Customer Reviews

A Widow's Curse: A Fever Devilin Novel

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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.

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

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.

DePoy is an actor and theatre director who began writing in 1997. He is also the author of the Flap Tucker and the Fever Devilin mysteries. This is the fourth Devilin book.

Dr. Fever Devilin is tramping around in his garden in the mountains of Georgia, his fiancée and best friend both out of town, when he gets a call about an old silver coin or medallion. Carl Schultz's father bought the coin from a widow in Devilin's town of Blue Mountain, about 15 or 20 years ago, and now has been referred by the university to Dr. Devilin to learn more about the medallion.

Fever does miss the research as he had been laid off when his Department of Folklore was closed, and he talks Carl Schultz into driving up with a colleague, Dr. Winton Andrews. The three men hit it off over good food, interesting stories and apple brandy. Drs. Andrews and Devilin go off to nearby Pine City to talk to a lawyer, and while they are gone, someone murders Schultz in Devilin's living room. The coin seems to be related to the Devilin family. His great grandfather had bought three things at an auction many years before, and the sale of one of them, a painting of a woman, had put Fever through college. The other item was a Cherokee artifact. Curses, both Welsh and Cherokee, as well as madness, ghosts, and tangled family histories play a big part in this tale.

The facts that Fever uncovers bring him revelations about his distant ancestors and his parents. Good friends Winton Andrews and Sheriff Skidmore assist in many ways.

Armchair Interviews says: This well written and unusual mystery set in Georgia will make you yearn for southern cooking and more of DePoy's books.

Fever Devilin discovers clues to his own ancestors in the storm twisted ruins of a mansion set high in the hills above Blue Mountain. A man brings him an ancient coin, which leads to a greater mystery when the man is discovered dead in Fever's home. Fever stands accused of murder, which may be the weakest point of the story.
Who holds the clues to the acts of his great-grandfather and the men who betrayed him? Fever defends his innocence with strains of history, folklore, and mythology woven in the warp of the story. In this complex tale he is supported by Sheriff Needle and Prof. Andrews, when all his sources of information are keeping secrets.
It is a delight to discover a novel that demands the reader hunt through a few reference books to check his memory of tales told and remembered. The illusions are complex and vivid.
Nash Black, author of TRAVELERS and SINS OF THE FATHERS.

Another really wonderful installment in this series. I love the characters and finding out a little more about Fever's past and the history of the Appalachian area. Always a nice story to be told by Mr. DePoy.

i just read all the Fever Devlin novels and can't wait fir the next one.

i'm an avid DePoy fan and found the first three novels of Fever Devilin highly enjoyable. However, the last two, A Minsiter's Ghost and A Widow's Curse, i've found a little lacking. The plot in A Miinster's Ghost was laid out well and kept pages turning, however some of the reactions to the antigonist left me wanting. A Widow's Curse had some page turning "moments", but i found the plot slow to get gowing and the ebbs and flow very disappointing. Clearly DePoy seemed to be struggling to find the "voice" of Fever this time.