I loved this book. Such a suspense full, mysterious novel. Anything southern I am drawn to, and it was obvious the author knew how to write these wonderful characters. Look forward to seeing more from her in the future.

The Devil Take the Blues is a Southern gothic tale full of folklore, and musical myth. Beatrice Corbin just wants to keep her general store afloat and keep an eye on her 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. 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 Beatrice ignores her growing feelings for a Black blues musician, with whom Frank has also made a deal.

Very lyrical, solid plot, and interesting characters. The Devil takes the blues has themes of brutality, and racism. Frank is a devil in human form but is quite charming as well as manipulative. He wants Beatrice but also is in love with the blues. I enjoyed reading the opening quotes from Blues records that accompany most of the chapters.

NetGalley and Hell or Highwater Books provided a free copy of The Devil Take the Blues in exchange for an honest review.

Circa 1920. The fly spot of a town called Azoma, Louisiana.

Beatrice runs and owns the store she inherited from her profligate father only because she refuses to contemplate marriage, at which point the store would become her husband’s property—cuz we girls couldn’t own stuff outright back in the day, and Beatrice isn’t about to give up anything for something as silly as love. Her beloved sister Agnes is married to an up-and-coming fellow named Tim, who is running for mayor and aspires to more, relying on the help of the friendly sheet-wearers in the local KKK. When he isn’t pounding respect into Agnes, he’s recruiting more racists into the Klan.

Things change for Beatrice when two strangers come to town. One is a black musician—a genius, actually, who plays the Blues like a man possessed. The other stranger, a tall, handsome man, happens to be white and is well-dressed and erudite. He wears a dark suit and a bowler hat. Could it be…Satan?

Oh, yes. It could. And the Devil finds Beatrice enchanting. But Beatrice is enchanted by the musician and vice versa, which, as you can probably predict, does not sit well with the folks in Azuma and frustrates the Devil no end.
Things get complicated when an old woman—maybe a seer, maybe just crazy—tells Beatrice that Agnes will be murdered in seven weeks.

Beatrice asks the Devil, for she is aware of his true identity, and he confirms the situation. And thereby hangs a Faustian tale.

Another reviewer described the writing as lyrical, and it is indeed that. Take your time and enjoy the music. The author has woven tunes and chords, song and refrain throughout the story. The Blues, you’ll find, truly is the Devil’s music.

Speaking of whom, Frank Charbonneau, which is the Devil’s name in the book for the purposes of contracts and financial deals, turns out to be charming, of course. Wait a minute—does charbonneau sort of mean ‘a good fire?’ My handy computer tells me the origin is more like “charcoal maker.” Either way, it makes me smile, as do so many other devilish little plays on words and fables in this book.

Not only are there plenty of amusements for the word nerd in me, but the Devil’s character is drawn to absolute perfection. Or so I am told. Not that I would know. Anyway, moving on.

The Devil Take the Blues propels readers on a unique journey—you may figure out parts of it, but you’ll be surprised and you’ll be amused and you’ll be entertained, but even beyond those things, you will find truth and wisdom and cause for hope. Solid writing, wonderfully built plot, distinct and interesting characters.
An enthusiastic 5 stars for Devil Take the Blues by Ariel Slick. I must be getting lenient in my old age because I'm handing out a lot of 5-star reviews. No, that’s not it. This is a fantastic book.

Fair warning. Racism in all its ugliness is on full display in The Devil Take the Blues. Intimidation, prejudice, brutality, and mindless cult followers. The part that disturbs me the most is that in the century between now and the setting of this book, racism has continued to exist and even thrive in a political climate of hate and fear. I live in a small xenophobic community in southern Missouri where some of the sentiments expressed by the folks in this book are still heard, still seen. But that’s a blog post for another day.

This historical southern gothic novel features the devil, the blues, and Faustian deals. It's narrative is both heart achingly poigent and hopeful at the same time.

Set in the south back in the times of deep seated racism and misogyny, a woman makes a deal with the devil to protect her sister. At the same time, a young black musician makes a deal for the sake of his music. These two are going to be entwined in ways not deemed acceptable at the time and sets of a series of events which builds tension like a tight guitar string as it progresses.

Jack is the human form of the devil in this book. And if you're thinking demonic possession, cruelty, lies, and destruction from him, you'd be dead wrong. In fact, while he is manipulative and a trickster and a gentleman dog, he's also a protagonist in a lot of ways. This is the devil depicted in a way which you've never read before. He's in love with Beatrice, who reluctantly marries him in order to try and save her sister, and this is a love story at it's heart. I loved the character of Frank the devil. His all too familiar human emotions mixed with his devilish charms and charisma wete a perfect balance.

The true monsters are the humans, the ones who hurt, beat, and sometimes murder others based on their race or sex. They make Frank look like a liberal because he has no issues with those aspects of humanity and he's quite the music lover.

The blues plays an integral part on this story and it's a pleasure to read about the various aspects of that genre at that time.

This is a powerfully good book which capivates and mesmerizes you from the very first page and I highly recommend it.

The Devil Take the Blues is a smoky, spellbinding blend of Southern gothic, folklore, and musical myth that completely swept me away. Ariel Slick delivers a haunting, soulful story that hums with atmosphere and grit—like a crossroads deal whispered on a humid night, full of longing, regret, and dark promises.

From the very first page, I was drawn in by the voice: raw, rhythmic, and soaked in blues tradition. This isn’t just a story about music—it is music. You can feel it in the cadence of the prose, in the way the narrative swells and crashes like a song that won’t let you go. And at the heart of it all is a deal with the devil—yes—but it’s also about the cost of survival, the hunger for greatness, and the ghosts we carry.

Slick masterfully blends the supernatural with the deeply human. The magic here feels ancient and dangerous, but so does grief. So does ambition. So does love. There’s a mournful beauty to every chapter, and I found myself rereading passages just to let them sink in a little deeper.

If you love stories that are lyrical, eerie, and dripping with atmosphere—The Devil Take the Blues is a must-read. It’s haunting in the best way: part cautionary tale, part elegy, and entirely unforgettable.