A Corpse's Nightmare
A Fever Devilin Mystery by Phillip DePoy
Review: Fever Devilin has died. His killer shot him, even calling 911 to brag about it. But the quick action of his fiancée, who placed him in a blanket of snow, and of paramedics, who brought him back to life, have left him in a coma, where he dreams of Paris in the 1920s and a small tin box his mother kept hidden behind a clock on the mantel, in A Corpse's Nightmare, the sixth mystery in this series by Phillip Depoy.
Three months later Fever is slipping in and out of his coma, transitioning between his imagination and reality. He knows his killer is still out there and believes his dreams — if only he can remember them more clearly — may lead to identifying him … and the reason someone wanted him dead. Fever eventually returns to the home of his youth, only to discover that the clock — and the box his mother kept hidden — is missing. But there is something else missing as well, though he can't quite put his finger on what it is …
A Corpse's Nightmare is a nuanced mystery, effortlessly moving between the past and the present, between the remote Appalachian hills of Georgia and the urban center of Paris, between what Fever knows to be true and what he believes to be true … which is not always the same thing. It is a nicely balanced combination of humor and suspense, and populated with an incredible cast of characters and a fascinating backstory. The mystery storyline itself is well-crafted, and will keep readers curious and interested right up to the very end. This is truly a first rate novel and a pleasure to read.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of A Corpse's Nightmare.
Acknowledgment: Minotaur Books provided a copy of A Corpse's Nightmare for this review.
Review Copyright © 2012 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Location(s) referenced in A Corpse's Nightmare: Georgia; Paris, France
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A Corpse's Nightmare by Phillip DePoy
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-10: 0-312-69946-8
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-69946-8
Publication Date: November 2011
List Price: $25.99
Synopsis (from the publisher): Fever Devilin is killed by an intruder. He doesn’t stay dead — thanks to an emergency medical team — but he does slip into a months-long coma. When he comes out of it, there are two things he now knows: that he’s been dreaming about the legendary Paris 20's café scene and that his would-be killer was after a blue tin box, containing a photo of what Fever believes to be an angel. As Fever struggles to recover, out there is a would-be killer who must be found … while there's still time.