America and other productions and has played in a numerous jazz and folk bands. In his work as a folklorist he has collected songs and stories throughout Georgia and has worked with John Burrison, the foremost folklorist in the south and with Joseph Cambell.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
December 23, 2011
Again, it seems as I have started a series in the middle. This is my first Fever Develin novel
It does stand alone as a good novel, even if you haven't read the previous books
The book starts with Fever awakening in a hospital room - it seems he was the victim of a gunshot wound, near death (it seems that he died and his girlfriend brought him back to life - hence the name of the book), and has been in a coma that has lasted for three months. He is lost and confused, but determined to discover who shot him and why? Most importantly, why?
With the reluctant assistance of his English pal Winston Andrews, Fever instigates his own almost death investigation, one made more difficult by his own parents' strange carnival-like lifestyle and his mother's penchant for hiding private treasures throughout the family home.
Dreams and visions are his roadmaps into his own shooting and his own heritage, but he must sort among all the threads and images to discover what is real in terms of long buried memories of his parents and fantasy.
The action, peppered with Fever's post-coma inclination to fall asleep at inopportune times, propels the many layers of a generational mystery, unpredictable, literary and sometimes far-fetched, but always entertaining. A blend of adventure, intellect and the spiritual realm, the novel is peopled with colorful folks and villains, family grudges and the sharp history of place, a unique plot, to say the least
The story takes the reader to the opening days of jazz and back to modern times while Fever does what his mother instructed him not to do. His friends worry about his sanity, his safety, and his health.
This is a excellent story peopled with the likes of Jelly-Roll Morton, who was the first to publish jazz sheet music, and others of the New Orleans-Chicago migration.
It does stand alone as a good novel, even if you haven't read the previous books
The book starts with Fever awakening in a hospital room - it seems he was the victim of a gunshot wound, near death (it seems that he died and his girlfriend brought him back to life - hence the name of the book), and has been in a coma that has lasted for three months. He is lost and confused, but determined to discover who shot him and why? Most importantly, why?
With the reluctant assistance of his English pal Winston Andrews, Fever instigates his own almost death investigation, one made more difficult by his own parents' strange carnival-like lifestyle and his mother's penchant for hiding private treasures throughout the family home.
Dreams and visions are his roadmaps into his own shooting and his own heritage, but he must sort among all the threads and images to discover what is real in terms of long buried memories of his parents and fantasy.
The action, peppered with Fever's post-coma inclination to fall asleep at inopportune times, propels the many layers of a generational mystery, unpredictable, literary and sometimes far-fetched, but always entertaining. A blend of adventure, intellect and the spiritual realm, the novel is peopled with colorful folks and villains, family grudges and the sharp history of place, a unique plot, to say the least
The story takes the reader to the opening days of jazz and back to modern times while Fever does what his mother instructed him not to do. His friends worry about his sanity, his safety, and his health.
This is a excellent story peopled with the likes of Jelly-Roll Morton, who was the first to publish jazz sheet music, and others of the New Orleans-Chicago migration.
July 7, 2013
The first 2/3 of the book was pretty slow. I almost quit reading. The last 1/3 it was hard to put down. He has written a series on this book and this is the 6th. I don't know if I will try another book for a while.
A lot of this book you weren't sure what was really going on. The main character comes out of a coma after 3 months. He had been shot in his own home. The sheriff is a good friend of his and is frustrated because he hasn't found the shooter. The victim Fever Devilin is a folklorist and maybe that has something to do with how the story was written. Very strange with a lot of hallucinations by Fever.
A lot of this book you weren't sure what was really going on. The main character comes out of a coma after 3 months. He had been shot in his own home. The sheriff is a good friend of his and is frustrated because he hasn't found the shooter. The victim Fever Devilin is a folklorist and maybe that has something to do with how the story was written. Very strange with a lot of hallucinations by Fever.
December 16, 2022
Intriguing way of having a story go back & forth to different time periods! I have to say, one small error in the medical stuff surprises me. The author did all this research about comas (which was very interesting) & makes a basic error about IV’s?? When you have an IV in your arm, the NEEDLE is not still in your arm! The needle is used to penetrate the skin & vein, then the catheter is slid over the needle & the needle is removed. I’m still not clear who—or what?—Earl was; but maybe that was intentional on the author’s part. Anyway, I liked this one better than the previous one—this was a little less weird & confusing, & I liked the historical parts.
