A Corpse's Nightmare
Fever Devlin, No 6
Phillip DePoy

Minotaur Books
November 8, 2011 / ISBN: 0312699468
Traditional Mystery / Amateur Sleuth / Georgia Appalachians / Contemporary
Amazon

Reviewed by L J Roberts

First Sentence: The dead can dream; I'll tell you how I know.

Fever Devlin has spent the last three months in a coma after someone entered his house, shot him and left him for dead. Now conscious, his dreams, a found box and hints from a stranger are leading him down a path to uncover a killer, and his past.

Phillip DePoy's books may not be for everyone, but they are among those I eagerly await each year. His perspective is fascinating and intriguing; his characters are unique and memorable memorable; with Devlin's friend, Andrew, providing the pragmatic balance to Devlin's somewhat otherworldliness, and his voice audible; one you want to experience again and again. His wonderfully vivid descriptions take you into Devlin's world and into the past. I was reminded about historical events and the speed of technological developments. He is a wonderfully literate writer who writes excellent dialogue…"He slept in the broken glass of rage." and with delightful humor.

The plot is a road of blind turns, laced with that feeling of things being not quite "normal," with a slight paranormal aspect. Finally, in this sixth book of the series, learn of Fever's family history-something about which we'd learned snippets but nothing significant until now. And what a history it is, steeped in American Jazz, Paris, bigotry and hatred passed down from one generation to the next. At one point, it seems there is considerable redundancy, yet when one thinks of the circumstances, it is very normal and would be unusual not to be there. It also serves as pavers taking you along the road of the story.

A Corpses's Nightmare is the story for which fans of DePoy have been waiting and not a bad place for readers new to the series to begin. It certainly did not disappoint.