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Fever Devilin #2
The Witch's Grave
Fever Devilin was raised amongst the hill-country people of the deep Georgia Appalachians and their seemingly simple folk ways are in his blood and his soul. His own family, however, was another matter and at sixteen he left home for college, returning only rarely and always under protest. In the years to come, Fever became a noted folklorist of the Appalachian region and a college professor. He never quite adjusted to the realities of city life and academic politics, and has now returned to the deceptively quiet life amongst his people. But below the surface, nothing is ever as quiet and simple as it appears.
When Truevine Deveroe, a local girl reputed to be a witch, goes missing and the local mortician, acknowledged as an unpleasant character, turns up dead near Devilin's home, Able Carter, fiancé of the missing girl, is suspected of killing them both. Tied by friendship and long-term enmity to all of the principals, Fever finds himself in the midst of a very difficult situation. To make matters even worse, the brothers of the missing girl are determined to find Carter - who has taken it on the lam - and administer their own brand of justice. With precious little time, lives at stake, and a missing girl to be found, Devilin must unravel the mystery behind this perplexing series of events. A series of events somehow related to the hidden history of the area and the old folk legend of the witch's grave.
When Truevine Deveroe, a local girl reputed to be a witch, goes missing and the local mortician, acknowledged as an unpleasant character, turns up dead near Devilin's home, Able Carter, fiancé of the missing girl, is suspected of killing them both. Tied by friendship and long-term enmity to all of the principals, Fever finds himself in the midst of a very difficult situation. To make matters even worse, the brothers of the missing girl are determined to find Carter - who has taken it on the lam - and administer their own brand of justice. With precious little time, lives at stake, and a missing girl to be found, Devilin must unravel the mystery behind this perplexing series of events. A series of events somehow related to the hidden history of the area and the old folk legend of the witch's grave.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2004
13 people are currently reading
287 people want to read
About the author
Phillip DePoy
36 books84 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 53 reviews
August 10, 2012
First sentence: No one expected violence at church, or the dead bodies that soon followed it.
Fever Devilin, a folklorist, has returned to his home deep in Appalachia Georgia. Truevine Deveroe, a local girl considered to be a witch, goes missing; the mortician Harding Pinhurst, one of Fever's least favorite people, turns up murdered and Truvine's fiancé, Able Carter, is the suspect. Fever, his friend, houseguest and Shakespeare scholar, Dr. Winton Andrews, and childhood friend Deputy Sheriff Skidmore Needle, need to find Truevine and Able, and Harding' killer.
From the first page, you know this is an author with a distinctive and delightful voice and his dialogue is some of the best there is. I’m also a sucker for a clever analogy… “Her hair was in a bun, but loose strands were everywhere behind her head, like distracting children vying for attention.” In fact, I so enjoy DePoy’s style, I find myself wanting to read large portions of the story aloud; not just for the lyricism of his words, but because the passages made me stop and consider the content of them. Fortunately, my cats don’t mind.
However, it’s the characters who make this book special. Fever Devilin, whose parents provided a less-than-normal life and whose ghosts still inhabit the house in which he lives. His friend Andrews; English, is also very tall and fair; a Shakespeare scholar who saved Fever’s life. The people of the mountains are as colorful and unique as the area in which they live.
Once shouldn’t confuse this with being a ‘ghost’ story. It’s a story of people who treasure the old stories and for whom ghosts are part of their culture and lives; they live with the blend of the real and the paranormal, the old ways and the new, for whom a belief in curses can make them be true and where sometimes spells have a natural explanation. Above all, the story is an nontraditional, traditional mystery and a very good one. There is a scene that is somewhat grim and unpleasant to accept except that such stories have appeared in the national news.
It's hard to resist a protagonist who is in his 30's, is almost 7 feet tall, has snow-white hair and sees ghosts. Or a story that's filled with music, folklore, literary quotes, southern food, humor, unique characters, an excellent sense of place, suspense and twists along the way.
I original reviewed this book in 2007 so this was a re-read for me. I found I liked it even better this time through. My recommendation is, don't try to resist “The Witch’s Grave”. Sit back and enjoy the world of Fever Devilin. I certainly did.