October 15, 2023
Fever Devilin, a resident of a small down in the Appalachians of Georgia is killed by an intruder, then revived by an emergency medical team. It is 3 months until he wakes from his coma which he does in fits and starts. He has dreams, visions and hallucinations of 1920’s Paris and comes to believe that his murder is somehow related to what happened there at that time. Based on this belief he tries to help the sheriff track down his killer. The connection of the dreams that Fever has to the reality of his killing gives this book a unique and extremely interesting presentation that I very much enjoyed. Its connection to the Jazz era in Paris also adds interest.
September 23, 2021
I grabbed this book skimming the library based just off the cover and it was not what I was expecting. I thought it’d be a creepy book but it was more a detective book. My favorite character was Andrews. I enjoyed his humor and the back and forth between him and fever. I got a little lost in what was real, his coma, mystical, ect. The modern day version of the KKK was interesting.
January 27, 2023
DePoy's word craft is amazing and keeps me reading chapter after chapter. I'm a bit out of my genre comfort zone in these books, but I don't mind at all because the words crafted together are perfect.
November 16, 2017
Very interesting, twisted plot. This is a good read.
May 21, 2019
A bit more mystical than I think of this series being. Not my favorite of the series, though certainly moves the central characters through some important personal points.
July 10, 2019
Excellent! Have to read more of him.
October 30, 2020
I love this series
August 9, 2021
I enjoyed the dream/reality confusion, which created even more suspense.
February 9, 2024
Didn’t read this. Mistake
April 11, 2013
This book is crazy and beguiling. It is a mystery, but it's also kind of sci-fi which adds another delicious element. While it say's it's a Fever Devlin mystery on the cover I did not realize it's the sixth book until I wanted to write this review. I've not read any other book in this series, but did not feel cheated as the story line speaks on it's own. The mysteries in the book has oddities interwoven through the story line like Ray Bradbury or Clive Barker with the sophistication of a Kurt Vonegut book. He uses actual quotes from Shakespeare and Poe to name a couple. Fever Devlin is shot and dies. He is brought back to life, only to remain in a coma for three months. When he comes out of the coma it is his desire to assist in his own investigation to discover who shot him and why. This is the simple underlying story, but it is by no means simple. Due to the length of the coma he awakes from Fever drifts in and out of sleep, sleeping long periods of time entering surreal type moments of the past. It is eluded to that this is part of his own heritage. The focus is on muddled events from New Orleans, France, Chicago and Georgia. A world of Jazz, genius, insanity, hatred and segregation. If you ever saw an episode of the outer limits, I think called Tempest, after a spider bite the individual goes back and forth from the airship to his own family and cannot tell which of the two are real. This has that type of feel. There's an elderly man from New Orleans ~ the Earl that continually appears to him unexpectedly and offers clues to putting his heritage together. Then Fever believes he can piece together his own childhood and the life of a mother he never understood. This information should enable him to understand who shot him and why. It's a wonderful book that allows your own imagination to freely flow. I only gave it 4 stars in that there were times I just kind of wished he'd get to the point, but I didn't dare jump ahead a few paragraphs to speed it up because those few lines that might seem unnecessary will be part of a clue he examines further on. I do give it a thumbs up and find it highly enjoyable reading.
December 16, 2011
This newest release from the Fever Devilin series is, if possible, the best I’ve read. For those unaware, Fever Devilin is a folklorist by trade who left the world of academia behind and moved back to his birthplace of Blue Mountain in the Appalachians of Georgia. Fever has always been beyond bright (with an IQ of 186) and there wasn’t anything he didn’t know since the age of nine.
In this new novel, Fever begins in death, literally. Waking up in the hospital after three months, he's surprised and only has a vague recollection of being shot. An intruder walked into his home and shot him. No one has been able to find out anything about the intruder or why the crime was committed. All Fever seems to know for sure is that he had an “angelic” visitation that told him about a box hidden on his mantel that held a picture of a woman who looked a lot like his mother, an unsigned letter, and a mystery that existed back in Paris in 1923.
Fever decides to figure this mystery out for himself by investigating the ‘visions’ he’s receiving. It’s difficult since his recovery includes blacking out without warning. And when Fever blacks out, he finds himself sitting in a Paris club called The Jazz Cat, watching a very frightening owner by the name of Lisa (who will take no guff off anybody, to say the least) and her true love, T-Bone.
An intense mystery unfolds that spans time and includes everything from a desperate killer to The Great Migration, to who exactly Lisa and T-Bone really were and how they ended up a part of Fever‘s present-day life. The plot is intriguing and a great deal of fun to read. There are many adjectives that a reviewer can use depending on the mystery but, as always, Phillip Depoy stands out among suspense authors for the pure intelligence that he writes. His characters are witty and charming, and to be able to blend historical fact with present day, as well as continue to create new stories around a character that invites romance and danger is a true gift.
