Playing With Poison

Cue Ball Mystery, Book 1

By: Cindy Blackburn

Narrated by: Caroline Miller

Pool shark Jessie Hewitt usually knows where the balls will fall and how the game will end. But when a body lands on her couch, and the cute cop in her kitchen accuses her of murder, even Jessie isn't sure what will happen next. She also isn’t sure how to catch a killer, but she's about to learn.

Her skill set doesn't exactly fit the task, however. Jessie put herself through college hustling at a pool table, and nowadays makes her living writing racy novels. This middle-aged romance author has excellent people-watching skills, a keen imagination, and street smarts going way back. Come to think of it, Jessie is the perfect sleuth.

Playing With Poison is a cozy mystery with a lot of humor, a little romance, and far too much champagne.

©2012 Cindy Blackburn (P)2014 Cindy Blackburn

Nice Cute Cozy

Would you consider the audio edition of Playing With Poison to be better than the print version?

I thought the story was a cute cozy mystery. The audio version is always better in my opinion.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Playing With Poison?

One of the most memorable moments of Playing With Poison was when she misjudged Roslynn, the secretary at the investment group.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was when she was at the Stone Fountain and was playing pool with a new character named John. She had an Aha! moment and mised a shot and everyone gasped because she never missed.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

If I were to make a film of this book, the tag line would be "Playing With Poison".

Any additional comments?

I received this audiobook foc in exchange for an unbiased review.

Great Story for Mystery lovers of a Certain Age!

Thoroughly enjoyed this mystery, enough suspects to keep everyone interested and the twist end is classic. Especially enjoyed the comedic moments, the situations are so real life, you just have to laugh out load. One can almost picture the our heroine, great real life feel and responses from the characters! I think listening to this mystery is better than reading, one get the full atmosphere, which is real, one feel as if you could actually find the Stone Fountain!

A New Heroine To Love

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I liked the way the narrator read this book.Her variations in vocal tones made the characters easy to identify.

What did you like best about this story?

I listened to the Audible version of this book. I enjoyed the narrator very much. She did a great job distinguishing various voices.I read a lot of cozy mysteries. What appeals to me is the quirkiness of the characters and the weird situations they find themselves in. In the Cueball Mystery series, Cindy Blackburn offers many of the things I appreciate.She has many quirky characters for us to get to know and does a wonderful job of keeping them straight and fresh in our memories. As the story unfolds we learn more about the background of each person and how their lives intertwine. The action is swift and keeps the readers on their toes. Suspects are plentiful. So many had motive to do away with the wheeling and dealing, insulting Stanley.I enjoyed this book and look forward to starting the next in the Cueball Mystery series.

Which scene was your favorite?

It starts out with a well written scene of Stanley dying on Jessica's couch.There are other good scenes with the bumbling news crew.When the action comes to a climax on the roof you'll be holding your breath.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was listening as I was doing housework.There were times the story was getting so involved I had to stop and focus.Throughout the book I had several suspects for the crime in my mind.

Any additional comments?

I appreciated the bits and pieces we heard about the book Jessica is writing.It made me smile as I heard the behind the scenes of a writer's life.

Poor Narration

The story is probably better than a three-star, however the narration was so poor that it really distracted from the overall experience. Her voice is fine, but it's as if each sentence was read by itself and not part of a story, with a pause between each sentence.

Mixed feelings on this one

Is there anything you would change about this book?

This is a fun story, but not a literary masterpiece by any means. On the up side, the characters and storyline are well developed and entertaining. I'm giving the author the benefit of the doubt, since it's the first in the series, and I will most likely try another one.

On the down side, the main character (as told in the 1st person) sounds more like an immature teenager than the 51 year old author she is supposed to be. I take full responsibility for believing in love at first sight, or at least mature development of a relationship. Consequently, I get annoyed with the predictable plot line of they-hate-each-other-when-they-meet-and-she-gets-huffy-at-stupid-stuff-and-then-they-fall-in-love.

I do hope by the 2nd book she has acquired a thesaurus to discover there are alternative words for "glare" which every character, including the cat, does multiple times in every chapter. The book is loaded with cliché expressions, and I expect more imagination from a writer. It gets tiresome to hear her "close my eyes and pray for strength" and her characters “sigh dramatically” over & over again.

But hey, if I’m so smart, why don’t I write a book myself?

What other book might you compare Playing With Poison to and why?

This does remind me of the delightful Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. If you like this romantic comedy/mystery genre, those will have you laughing out loud.

What does Caroline Miller bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator does an excellent job. I love audio books because I don't have time to sit & read and I can listen while driving or working. (I'm self employed and like to listen when doing manual tasks that don't require concentration.)

Do you think Playing With Poison needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

There are follow up books and I hope her writing matures.

Any additional comments?

Worth a try, despite my ranting.

Enjoyable contemporary read

Would you consider the audio edition of Playing With Poison to be better than the print version?

Both equally good.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Playing With Poison?

I love the personality given to the cat.

Which scene was your favorite?

The end - I won't give it away, but it was worth the wait!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Never a dull moment for Jesse, a detective at heart, who gives the after 50 crowd hope that life can still be exciting.

Any additional comments?

Loved the quirkiness of the characters and how they interact with each other.

Very entertaining characters

The story was mildly entertaining but it didn't make sense that the main character solved the mystery but the police had already solved it so why was she there?

Full of laughter and a touch of mystery

Any additional comments?

What a fun book, add a little mystery, a little romance, some quirky neighbors and I am hooked, listed to the whole book in a day! The voice actor Caroline Miller does a nice job keeping the main character Jessie lite and fun, slightly sarcastic and funny, I like how she differentiates different voices so I can tell who each person is easily. All together a fun read and I look forward to reading the series

Funny and entertaining

Any additional comments?

I liked that the book was entertaining and had its funny moments (a lot throughouot the book). The characters are well developed and easy enough to like. There were just a few parts that were predictable but solving the mystery was a challenge. The story takes place in a small enough town but mainly in an apartment building and the bar across the street. The apartment building tennants are all good friends and the main character, Jessie, who is a romance author, neighbor dies on her couch. The plot gets interesting from there. From a pushy over the top reporter to the detectives, everyone is trying to get the real story and find the murderer. Because Jessie is being investigated for a murder, she decides to take it upon herself to also invesitigate the murder. What happens next is a series of comical events.

Glad I powered through it!

It took a while for the story to get started but once it did I truly enjoyed it. Kept me guessing until the end.