THE WITCH'S GRAVE (Amateur Sleuth-Georgia-Cont) – Ex
DePoy, Phillip - 2nd in series
St. Martin's Minotaur, 2004 – Hardcover
Fever Devilin, a folklorist, has returned to his home deep in Appalachia Georgia. Truevine Deveroe, a local girl considered to be a witch, goes missing; the mortician Harding Pinhurst, one of Fever's least favorite people, turns up murdered and Truvine's fiancé, Able Carter, is the suspect. Fever, his friend, houseguest and Shakespeare scholar, Dr. Winton Andrews, and childhood friend Deputy Sheriff Skidmore Needle, need to find Truevine and Able, and Harding' killer.
From the first page, you know this is an author with a distinctive and delightful voice and his dialogue is some of the best there is. I’m also a sucker for a clever analogy… “Her hair was in a bun, but loose strands were everywhere behind her head, like distracting children vying for attention.” In fact, I so enjoy DePoy’s style, I find myself wanting to read large portions of the story aloud; not just for the lyricism of his words, but because the passages made me stop and consider the content of them. Fortunately, my cats don’t mind.
However, it’s the characters who make this book special. Fever Devilin, whose parents provided a less-than-normal life and whose ghosts still inhabit the house in which he lives. His friend Andrews; English, is also very tall and fair; a Shakespeare scholar who saved Fever’s life. The people of the mountains are as colorful and unique as the area in which they live.
Once shouldn’t confuse this with being a ‘ghost’ story. It’s a story of people who treasure the old stories and for whom ghosts are part of their culture and lives; they live with the blend of the real and the paranormal, the old ways and the new, for whom a belief in curses can make them be true and where sometimes spells have a natural explanation. Above all, the story is an nontraditional, traditional mystery and a very good one. There is a scene that is somewhat grim and unpleasant to accept except that such stories have appeared in the national news.
It's hard to resist a protagonist who is in his 30's, is almost 7 feet tall, has snow-white hair and sees ghosts. Or a story that's filled with music, folklore, literary quotes, southern food, humor, unique characters, an excellent sense of place, suspense and twists along the way.
I original reviewed this book in 2007 so this was a re-read for me. I found I liked it even better this time through. My recommendation is, don't try to resist “The Witch’s Grave”. Sit back and enjoy the world of Fever Devilin. I certainly did.
THE WITCH'S GRAVE (Amateur Sleuth-Georgia-Cont) – Ex
DePoy, Phillip - 2nd in series
St. Martin's Minotaur, 2004 – Hardcover
October 17, 2017
This was one hell of a hot mess. I expected to enjoy it since mystery, paranormal, and folklore are all right up my alley, but the mediocre characters and all of the bloody sub plots going off on tangents confused things mightily and made for a slow and disappointing read. I hadn't realized this was part of a series when I checked it out and I had thought to read the first one next but I see no reason to waste my time further.
July 23, 2011
I grew up and still live in the North GA mountains featured in this book. I loved the Appalachian folklore in this book. It's always been fascinating to me. The story part did tend to drag in places but over all I enjoyed the book.
July 26, 2016
Another page turner featuring Fever Devilin by Philip DePoy. Among other things, we learn who killed the town mortician (NOT a nice man), the derivation of Fever's family name, and what made the witch think she was dead. But WHEN is Fever going to tell Lucinda how he feels? Great fun.
December 22, 2012
Convoluted, what was the point of Andrew? By the end I didn't care how it ended!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2024
I picked this book up at a library sale, and I'm so glad that I did. Unfortunately, I'm about 20 years too late to find the rest of this series, but I enjoyed the time I had with it nonetheless.
Objectively speaking, this book was dense, hard to read, and occasionally hard to follow. However, I believe that was the intention.
Also hailing from Appalachia, Saying Nothing is an art form and the language spoken in small mountain towns is not typically written. For what it was, though challenging, I found the presentation of both in this book done phenomenally well. Reading it was just as frustrating as trying to talk to people of olde, but also just as rewarding.
The mystery/thriller plot was also done well, BUT I still guessed the whodunnit. I didn't see any of the twists coming, though, so it was still fun to get the final confirmation.
Extra points for the use of "ignor'nt" - Not only did it trip me up to read it, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get my spouse to understand what it means (which I obviously find hilarious).