Reviewed by Amy Lignor, author of “Tallent & Lowery - 13” for Suspense Magazine
In this new novel, Fever begins in death, literally. Waking up in the hospital after three months, he's surprised and only has a vague recollection of being shot. An intruder walked into his home and shot him. No one has been able to find out anything about the intruder or why the crime was committed. All Fever seems to know for sure is that he had an “angelic” visitation that told him about a box hidden on his mantel that held a picture of a woman who looked a lot like his mother, an unsigned letter, and a mystery that existed back in Paris in 1923.
Fever decides to figure this mystery out for himself by investigating the ‘visions’ he’s receiving. It’s difficult since his recovery includes blacking out without warning. And when Fever blacks out, he finds himself sitting in a Paris club called The Jazz Cat, watching a very frightening owner by the name of Lisa (who will take no guff off anybody, to say the least) and her true love, T-Bone.
An intense mystery unfolds that spans time and includes everything from a desperate killer to The Great Migration, to who exactly Lisa and T-Bone really were and how they ended up a part of Fever‘s present-day life. The plot is intriguing and a great deal of fun to read. There are many adjectives that a reviewer can use depending on the mystery but, as always, Phillip Depoy stands out among suspense authors for the pure intelligence that he writes. His characters are witty and charming, and to be able to blend historical fact with present day, as well as continue to create new stories around a character that invites romance and danger is a true gift.
Reviewed by Amy Lignor, author of “Tallent & Lowery - 13” for Suspense Magazine
January 7, 2012
First Sentence: The dead can dream; I’ll tell you how I know.
Fever Devlin has spent the last three months in a coma after someone entered his house, shot him and left him for dead. Now conscious, his dreams, a found box and hints from a stranger are leading him down a path to uncover a killer, and his past.
Phillip DePoy’s books may not be for everyone, but they are among those I eagerly await each year. His perspective is fascinating and intriguing; his characters are unique and memorable memorable; with Devlin’s friend, Andrew, providing the pragmatic balance to Devlin’s somewhat other-worldliness, and his voice audible; one you want to experience again and again. His wonderfully vivid descriptions take you into Devlin’s world and into the past. I was reminded about historical events and the speed of technological developments. He is a wonderfully literate writer who writes excellent dialogue…”He slept in the broken glass of rage.” and with delightful humor.
The plot is a road of blind turns, laced with that feeling of things being not quite “normal,” with a slight paranormal aspect. Finally, in this sixth book of the series, learn of Fever’s family history—something about which we’d learned snippets but nothing significant until now. And what a history it is, steeped in American Jazz, Paris, bigotry and hatred passed down from one generation to the next. At one point, it seems there is considerable redundancy, yet when one thinks of the circumstances, it is very normal and would be unusual not to be there. It also serves as pavers taking you along the road of the story.
“A Corpses’s Nightmare” is the story for which fans of DePoy have been waiting and not a bad place for readers new to the series to begin. It certainly did not disappoint.
A CORPSE’S NIGHTMARE (Trad Mys/Ama Sleuth-Fever Devlin-Georgia Appalachians-Contemp) - Ex
DePoy, Phillip – 6th in series
Minotaur Books, 2011
Fever Devlin has spent the last three months in a coma after someone entered his house, shot him and left him for dead. Now conscious, his dreams, a found box and hints from a stranger are leading him down a path to uncover a killer, and his past.
Phillip DePoy’s books may not be for everyone, but they are among those I eagerly await each year. His perspective is fascinating and intriguing; his characters are unique and memorable memorable; with Devlin’s friend, Andrew, providing the pragmatic balance to Devlin’s somewhat other-worldliness, and his voice audible; one you want to experience again and again. His wonderfully vivid descriptions take you into Devlin’s world and into the past. I was reminded about historical events and the speed of technological developments. He is a wonderfully literate writer who writes excellent dialogue…”He slept in the broken glass of rage.” and with delightful humor.
The plot is a road of blind turns, laced with that feeling of things being not quite “normal,” with a slight paranormal aspect. Finally, in this sixth book of the series, learn of Fever’s family history—something about which we’d learned snippets but nothing significant until now. And what a history it is, steeped in American Jazz, Paris, bigotry and hatred passed down from one generation to the next. At one point, it seems there is considerable redundancy, yet when one thinks of the circumstances, it is very normal and would be unusual not to be there. It also serves as pavers taking you along the road of the story.
