Book record · Former Barking Rain Press title
The Devil's Blues
by Ricky Bush
Published by Barking Rain Press in February 2013, the second novel about blues harmonica players Mitty Andersen and Pete Bolden sets them against a violent paramilitary group as they try to clear a friend accused of bombing his own church.
This book was once published by Barking Rain Press, which announced its closure in 2019. This site is not that publisher and does not sell books. See “Finding the book today” below.
Premise
The Devil’s Blues is the second novel about Mitty Andersen and Pete Bolden, two blues harmonica players who also take on crime. In this book, according to the author’s own announcement, a friend of theirs is accused of bombing his church congregation. Mitty and Pete set out to clear his name, and their efforts bring them into conflict with a violent paramilitary group bent on undermining Christianity. This summary follows the author’s description and goes no further.
Publication history
Barking Rain Press published the novel in early 2013. On 11 February 2013 the author announced on his blog that the paperback had appeared on Amazon, that eBook editions were available from the publisher, and that the publisher offered a free preview of the first four chapters. Open Library records the Barking Rain Press paperback at 202 pages with a date of 6 February 2013 (ISBN 978-1-935460-22-0). It also holds a second 2013 record under ISBN 978-1-935460-23-7, listing BRP Publishing Group, without a stated format.
The book follows River Bottom Blues, which the author says supplies background on the two lead characters, although he also says The Devil’s Blues stands alone. A third series novel, Howling Mountain Blues, followed. In May 2019 the author wrote that his first three books had been published by Barking Rain Press. In August 2019 he reported that his publisher had closed and that all three bluesmen novels were out of print, and that Fahrenheit Press had shown interest in them.
In March 2020 Fahrenheit Press published River Bottom Blues as book one of “The Crime Fighting Bluesmen” and said it would bring all three tales to readers. This research did not find confirmation that a Fahrenheit edition of The Devil’s Blues has appeared. The Barking Rain Press edition is a historical edition, and this site has no connection to the original press or any current publisher.
Reading notes
These notes come from desk research using the author’s and publishers’ descriptions. They are not a reading report.
The series’ hook is its musician-detectives. The author pictures his heroes setting down their harmonicas to fight crime, and Fahrenheit Press describes the series as crime stories steeped in the blues, with trouble following the pair through Texas and beyond. Library records put the book under mystery and thriller headings. The premise combines a classic mystery set-up, an innocent friend under suspicion, with thriller elements in the form of an armed extremist group. Religion is central to the conflict described: the crime is an attack on a congregation, and the antagonists are hostile to Christianity.
As a second book, it also carries the job of extending a partnership. The author’s note that it reads on its own suggests it was written to be picked up without the first volume.
Finding the book today
The Barking Rain Press printing is out of print. The author’s blog (bushdogblues.blogspot.com) and Fahrenheit Press are the places to check whether a newer edition is available. Public library catalogues and WorldCat can help locate the 2013 edition; searching by ISBN 9781935460220 will find the original paperback. This page does not say where the book is on sale or at what price.
Finding the book today
The Barking Rain Press edition went out of print when the press announced its closure in 2019. Fahrenheit Press reissued the series' first book in 2020 and said it planned to bring back the others; check the author's blog or Fahrenheit Press for current status, and library catalogues or WorldCat for the 2013 edition.
Discussion questions
- Mitty and Pete are musicians first and crime fighters second. What does an amateur bring to an investigation that a professional might not?
- The story begins with a man accused of bombing his own congregation. Why do false accusations make such a strong engine for crime fiction?
- The author has said the book stands alone even though it follows River Bottom Blues. What should a second book in a series do to welcome new readers?
- How might the culture of blues music, with its roots in hardship, shape the way a crime story is told?
- The villains are described as a paramilitary group hostile to Christianity. How can fiction treat religious conflict without reducing it to simple good and evil?
- What holds a partnership like Mitty and Pete's together under pressure?
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Sources
- THE DEVIL'S BLUES is LIVE (Bush Dog Blues, 11 February 2013), Ricky Bush (author blog). Accessed 2026-11-12.
- The Devil's Blues (Open Library edition 9781935460220), Open Library. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Devil's Blues (Open Library edition 9781935460237), Open Library. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Bush Dog Blues: 2019 posts, Ricky Bush (author blog). Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Yonder Come The Blues by Ricky Bush (March 2020), Fahrenheit Press. Accessed 2026-11-12.