The Drifter's Wheel

A 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 show more might have enjoyed the character development in those books more had I not read this book first. show less

A 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..

This 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 show more 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. show less

The fifth of the Fever Devilin mysteries set in a remote Georgia town deep in the Appalachians. The story centers around a young man claiming to be over a hundred years old and the dead body of his brother shows up near the shack of a mentally disturbed old man who lives on the outskirts of the property of one of the area's oldest family. The novel explores the relationships between brothers across generations and the festering hatred that goes back to Cain and Abel. The sound of the Hutchinson Family singers, supporters of abolition, Lincoln and woman's rights, echoes throughout the novel.