If you get it, you get it. If you don't, you won't.
Objectively speaking, this book was dense, hard to read, and occasionally hard to follow. However, I believe that was the intention.
Also hailing from Appalachia, Saying Nothing is an art form and the language spoken in small mountain towns is not typically written. For what it was, though challenging, I found the presentation of both in this book done phenomenally well. Reading it was just as frustrating as trying to talk to people of olde, but also just as rewarding.
The mystery/thriller plot was also done well, BUT I still guessed the whodunnit. I didn't see any of the twists coming, though, so it was still fun to get the final confirmation.
Extra points for the use of "ignor'nt" - Not only did it trip me up to read it, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get my spouse to understand what it means (which I obviously find hilarious).
If you get it, you get it. If you don't, you won't.
April 27, 2022
Wow. I'm captured by the way this author is so good at suspense & poetical descriptions--which seem kind of antithetical to me, one being based on invoking at least anxiety if not outright fear, the other more relaxed. And I love the mixing in of the folklore.
After all that I'm almost disappointed when the solutions turn out to be fairly mundane--NOT "not of this world"--& some stories turn out to be totally false. It's like he sucks me in so well that I want to be reading something...fantastical or supernatural!
He keeps me reading, that’s for sure!
After all that I'm almost disappointed when the solutions turn out to be fairly mundane--NOT "not of this world"--& some stories turn out to be totally false. It's like he sucks me in so well that I want to be reading something...fantastical or supernatural!
He keeps me reading, that’s for sure!
July 19, 2024
I liked the book enough to look up the first in the series and request an interlibrary loan to read it. I liked the characters, scantily outlined as they were -- it's only the second in a series, and plot is more important. There seemed to be enough plot to keep it moving forward.
Except when there wasn't and it dragged.
It's the second in a series of seven titles, so he must have gotten the kinks worked out, so I am betting on future improvements.
Except when there wasn't and it dragged.
It's the second in a series of seven titles, so he must have gotten the kinks worked out, so I am betting on future improvements.
September 11, 2018
Enjoyed this. Set in modern day but dealt with old legends, folklore and ghost stories of old. Set in Appalachia region of Georgia. I liked that author did not disparage his small town folks. Definitely a very descriptive writer. Easily transports reader to the graveyard and woods and other settings bur not overly wordy. Recommend easily.
April 3, 2020
good, I'd like to read #1....
June 26, 2021
Quirky series
July 14, 2021
Good book. Read pretty quickly. Fun and interesting.
April 26, 2023
Lots of running around in a graveyard Not for me.
October 30, 2014
The Witch's Grave by Philip DePoy is definitely not my usual fare. I thought it might be...after all it features folklorist and academic Fever Devilin. And we all know that I love me an academic mystery. Problem is Devilin and his friend Andrews neither one really strike me as the academic type. I'm left wondering how either one of them got their job at a university. But that's a side issue. Let's get down to cases and give a brief run-down of the plot.
Devilin, a native of the Georgia Appalachians, has recently returned home to do research aAmongst the people of Blue Mountain. When he's not getting involved in murder mysteries, he's recording folk songs and stories passed down in the families of the area. In this second book of the series he gets drawn into the murder of the local mortician, Harding Pinehurst. Pinehurst's body is found after a church supper--a supper that saw Able Carter and his fiancee, Truevine Deveroe, arguing over some "investigation" that Carter was doing which involved her family. Pinehurst happens to be a cousin of the Deveroe family. When Truevine and Able come up missing, folks suspect that Carter must have killed the mortician and Truevine's drunken, gun-toting brothers are afraid that Carter may have made away with Truevine as well. They are on the warpath and out for Carter's blood.
The discovery of half-buried bodies near the mortuary reveal Pinehurst's secret, but not who really killed him. Devilin must use the stories from the past--including his own--and an insight into the peculiar ways of the Blue Mountain folk to identify a unlikely killer. A killer in a world where the old ways hold sway and modern witches can still cast spells.
