In late August of 1972, when the prize stallion Devil Dancer is shot, Wendell Clay, a war veteran recently turned detective, 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.

Devil Dancer Afterword

 

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Praise for Devil Dancer

With prose that is both muscular and lyrical, William Heath takes us on a journey through the swanky horse farms and seed back streets of Lexington, Kentucky in the early 70s in pursuit of the killer of a majestic thoroughbred. Mingling wry humor and 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, author of The Hit List and Mean High Tide

“Kentucky thrives on vice,” says a character in Devil Dancer, and in this dark neo-noir it’s true of both sides of Lexington. How do you beat a crooked house? William Heath pits his Chandleresque shamus against the America of Manson and Vietnam, and the only winner is the reader.   —Stewart O’Nan, author of Songs for the Missing

A novel of intrigue, decadence, and complex human relations, William Heath’s Devil Dancer stands with the best of those that find their way through place and its implications. What Raymond Chandler does for California, Heath does for Kentucky. One can live in this novel, but the living is not easy.   —Toby Olson, author of Seaview

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 all 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, author of All the Centurians, the story of his life as the real “Prince of the City.”

In this entertaining novel, Heath delivers a fascinating and well-crafted tale that takes the mystery of the noir genre and injects it into Kentucky circa the sweltering summer of 1972. Wendell’s investigation proves to be a good old-fashioned barn burner as a cast of rather colorful characters stumble into view the deeper he gets, leading to a rousing climax.   —Publisher’s Weekly

Devil Dancer is a classic mystery with an ex-marine hero who has trouble with relationships and struggles to find his place in society. It moves at a good pace and is concisely written by William Heath. Most of the major characters in Devil Dancer are well drawn and step right off the page.    —ForeWordReviews

Frederick author William Heath has published his latest novel, Devil Dancer, set among the thoroughbred farms of Kentucky. The prize stallion Devil Dancer was shot in August 1972. Wendell Clay, a Korean War veteran turned detective, volunteered to solve the case. Over three days, he learns about the varied worlds that inhabit the Kentucky bluegrass, including pickpockets, African-American hipsters, Mafia thugs, and elite horse farm inhabitants It’s a grim, yet compassionate view of life. Clay interrogates a range of characters whose tales lure him into their labyrinth.   —Frederick News-Post