From Publishers Weekly
Murder, ghosts, folklore and echoes of a recent, macabre news story combine to make Edgar-winner DePoy's second Fever Devilin adventure (after 2003's The Devil's Hearth) a memorable stroll through the graveyard. Fever, a folklorist and native of the Georgia Appalachians, is host to a vacationing British colleague, Winton Andrews, when they witness a lover's quarrel between Able Carter and Truevine Deveroe. After the lovers disappear and a body turns up, Fever, Winton and Fever's best friend, Sheriff Skid Needle, face the beginning of a mystery whose tendrils spread like kudzu. Fever stands out among Blue Mountain folk not only because he's unusually educated but because, as Winton describes him, "You're near seven feet tall, your hair's white as snow, you're loud, you're a know-it-all, and your name is Fever." Fever's knowledge of his neighbors, their geography and history enables him to interpret signs and clues in a case that grows more complex and deadlier as he pieces it together. Sharp characterization, a broad humorous streak and sumptuous descriptions of country cooking all add to DePoy's beguiling brew.
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From Booklist
In this second in a series, folklorist Fever Devilin is asked to help find two young lovers--Able and Truevine, who happens to be the local witch--who have disappeared after an argument at a church dinner. When the body of the local mortician is discovered near Fever's cabin, the lovers are also wanted for questioning in the murder. The mountain folk will only offer obscure hints to Fever and his friend Dr. Andrews as they try to trace the two before someone else is killed. The reason for the mortician's death becomes horrifyingly clear as Fever uses his knowledge of folklore and the ways of his neighbors to solve the crime and locate the missing lovers while dodging both Truevine's drunken brothers and ghosts from his own past. Vividly evoking Georgia's Appalachia and the people who live there, DePoy seamlessly weaves the folk history of the region into the story. For readers who enjoy Sharyn McCrumb's Appalachian novels, including
Songcatcher (2001).
Sue O'BrienCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
