Sunday, October 6, 2013

Review of Playing with Poison

Review of
Playing with Poison
By Cindy Blackburn

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

The one behind the eight ball has the ability to end the game when playing straight pool or for you Europeans pocket billiards. In Playing with Poison, the sleuth protagonist Jessie has the ability to end the game on a positive note by calling the right pocket.

However, she is put behind the eight ball, figuratively speaking, when a friend’s lover stumbles into her apartment unannounced. He says Jessie’s friend’s name and drops dead on her couch.

The novel starts with that shocker, but continues on, in a light hearted and humorous pace, as Jessie and her new detective friend Captain Rye proceed to find the killer. Of which, Jessie Hewitt, aka Adele Nightingale novelist, is one. How ridiculous, she mentioned to Rye, who has taken her couch away as evidence.

There is a cast of characters who wanted the dead-man dead, but only one did it. Jessie, who won’t let the police do their job, runs them all down to the anguish of Captain Rye.  Sarcasm and sexual intrigue enter into their conversations and non-conversations relating to the case.

Ms. Blackburn’s, first in a series, novel pleasantly entertains as her sleuth investigates using Jessie talk. The language of her romantic novelist character Jessie Hewitt is witty, direct at times and sarcastically on cue. Dialogue is what propels this mystery forward.

It’s interesting, that when Jessie misses putting the eight ball in the pocket, the crime is solved by her and her new acquaintance Wilson Rye, at the same time, from different points of view.  The ending is not what you’d expect. You’ll have to read it to find out.

Ms. Blackburns’ link www.cueballmysteries.com
     


       

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