Reviewed by Jeanne
Some would say Kiki Lowenstein has life easy. She lives in a nice house, drives a BMW, has her daughter Anya enrolled in an exclusive private school.
Once all of that would have been true, before Kiki’s husband George was murdered. Now it’s an illusion. The house is a rental; the BMW is old, and the school is courtesy of Kiki’s mother-in-law who extracts her pound of flesh in return. She has managed to find a part time job at a scrapbooking store but they’re living paycheck to paycheck. To make things worse, the only man Kiki’s attracted to is the police detective who investigated George’s murder. . . the very much married police detective. Kiki’s not that kind of a girl, especially since her husband played around. The only solution is to avoid Detective Detweiler.
Not to be flippant, but it’s indicative of the way that Kiki’s life is going that a teacher at Anya’s school is murdered and Anya and her friend may be witnesses. Not only might Anya’s life be in danger, but Detweiler is part of the investigation. He’s devoted to Anya, which is another thing Kiki loves about him, and she knows he’ll keep her informed. She just has to keep reminding herself that he’s taken already.
But Kiki is not the sort to sit around passively and wait to be rescued, especially when the safety of her only child is at stake. She’s going on the offensive.
It turns out there’s a lot to investigate. The dead teacher had quite a reputation and was apparently having an affair with another staff member – if not more than one. The secrets start to pile up, prejudices crop up in some unexpected places and soon Kiki herself may be in danger.
Kiki is a lively, likeable character facing some of the same problems many of us face: trying to make ends meet, struggling to raise a daughter, dealing with a mother-in-law who makes it obvious that Kiki is only tolerated because she’s Anya’s mother, and feeling as if she doesn’t fit in with the upper crust of St. Louis Society. The writing flows very naturally, especially Kiki’s commentary on life and events. Kiki has a sense of humor which stands her in good stead with all the insults, both great and small, that she endures. She’s very easy to relate to, what with her sullen co-worker and snobbish moms. Having once “had it all” so to speak, it’s hard for her to adjust to pinching pennies and going without. She’s tired of that, and hanging around with the privileged prep school moms grates on her nerves.
Besides, one of them might be a murderer.
The city of St. Louis was almost a character in itself. St. Louis is one of those cities that straddles North and South in personality, giving it a complex set of social rules. Campbell Slan’s explanations and descriptions are very helpful, giving me a clearer picture of the place. I was especially interested in the “Veiled Prophet.” I was pleased that the author provided some very useful notes at the end.
There are some "hobby mysteries" which are more hobby than mystery. In other words, there are many pages devoted to a topic that may do littler to further the plot. This isn't the case with this book. If scrapbooking isn't your thing, don’t worry. I’ve only done a page or two and was unfamiliar with some techniques, but that didn’t slow the story down. There are tips for those who are scrappers, though, and they sounded very creative.
The book is very character driven, which is why I would recommend that this series be read in order. I was distracted occasionally by trying to understand something, such as the relationship with Detweiler or some parts of Kiki’s marriage to George, things that I'd have known had I read them in order. I’d recommend this series to someone who likes modern mysteries with a dose of humor but who doesn’t want pure slapstick or fluff.
The first two books are Paper, Scissors, Death (F CAM Main & Avoca) and Cut, Crop and Die (F CAM Main). Paper, Scissors, Death was a finalist for an Agatha Award.
Joanna Campbell Slan lived in St. Louis for several years before relocating to Virginia. She has written several nonfiction books on scrapbooking. Her work has also appeared in the best selling Chicken Soup for the Soul books.
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