“A Corpses’s Nightmare” is the story for which fans of DePoy have been waiting and not a bad place for readers new to the series to begin. It certainly did not disappoint.
A CORPSE’S NIGHTMARE (Trad Mys/Ama Sleuth-Fever Devlin-Georgia Appalachians-Contemp) - Ex
DePoy, Phillip – 6th in series
Minotaur Books, 2011
July 11, 2012
I had never heard of Phillip DePoy or the Fever Develin series. I saw A Corpse's Nightmare on a shelf in my local library and borrowed it on a whim. An almost murder mystery with the dreams/nightmares of the recently comatose? Sure, why not?
Now, I just finished this book approximately five minutes ago, so these are my first thoughts...
If I could give half-stars, I'd probably give this three and a half. I enjoyed the story well enough, but felt that the first 60% dragged on for far too long. Perhaps it was the way DePoy's protagonist, Fever Develin, took a long time to put together what was going on. (Granted, as the reader, it's easier to be aware of motives and back-stories than the characters in the book. Still, it's sometimes nicer to be just as stumped as the characters you're reading about; it helps bring you into their world, in my opinion.) Thankfully, the pace picked up and I devoured the last 40% in short order.
One thing I really did enjoy (and greatly helped move the story along for me) were the dynamics between Fever and some of the other characters. Lucinda was appropriately concerned and curt over her recovering but stubborn fiancée. Dr. Andrews, a good friend of Fever's, felt almost perfect as his sidekick; their banter and exchanges were some of my favorites in the book.
A Corpse's Nightmare is the sixth book in this series. While I believe the books go in chronological order and share characters and locations, I don't think they are necessarily sequels; it didn't feel like I missed too much by not reading the other books first and that this story stood on its own legs. However, I am now curious about the other books, so perhaps my views will change after reading them.
Now, I just finished this book approximately five minutes ago, so these are my first thoughts...
If I could give half-stars, I'd probably give this three and a half. I enjoyed the story well enough, but felt that the first 60% dragged on for far too long. Perhaps it was the way DePoy's protagonist, Fever Develin, took a long time to put together what was going on. (Granted, as the reader, it's easier to be aware of motives and back-stories than the characters in the book. Still, it's sometimes nicer to be just as stumped as the characters you're reading about; it helps bring you into their world, in my opinion.) Thankfully, the pace picked up and I devoured the last 40% in short order.
One thing I really did enjoy (and greatly helped move the story along for me) were the dynamics between Fever and some of the other characters. Lucinda was appropriately concerned and curt over her recovering but stubborn fiancée. Dr. Andrews, a good friend of Fever's, felt almost perfect as his sidekick; their banter and exchanges were some of my favorites in the book.
A Corpse's Nightmare is the sixth book in this series. While I believe the books go in chronological order and share characters and locations, I don't think they are necessarily sequels; it didn't feel like I missed too much by not reading the other books first and that this story stood on its own legs. However, I am now curious about the other books, so perhaps my views will change after reading them.
November 25, 2012
The Fever Devilin series is one of my favorites. I love the author's descriptions and how he draws his characters. In this latest book, Fever is murdered. He is shot while he is asleep by an intruder who then makes a 911 call to brag that he had killed him. The quick actions of the rescue squad and Fever's fiance Lucinda bring him back from death but that leaves him in a deep coma for three months. During that time, he has vivid dreams of Paris and jazz during the 1920's. When he finally awakes, he finds that his house has been burglarized and a box of pictures and papers from his past have been stolen. This is a great series. Fever Devilin is such a great character. He is laid back and easy going and, with the addition of his friends, Winston Andrews, Sheriff Skidmore and a mysterious stranger, he tries to find answers to his murder, his past and his family.
January 3, 2012
The Fever Devilin books are always strange, with unopened closets that might be haunted, and family secrets that can't be told, but this is even stranger than most. Fever comes around in the hospital after three months in a coma. He'd been shot, been declared dead, and brought back by medical science and the steely will of his fiancee, Lucinda. Now he's determined to find out who shot him and why, though handicapped by his tendency to fall asleep, confuse dreams with reality, and hallucinate. Between memories of words spoken by his mother, the ultimate in unreliable narrators, and dreams of the 1920's that haunted his coma, it's hard for him to tell just what's really been happening and what is only --well, a nightmare.