True Confession Time: I did not read every bit of this book. I read my personal quota for determining whether to continue with a book or not, then skimmed so I could have a general idea of the plot and finished up by reading the last two chapters. This is definitely not my cup of tea. I'm not a huge fan of inserting the paranormal into my mysteries anyway--but it just really didn't seem to have a point here. It wasn't used effectively for atmosphere, was used half-heartedly for motive, and didn't do a thing for me. Inserting Devilin's friend Andrews (on vacation) into the mix seemed pretty pointless as well. The story-telling was flat and the characters weren't interesting or compelling. The central plot--the murder--was explained pretty effectively--the only highlight I can find in the mix. However, there are a mass of four-star ratings for this one on Goodreads, so your mileage may vary. As for me... ★ and out of the house it goes.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting.
Devilin, a native of the Georgia Appalachians, has recently returned home to do research aAmongst the people of Blue Mountain. When he's not getting involved in murder mysteries, he's recording folk songs and stories passed down in the families of the area. In this second book of the series he gets drawn into the murder of the local mortician, Harding Pinehurst. Pinehurst's body is found after a church supper--a supper that saw Able Carter and his fiancee, Truevine Deveroe, arguing over some "investigation" that Carter was doing which involved her family. Pinehurst happens to be a cousin of the Deveroe family. When Truevine and Able come up missing, folks suspect that Carter must have killed the mortician and Truevine's drunken, gun-toting brothers are afraid that Carter may have made away with Truevine as well. They are on the warpath and out for Carter's blood.
The discovery of half-buried bodies near the mortuary reveal Pinehurst's secret, but not who really killed him. Devilin must use the stories from the past--including his own--and an insight into the peculiar ways of the Blue Mountain folk to identify a unlikely killer. A killer in a world where the old ways hold sway and modern witches can still cast spells.
True Confession Time: I did not read every bit of this book. I read my personal quota for determining whether to continue with a book or not, then skimmed so I could have a general idea of the plot and finished up by reading the last two chapters. This is definitely not my cup of tea. I'm not a huge fan of inserting the paranormal into my mysteries anyway--but it just really didn't seem to have a point here. It wasn't used effectively for atmosphere, was used half-heartedly for motive, and didn't do a thing for me. Inserting Devilin's friend Andrews (on vacation) into the mix seemed pretty pointless as well. The story-telling was flat and the characters weren't interesting or compelling. The central plot--the murder--was explained pretty effectively--the only highlight I can find in the mix. However, there are a mass of four-star ratings for this one on Goodreads, so your mileage may vary. As for me... ★ and out of the house it goes.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting.
March 16, 2011
The single star is a subjective rating. I didn't like the book. Then again I don't care for mysteries and I don't care for romance. This was my wife's book. She passed away almost two years ago and I've been looking over my shelves, forced to thin them out because I've moved to a place with much less room. I don't like to sell, trade or whatever books without reading (or as in this case attempting to read) them.
I don't know where Mr. DePoy was born (he's a New Yorker at this point)but I really don't care for his portrayal of the Appalachian region or the people who live there. (I grew up in the Smokies). From the "get-go" I felt a slight condescension in the prose. Now, that could just be me, my take on the book so to speak. I realize this is part of a popular series and many like it.
The book opens at the Methodist pot luck dinner with our folklorist commenting on the people present, how good the food is and how dull the service was (no poison drinking, weeping, snake handling, or "rolling on the floor). Again a bit of "snide-idity" seemed present. Was it? Up to each reader. The narrator and his friend "who thinks of himself as a Druid but might consider Christianity if the food is always good"...are privy to an argument "apparently" over some stolen hogs involving Truevine Deveroe. Deveroe is the local "witch" (a young woman who is solitary and shy). Truevine of course, disappears.
I just couldn't get into this book. It's not my kind of "brain candy", I didn't care for the story telling and I just didn't find it interesting. If you like it, enjoy. I doubt I'll pick another book by the author...unless of course there happens to be one or more still among my wife's books. Those would get at least a cursory read.
I don't know where Mr. DePoy was born (he's a New Yorker at this point)but I really don't care for his portrayal of the Appalachian region or the people who live there. (I grew up in the Smokies). From the "get-go" I felt a slight condescension in the prose. Now, that could just be me, my take on the book so to speak. I realize this is part of a popular series and many like it.
The book opens at the Methodist pot luck dinner with our folklorist commenting on the people present, how good the food is and how dull the service was (no poison drinking, weeping, snake handling, or "rolling on the floor). Again a bit of "snide-idity" seemed present. Was it? Up to each reader. The narrator and his friend "who thinks of himself as a Druid but might consider Christianity if the food is always good"...are privy to an argument "apparently" over some stolen hogs involving Truevine Deveroe. Deveroe is the local "witch" (a young woman who is solitary and shy). Truevine of course, disappears.
I just couldn't get into this book. It's not my kind of "brain candy", I didn't care for the story telling and I just didn't find it interesting. If you like it, enjoy. I doubt I'll pick another book by the author...unless of course there happens to be one or more still among my wife's books. Those would get at least a cursory read.
March 13, 2012
Fever Devilin is on a working 'vacation' in his home town of Blue Mountain in the heart of Georgia's Appalachian Region. This time he has brought along city slicker and Shakespear expert Anderson who is also on vacation, tho' a resting one. Fever brought along his tape recorder, note books and camera to try to gather more of the Appalachian folk lore he grew up with. He is ultimately caught up in a murder, missing man and woman and the belief in witchcraft in the 20th century. Truevine in a very unusual young lady, having been christened 'witch' by those who know her. After a fight with her fiance Abel at the church potluck she goes missing, and Able is accused of her murder. But before he can be cleared of that, the body of Turevine's cousin the local mortician is found in a ravine near the cemetary. This makes for a comic/tragic search for the missing girl, her fiance who has also disapeared and the murderer, leading to even more unexpected twists and turns that only small town politic, superstition and inter-related families can provide. It is the ultimate folk tale, murder mystery in one story.
As is stated in the book, "Those departed, gone before, sleep in peace, return no more.
Some poor souls hat peace ignore. The witch's grave is an open door."
Folk, anonymous
As is stated in the book, "Those departed, gone before, sleep in peace, return no more.
Some poor souls hat peace ignore. The witch's grave is an open door."
Folk, anonymous
March 22, 2013
I enjoy this series of books, but have a hard time finding any of them for my own collection. Libraries are the best places to find them for me, but I have been able to pick up a couple on Amazon.
Fever Devilin is a "retired" university professor in the folklore department. The retirement was the university's idea, and not Fever's. With the elimination of his department, Fever has had little else to do other than move back to his childhood home in rural Blue Mountains of Georgia. His academic drive to collect folklore and stories remains his main pastime, and he enjoys collecting stories from his neighbors as well as other people. These stories will frequently involve him in mysteries that he seeks to solve, while at the same time often gaining some insight into his own unhappy childhood and those of his long deceased parents.
In this book, Fever's friend from his academic days has come to visit, and they get wrapped up in the case of a local witch girl who has gone missing. The folklore and Fever's own personal searches combine with the mystery itself and lead to insights about folklore, the life that the people of Blue Mountain lead, and the interactions between the past, present, and future for all the characters.
Fever Devilin is a "retired" university professor in the folklore department. The retirement was the university's idea, and not Fever's. With the elimination of his department, Fever has had little else to do other than move back to his childhood home in rural Blue Mountains of Georgia. His academic drive to collect folklore and stories remains his main pastime, and he enjoys collecting stories from his neighbors as well as other people. These stories will frequently involve him in mysteries that he seeks to solve, while at the same time often gaining some insight into his own unhappy childhood and those of his long deceased parents.
In this book, Fever's friend from his academic days has come to visit, and they get wrapped up in the case of a local witch girl who has gone missing. The folklore and Fever's own personal searches combine with the mystery itself and lead to insights about folklore, the life that the people of Blue Mountain lead, and the interactions between the past, present, and future for all the characters.
October 14, 2013
The main character is Fever Devlin, a retired folklorist college professor - early retirement, I might add. His college friend, and fellow teacher is visiting him in his Blue Mountain home. Fever's boyhood best friend is Deputy Sheriff, Skidmore Needle, who is running for sheriff
In this novel, Fever again demonstrates ag and his intuitive approach to crime solving, while getting to know his buddy, Dr. Andrews, a British colleague
In this novel, the local mortician Harding Pinhurst is found dead. Truevine Deveroe, a local girl considered to be a witch, goes missing, along with her boyfriend, Able Carter ... Able becomes the lead suspect for the murder of Harding Pinhurst. This is only the beginnings of the unusual happenings - and Fever has some interesting and unique theories and approaches for getting at the truth
It is the characters who make this book special ... and Mr. Depoy's writing style of course. Mr. Depoy captures the inner workings of life in a small isolated mountain town where generations of families have lived and contributed to the culture of the area. Fever Devlin is an educated man who accepts his neighbors on their own terms and never condescends to them, but instead sees their inner qualities that make them special
In this novel, Fever again demonstrates ag and his intuitive approach to crime solving, while getting to know his buddy, Dr. Andrews, a British colleague
In this novel, the local mortician Harding Pinhurst is found dead. Truevine Deveroe, a local girl considered to be a witch, goes missing, along with her boyfriend, Able Carter ... Able becomes the lead suspect for the murder of Harding Pinhurst. This is only the beginnings of the unusual happenings - and Fever has some interesting and unique theories and approaches for getting at the truth
It is the characters who make this book special ... and Mr. Depoy's writing style of course. Mr. Depoy captures the inner workings of life in a small isolated mountain town where generations of families have lived and contributed to the culture of the area. Fever Devlin is an educated man who accepts his neighbors on their own terms and never condescends to them, but instead sees their inner qualities that make them special
February 9, 2013
What I enjoyed most about The Witch's Grave is the Appalachian folklore woven through the story revolving around the murder of a mortician/funeral director. DePoy teaches at a university near my library. I came across his Fever Devlin series by chance and like to support local authors. This particular story is what I like to refer to as puritanical. In other words, straight forward and probably quite opposite to the magical realism I adore. When I read a story, I like sucking on the words, letting them linger on my tongue for a moment or two. DePoy doesn't write this way or maybe his main character, Fever Devlin, is just not that kind of guy. Though a folklorist by trade, Devlin is a pretty straight-forward man who says what he needs to without letting those pretty words get in the way, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this. Great characters, decent plot and overall a believable and well-written story. Just don't expect any word magic containing useless adverbs and adjectives. DePoy crafted this story like a true playwright, one who knows the shortest and best way to reach the end of a sentence.
April 19, 2012
This series is addicting and I'm not quite sure just why. First book hooked me, this second one pretty much set the hook. A lot of things I like, mystery with a heavy touch of paranormal. A setting I particularly like, rural/backwoods Georgia mountains with characters I'm beginning to recognize after living 12 years in rural KY. Conflicted and highly educated main character returning to the small town where he grew up, someone that seems very authentic in reading.
The language is a smooth juxtaposition between 'outside/educated' and 'country/redneck' with a real sense of the local culture, atmosphere and old beliefs of hill people. The characters are varied and unique and Fever's best friends are the sheriff, a local and a professor who is an urban visitor.
The strength of these books are the unusual, intriguing characters and atmospheric writing but the mystery stitches the fabric together with delicacy.
The language is a smooth juxtaposition between 'outside/educated' and 'country/redneck' with a real sense of the local culture, atmosphere and old beliefs of hill people. The characters are varied and unique and Fever's best friends are the sheriff, a local and a professor who is an urban visitor.
The strength of these books are the unusual, intriguing characters and atmospheric writing but the mystery stitches the fabric together with delicacy.
April 27, 2009
Loved this book. It was one that I couldn't put down. Luckily we had a rainy Sunday and I indulged my need to finish it. Fever Devilin is an academic sleuth who records folk tales from his small home town of Blue Mountain. I believe this is his second book and the story evolves around finding the local mortician naked and dead in a ravine close to his house. Two other local character disappear at the same time. One has a reputation of being a witch. It also revolves around his own odd family history and all the connections of the locals. The part I loved is that he sees ghosts. Now I must find any other stories by this author. If you like mysteries with a paranormal twist, you will love this one.
October 26, 2014
This was one of those rare 5-star books for me. Though it is the second in the series, and the first I've read, it was in some ways near-magical. The writing, while at times stumbling over a turn of phrase, is lyrical enough to draw images of the Georgian Appaliachia in the mind while firmly establishing a strong locale and voice. This book has it all - ghosts, various spooky tales within the story, cemetaries, a haunted house, colorful characters, as well as murder and mayhem.
The characters, while not completely achieveing three-dimensional qualities, are clearly drawn and the reader's concern for them continues to grow throughout the book.
