A folklorist is accused of murder. And you can hear about it straight from the author when mystery novelist, playwright and Clayton State University professor Phillip DePoy reads from his latest fiction novel, “A Widow’s Curse” (St. Martin’s Press), on Saturday, Sept. 15 at 1 p.m. at the Fayette County Public Library, 1821 Heritage Park Way, Fayetteville, Ga.

The fourth novel in DePoy’s Fever Devilin series, “A Widow’s Curse” follows folklorist Fever Devilin as he deals with a corpse in his living room, a shady lawyer trying to dupe Fever and his friend, a lunatic whacking heads with a cricket bat and a ghostly wraith in an aubergine dress wafting through the Barnsley Gardens.

And if you want a sneak preview of other adventures Fever encounters in “A Widow’s Curse,” DePoy’s Sept. 15 reading followed by a book signing and question/answer session will plunge you deeper into the mystery.

“When an author reads from his or her work, it’s more of a communal or theatrical experience rather than a solitary act, which is what books are normally about,” says DePoy. “It doesn’t often happen that you get to sit down with people you don’t know and hear them ask questions about your work.”

“A Widow’s Curse” was released last month and has already received laudable reviews from Kirkus Review and Publisher’s Weekly. Copies of the novel will be available for purchase at DePoy’s reading.

DePoy is a resident of Atlanta and artistic director of Clayton State Theatre. His Flap Tucker series of mystery novels has been slated to become an HBO television production and has been nominated for the prestigious Shamus Award. His play “Easy” won the 2004 Edgar Award, the equivalent to the Oscar in playwriting. His play “Lamb on Fire” was produced inNew York, and his play “Appalachian Christmas Homecoming” has been produced around the United States since 1991 and his recent work “Turned Funny” played to sold out audiences at Marietta’s Theatre in the Square.

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