The Drifter's Wheel: A Fever Devilin Novel
4/5
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About this ebook
"DePoy, a folklorist, excels at providing local color and creating complex characters. The story unfolds slowly and lyrically, giving readers a sense of small-town Appalachian atmosphere." –Booklist on A Minister's Ghost
"By far DePoy's best, with top-notch plotting, full-blown characters, and a bit of Shakespeare thrown in." – Kirkus Reviews (starred) on A Minister's Ghost
Fever Devilin, born and raised amongst the hill country folk of the Georgia Appalachians, left home a long time ago and pursued an education, then a career, in the wider outside world. A folklorist by inclination and profession, he left the strange world of academia behind to return to his family-home in the if-anything-stranger mountain town he grew up in. But oddness follows Fever wherever he goes and Blue Mountain, Georgia is no different.
When a man shows up at his house, claiming to be over a hundred years old even though he looks like he's in his 30's, Fever is pretty sure his guest is not right. When the man starts to wave a gun around, then falls suddenly asleep immediately afterward, Fever thinks he's both "not right" and "dangerous" and slips out to call the sheriff. The sheriff, Fever's childhood friend, has been hearing reports of this particular vagrant all day but before he can get out there, the man disappears.
In the early morning, the body of man that fits the description of the mysterious vagrant is found by the side of the road, shot to death. But, although the body is wearing the same clothes that the vagrant was, it isn't the same person.
Phillip DePoy
Phillip DePoy is the director of the theatre program at Clayton State University and author of several novels, including The Witch's Grave and A Minister's Ghost. He lives in Decatur, Georgia.
Read more from Phillip De Poy
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Related to The Drifter's Wheel
Titles in the series (3)
The Witch's Grave: A Fever Devilin Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Minister's Ghost: A Fever Devilin Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Drifter's Wheel: A Fever Devilin Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for The Drifter's Wheel
24 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A good story even if the writing isn't top notch. Over use of descriptive terms (count the number of times something is "rust-colored" or "blood-red") is balanced out by a good, solid mystery. The author clearly loves the landscape and ties it very well to the history of the people living there. The philosophical points of the story feel rushed and under-developed, and the dialogue is not brilliant--it feels obvious and clumsy. But the interior thought and observations of the narrator produce some gems. Overall, a good story in need of a better editor.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is, I think, the fifth Fever Devilin mystery I've read. Fever is a folklorist who lives in North Georgia, having "retired" early from academia. Blue Mountain, his hometown, and the surrounding area seem to have more than their share of somewhat supernatural occurrences mixed with real-life murders. In [book: The Drifter's Wheel], a mysterious visitor tells Fever, his fiancee Lucinda, and an elderly man three different stories with a common thread - a war veteran who kills his own brother. The next morning, a man wearing the same clothes is found dead nearby -- but Fever is certain it isn't the same man. He will eventually learn the all-too-real reason for the murder, but there is still a suggestion that there might also be something otherworldly going on. History, folklore, and local color are prominent in this series, and if you like those things along with your mystery, you'll probably enjoy these books.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A library patron returned Phillip DePoy's "The Drifter's Wheel" after reading it and said, "if you want to read something different, read this." That was enough to get me started reading the book. The offbeat style, oddball characters, and quirky storyline was enough to keep me reading to the end (and send me running to order the rest of the Fever Devlin series).This is an unusual mystery with overtones of the paranormal that I really, really enjoyed. But, be aware -- even though it's not a thick book, it's not a "quick read" -- you have to pay careful attention to get the full benefit of DePoy's intricate plot.I hadn't read the previous four books in the series prior to reading The Drifter's Wheel. This was not a problem -- though I might have enjoyed the character development in those books more had I not read this book first.