"Delta Blues" Follows in Footsteps of "Chicago Blues"

I like the blues, and I like to read, so I'm looking forward to the release this fall of Delta Blues, a collection of short fiction set in the Mississippi Delta.

From the introduction by actor and blues lover Morgan Freeman:

This collection of short fiction captures both the art of the tale and the power of the blues, and is a nod at the human condition that often inspires musicians to write and sing the blues. These stories tell about bad men and bad women who sometimes do good--or sometimes follow their true nature. Some of these characters know all about the dangers of making a bargain with the devil. And some know the power of redemption. These are characters who would not be out of place in a Honeyboy Edwards tune, and would be right at home alongside the desolate wail of Clarksdale, Mississippi, native Son House.

The short story authors are all well acquainted with the blues and Mississippi. They include (among others) Ace Atkins, author of Crossroad Blues (Nick Travers Series)
; John Grisham, best-selling author who lives in Oxford; and my favorite southern writer, James Lee Burke, whose crime-fighting protagonist Dave Robicheaux has a soft spot for Guitar Slim. The book is edited by Carolyn Haines.

Delta Blues will be published by Bleak House books, the same company that produced Chicago Blues, a similar collection of short fiction edited by Libby Fischer Hellman. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, not only for the blues references but for the varied offerings of mystery/crime by well-known authors such as Sara Paretsky and Barbara D'Amato I also had the opportunity to become acquainted with authors new to me, like J.A. Konrath.

The book release party will take place at Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero blues club in Clarksdale, Mississippi, on Oct. 3.

Is it too early to start making a Christmas list?