March 19, 2013
This is my first Fever Devlin novel, though DePoy's sixth. I like the rural Georgia background and the complexity of the characters (for instance, the bullying good old boy Devlin hates actually tries to save him. I also like the mysticism inherent in the two tales....Devlin's own current life and the life of his ancestor, (a jazz player in love with a Parisian bar owner) which he either visits in spirit in a coma or which his subconscious brings to the forefront, with the help of a mysterious figure (who's either FBI or magic). The one flaw was that the solution to the mystery was pretty easy to figure out (hint: white supremacists are not only bad but crazy). Still, I enjoyed the characters and wouldn't mind picking up another one.
November 18, 2013
I liked this book better than the other Fever Devilin novel that I read, but it still has some problems. The plot was a lot of fun and there were some interesting and quirky characters. The story dragged a bit here and there and there was once again a lot of repetition and overuse of some favorite words and phrases. This writer could use a good editor. I think there may be a fatal error in the basic premise of the book, but it depends on the source for the dating of the events depicted in the scenes set in the early 20th century. I probably won't go out of my way to find more titles in this series, although if I do run across one I will probably read it for the folklore interest and just to see how the themes get worked in.
June 11, 2012
To paraphrase Dickens, “Fever was dead to begin with,” and from that beginning this mystery had me hooked. Fever Devilin, the folklorist, former academic, and main character in a series of wonderful mysteries set in the southern Appalachians has been murdered and is trying to find his killer. Woven into the story are chapters that tell the tale of two lovers in France between the wars. To give away any more would spoil the fun.
Readers looking for a good mystery with a unique setting and memorable characters - look no further.
Readers looking for a good mystery with a unique setting and memorable characters - look no further.
December 25, 2012
This guy has become one of my favorite authors for his smart, quirky southern gothic mysteries. This one wasn't as good as the others in the series, though, and it seems now that he's been in a coma, anything can happen - there's always now an excuse for fever having a disconnect with reality. Didn't feel like it wrapped up well either, & I never could figure out how Birdie was supposedly his maternal great grandmother if she married a Devilin somewhere along the way. Still couldn't put it down, though, and already preordered the next one due out in January.
April 28, 2013
A sequel of sorts to The Drifter's Wheel, Fever Devlin embarks on another mysterious journey into the past. Not mandatory but it actually helped to have read Wheel beforehand as it made this a little easier to follow. I love this series - it is perhaps one of my all time favorites and the early paperbacks have a place of honor on my bookshelf. There's a little something for everyone in these; magic, history, romance, place, and of course, always a great mystery.
July 11, 2012
This book is really very good for the genre. Fever Devlin is almost killed in this book--he was shot before the book opens, and has been in a coma for 3 months--so when he wakes up he has all the sorts of problems that significant head injury patients have PLUS they
don't know who tried to kill him...so the story unfolds in a number of interesting directions, and is well written. Very enjoyable.
don't know who tried to kill him...so the story unfolds in a number of interesting directions, and is well written. Very enjoyable.
August 16, 2013
The other books in this series got 3 stars. This one does not. The plot is tortured, and Fever's behavior is completely over the top. I wouldn't blame his long-suffering friends if they just abandoned him to his fantasies and egoism. I seriously considered taking notes just so I could keep track of Fever's dreams, visions, revelations, and ravings.
December 27, 2011
I've read this series from the beginning and find the characters of Fever, who is a folklorist, fascinating. This book actually has him trying to track down his own genealogy and history, with someone trying desperately to stop him. Interesting history on the Jazz scene in New Orleans, Paris and Chicago.
August 23, 2012
I liked the concept of this book and the characters, especially the banter between Fever and Andrews, but there was so much repetition of the story that I felt I could recite the entire geneology in my sleep by the end. I think the author was worried his readers couldn't keep up with Fever's high IQ. I'd be interested to read another Fever McDevelin book and see it it was the same.
August 15, 2013
Haunting in some ways, the feeling that the lines between dreams and reality were blurred for our protagonist, Fever, gave this installment a different feel and an interesting way to flashback into the past. Social commentary on the melting pot of human ancestry and hatred adds a dimension to his recent and our not so recent past.
January 14, 2012
Fairly unique list of characters and intriguing plotline made for an enjoyable read. I did, however, feel the main character retold the story he was attempting to piece together WAY too many times over the course of the book. The female characters were pretty flat, as well.
March 12, 2012
A man is sot to death, but is brought back after several minutes of officially being dead. He wants to find out who did this to him, with the help of a goofus professorial friend. A good read and some fun. Not really a detective mystery, just some fun disguised in some seriousness. A-
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews