A Widow's Curse: A Fever Devilin Novel [Hardcover]

Phillip DePoy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 10, 2007

Fever Devilin, a folklorist by inclination and training, was born and raised amongst the hill-country folk of the Georgia Appalachians and it was there that he returned once he decided to leave academia.  And he's the perfect person to turn to when the owner of a mysterious medallion, one with some connection to the area, wants to uncover the provenance of the piece.  On the surface, it sounds simple enough but in Fever's life, nothing is ever simple.  Especially when the medallion's owner is found dead, murdered, in Fever's own house and the papers of Fever's late grandfather, of no intrinsic value, are stolen. And Fever himself in the prime suspect in the murder.
      The only clue to the truth behind these confusing events is the medallion itself, which is somehow tied to Fever's secretive family's history. With someone trying to frame him for the murder and other hidden forces hot on the trail of the medallion itself, Fever is wedged tightly between the proverbial 'rock' and equally proverbial 'hard place.' And the only possible way out is buried within the uncomfortable hidden truths about his own family that Fever has spent years trying to avoid.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Welsh legends, ghosts, a Cherokee artifact, a valuable portrait—all combine in unexpected but ingenious ways in Shamus-finalist DePoy's fourth Fever Devilin mystery (after 2005's A Minister's Ghost), set in the Georgia Appalachians. In past adventures, the folklorist and failed academic has helped Sheriff Skid Skidmore investigate murders involving strangers, but this time trouble directly involves Fever's family and heritage, which makes it worse for him and better for the reader. A phone call about an unusual silver medallion purchased from someone in the town of Blue Mountain prompts Fever to invite the caller to visit. When the caller ends up dead in Fever's cabin, Fever has no choice but to untangle the twisted origins of the medallion even when it leads deep into his own family's somewhat sordid past. Adept at clever word play, DePoy has a comfortable command of his characters, their land and their history.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Bored and at loose ends, folklorist Fever Devilin invites Carl Shultz to stay at his home after Shultz contacts him about a silver medallion his father purchased years ago from someone in Devilin's area. He wants Devilin's opinion on its value and history. Devilin, his friend Dr. Andrews, and Shultz research the medallion, and Devilin finds that it connects back to his own family's history and a curse, which, in turn, brings back memories of his difficult childhood: a promiscuous mother and distant, magician father. When Shultz is killed in Devilin's home, Devilin finds himself the chief suspect in the murder. The local sheriff, a friend, disagrees and works to clear him. Meanwhile, Devilin believes his only escape is to break the curse. Well-drawn characters, a beautifully described setting, and the author's use of folklore and the idea of shared stories defining our sense of the past add depth to this fourth in the series. Readers who enjoy the folklore frame may like Deborah Grabien's British mysteries dealing with folk songs. O'Brien, Sue

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (July 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312362021
• ISBN-13: 978-0312362027
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #710,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Phillip DePoy is an Edgar Award winning playwright, and author of more than a dozen published books. His play Lamb on Fire was produced in New York. He has been called "a master Southern storyteller" by Kirkus Reviews and "adept at clever word play" by Publisher's Weekly. THE KING JAMES CONSPIRACY has been compared, in BookList, to Umberto Eco's THE NAME OF THE ROSE. In a recent review, Kirkus said of his new novel A CORPSE'S NIGHTMARE, "Nobody writes Southern better than DePoy." In addition to his other pursuits, the author is currently Director of Theatre at Clayton State University.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fifth entry in series another stellar mystery, February 8, 2008

By 

Christina Lockstein "Christy's Book Blog" (Oconto Falls, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Widow's Curse: A Fever Devilin Novel (Hardcover)

A Widow's Curse by Phillip DePoy is the most recent title in the Fever Devilin series. Fever is a folklorist, former university professor, and resident oddball in Blue Hills Georgia. He receives a phone call from a man researching a mysterious silver coin with ties to Blue Hills, and the detective in Fever can't help but look into the coin's history. But he quickly finds that the coin's history is his own. Then he is accused of the murder of its owner and is forced to dig up, once again, the skeletons in his family's past. The character of Fever is fascinating. He constantly lectures while discussing folklore of the hills, as well as philosophy. You'll never know what subject will next be tackled from book to book or even page to page. Andrews, Fever's best friend, returns, and with each appearance becomes more integral to the series. Andrews helps balance and humanize Fever's almost otherworldy thought process. He punctures Fever's ego and regular bouts of melancholy. I love how DePoy takes common (and uncommon) folk tales and retells them as a way of interpreting society. This is a writer who truly has craftsmanship. Every description has been refined until perfect. Even the weather becomes a character through DePoy's skillful writing. This isn't your usual detective series; it's literary and compelling all at the same time.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Devilin folklorist mysteries are some of the best Americana regional tales on the market, July 12, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Widow's Curse: A Fever Devilin Novel (Hardcover)

Folklorist Fever Devilin loves working the Georgia Appalachians where he grew up so when stranger Carl Schultz calls to ask Fever about an odd silver medallion that his father purchased in nearby Blue Mountain twenty or so years ago, Fever invites him visit. Carl accepts the invitation wanting Fever's opinion on the odd medallion.

However, the visit turns ugly when Fever finds his guest lying dead in his cabin. Having worked with the police before on investigations, Fever fears this one will hit home because worthless papers belonging to his grandfather were apparently stolen by the killer. Besides which he is the prime suspect as has a motive and the opportunity; thus he decides to go it alone inquiring about the medallion, which leads him into his roots as he uncovers family dirt that once drove away his family from these hills.

The Devilin folklorist mysteries are some of the best Americana regional tales on the market today with the latest may being the greatest to date. Fever's current caper is much more personal than his previous three adventures (see THE DEVIL'S HEART, THE WITCH'S GRAVE and A MINISTER'S GHOST), but contains plenty of action, an intelligent investigation, and a wonderful protagonist struggling with what he is learning about his heritage. Phillip DePoy provides a deep self-reflective regional mystery that will leave his fans feverish for Devilin's next work.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stories, Legends, History and Mystery, October 3, 2007

By 

L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Widow's Curse: A Fever Devilin Novel (Hardcover)

A WIDOW'S CURSE (Traditional Mystery-Fever Devilin-Georgia-Cont) - VG+
DePoy, Phillip - 4th in series
St. Martin's Minotaur, 2007, US Hardcover - ISBN: 9780312362027

First Sentence: What was left of the Barnsley estate rose into view at the hilltop.

Folkologist Fever Devilin is contacted by someone who wants to know the provenance of an extremely old, silver Welch medallion. The man comes to stay with Fever. When the man is murdered, Fever finds himself the suspect and must dig into the secrets of his family's past; three items purchased by his great-grandfather and help reverse an old curse.

I really enjoyed this, and all of DePoy's, books. It is not strictly a traditional mystery, in that the character of Fever is not a traditional protagonist. The interweaving of old stories, legends and history--in this case, the Trail of Tears and the Cherokee Nation--and Fever's introspective questioning add richness to the story which is kept from becoming too heavy by the inclusion of his friend Andrews, an English professor with a love for Hawaiian shirts who, at one point, informs a stuffy lawyer that the chandelier in his office violates the "Phantom of the Opera" law. The book is filled with well-developed, fascinating characters and great dialogue. I love the strong sense of place, taking us to the Georgia Appalachians, and the bits of old religion and mysticism which are part of the story. I highly recommend this book and series but would definitely suggest starting at the beginning. The stories stay with me long after closing the cover and are among those I reread.