A terrific read, and I am looking forward to continuing the series.
The characters, while not completely achieveing three-dimensional qualities, are clearly drawn and the reader's concern for them continues to grow throughout the book.
A terrific read, and I am looking forward to continuing the series.
December 30, 2017
I love this series that features Fever Devilin, a folklorist who's left his university position to return to his Appalachian hometown. The characters are lovingly rendered, and the prose is often poetic. Plus, DePoy throws in a reference now and again to the Sacred Harp. The plot kept me reading, though I read for characters and therefore will forgive all but the most egregious inconsistencies. It has to be REALLY bad for me to notice.
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hmm... according to my book journal I (re?)read this in 2012.
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hmm... according to my book journal I (re?)read this in 2012.
September 10, 2008
This was a "meh" book for me. I was sure I would like it as I love folklore, especially spooky folklore, and I come from a long line fo proud hillbillies, so the Appalacian setting was right up my alley. But I found the amateur sleuth, folklorist Fever Devlin, to be bland and uninteresting. The mystery was OK, the end was not spooky at all but I didn't see it coming, so I guess that's a plus. I might give one of his others in this series a try...but only if I run out of other things to read (like that will ever happen!).
April 3, 2012
Fever Devilin is a folklorist who spends his days collecting folk tales and songs for his research. If nothing else, Fever's occupation should make me love this series. But for some reason, I don't.
Maybe it's the slightly condescending attitude towards the folklore, or maybe it's the slightly too old-fashioned to be true people inhabiting the town, or maybe it's the way that everyone Fever talks to seems to know exactly who committed which crimes but no one ever bothers to tell the police.
Maybe it's the slightly condescending attitude towards the folklore, or maybe it's the slightly too old-fashioned to be true people inhabiting the town, or maybe it's the way that everyone Fever talks to seems to know exactly who committed which crimes but no one ever bothers to tell the police.
March 12, 2013
It took me a few pages to get into this book and used to the prose but once I did, I very much enjoyed it. It's a mystery with a bit of paranormal in it.
Fever Devilin's friend Dr. Andrews is visiting from Atlanta while on vacation. A naked body is found in a ditch near Devilin's property. Fever and Andrews are following the clues from the hill people to solve the crime.
There are a lot of sub plots throughout the book but it is an interesting story. I'll try and find the first in this series and continue with it.
Fever Devilin's friend Dr. Andrews is visiting from Atlanta while on vacation. A naked body is found in a ditch near Devilin's property. Fever and Andrews are following the clues from the hill people to solve the crime.
There are a lot of sub plots throughout the book but it is an interesting story. I'll try and find the first in this series and continue with it.
January 15, 2021
Refreshing my memory of this book, I discovered that Phillip DePoy has written quite a few more in the series that I need to catch up with. Like those of another favorite, Vicki Lane, DePoy's books combine mystery, folklore, a touch of the supernatural, and a strong sense of place. (I'd include Sharyn McCrumb in this group also.) If these elements appeal to you, I strongly recommend DePoy's books.
June 13, 2010
#2 in the Fever Devillin mystery series set in very rural northern Georgia. Fever and a fellow university professor friend find themselves involved with murder set against the various interrelationships and history of the small town of Blue Mountain where Fever was born and raised. There are numerous subplots involved with contribute to the mystery as well as history of the town and its residents complicating this slow moving story.
July 29, 2011
Fever Devilin, a folklorist, has returned to his home deep in Appalachia Georgia. Truevine Deveroe, a local girl considered to be a witch, goes missing; the mortician Harding Pinhurst, one of Fever's least favorite people, turns up murdered and Truvine's fiancé, Able Carter, is the suspect. Fever, his friend, houseguest and Shakespeare scholar, Dr. Winton Andrews, and childhood friend Deputy Sheriff Skidmore Needle, need to find Truevine and Able, and Harding' killer.
August 21, 2013
A very enjoyable read, the second Fever Devilin mystery I've read. Fever has returned to his roots in the Georgian Appalachians, having abandoned his academic life as a college professor and folklorist. The characters are vividly portrayed, the sense of place is strong, the mystery is complex, and the old regional supernatural legends are fascinating. The writing is excellent too. I'm looking forward to reading more of this series.
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