Devil Dancer

In late August of 1972, when the prize stallion Devil Dancer is shot, Wendell Clay, a war veteran recently turned defective, volunteers to solve the case. His investigation becomes a three-day ordeal that teaches him more than he ever wanted to know about the dark places of the heart. Distinguished by its precise evocation of the Kentucky Bluegrass region, the novel deftly dramatizes a grim yet compassionate view of existence. While contemporary in its sensibility, Devil Dancer draws upon some of the oldest literary traditoins of all: people swapping stories to sustain each other and a moral man's confrontation with the mystery of life. "William Heath pits his Chandleresque shamus against the America of Manson and Vietnam, and the only winner is the reader," Stewart O'Nan. "What Raymond Chandler does for California, Heath does for Kentucky," Toby Olson. "Mingling wry humor with tough guy dialogue that Elmore Leonard would be proud of, Devil Dancer is brimming over with haunting characters who are never exactly who they first appear. This is a first-rate novel of suspense that also accomplishes all the things we expect from our best works of literature," James W. Hall. "Devil Dancer is an edgy un-put-downable novel. Heath is both original and elegant; he is, in fact, an engagingly entertaining writer. Devil Dancer reminds us that love and life can be fragile and dangerous, and this comes vibrantly alive because of the author's sleek and graceful style. This is eloquent writing and compelling story telling by someone who knows his craft," Bob Leuci.