Review – The Devil Take the Blues by Ariel Slick
Synopsis
During the 1920s, Beatrice Corbin just wants to keep her general store afloat and keep an eye on her younger, newly married sister, Agnes, in the small town of Azoma, Louisiana. Until, she is approached by the Devil, Frank Charbonneau, and learns that her sister will be murdered. At first, she doesn’t believe Frank until one of his predictions comes true. To save her sister, she makes a bet with him, staking her soul on the wager that she can find her sister’s would-be killer in seven weeks. Meanwhile Agnes is hiding her own secret, and Beatrice ignores her growing feelings for a Black blues musician, with whom Frank has also made a deal.
Unbeknownst to Beatrice, the true target is someone in her own family. As her time runs out, Beatrice becomes desperate and unknowingly pushes Agnes toward her inevitable fate. And everyone knows that the Devil doesn’t play fair…but in this case, is he?
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Review
The Devil went down to…Louisiana.
Set in the 1920s, this novel tests the boundaries of many social and political issues. It doesn’t shy away from including the Blues, the KKK, interracial romance, and women’s rights (or lack thereof).
Frank is the devil. Normally, he would be the sort of character you might hate. But not so here. At least not for this reader. I admired how he loved Beatrice and cared about her happiness in this world, even if it wasn’t with him. He was willing to do so much for her and her sister, but Beatrice had tunnel vision and couldn’t see the larger picture. He even tells Beatrice that, instead of trying to save her sister or find her future killer, she should spend time with Agnes before her time on earth expires. Beatrice has a mind of her own and doesn’t listen to him. Maybe if she had taken a step back, things would have turned out differently. Agnes was young, and while she knew she wanted out of her marriage to Tim, she also didn’t know how to listen, which led her into situations she could have easily avoided. Of course, this is also a time when men did whatever they wanted and did not protect women.
While I am not a big proponent of the Blues, it plays a prominent role in this book. I enjoyed the various song lyrics at the beginning of each chapter from different Blues artists. As the author says in her notes at the end, you just have to pick up an instrument and start singing. I feel like I learned something about this musical style and its history. Angelo is a Blues musician who made a deal with the devil. It was a wise move at the moment; otherwise, he would have ended up six feet under. I found the relationship between Angelo, Beatrice, and Frank interesting. Frank loves Beatrice, Beatrice loves Angelo, and it seems like Angelo loves Beatrice, but there are racial issues that complicate things, especially in the South.
I felt like the story started slowly, but I was quickly invested in the outcome. While we don’t know who is going to kill Agnes until that moment, there are plenty of hints sprinkled throughout the chapters. There are some crazy twists at the end to give it something of a happy ending. I also enjoyed watching the characters grow, especially Frank. There are a few other characters to round out the story, giving it depth and creating diversion and tension.
I highly recommend picking this book up, and we give it 5 paws up.
About the Author
I’m a novelist from Fort Worth, Texas. I co-wrote the Good Harbor Witches mystery series with USA Today Bestselling author, Jeri White. My short story “Bella,” was published by Free Spirit in the volume, Train Journey – Stories Associated With Railway Travels. In addition, my articles have appeared in Southern Gothic Magazine, Texas Highways, The Texas Observer, Texas Co-op Power, and many others. When I am not taking my beloved cat, Kate, on a walk, I am running through the forest.
