Monday, March 18, 2019

PAPER, SCISSORS, DEATH by Joanna Campbell Slan


Title:  PAPER, SCISSORS, DEATH

Series:  Kiki Lowenstein Mystery #1

Author:  Joanna Campbell Slan

Narrator:  Nicole Blessing

Length:  8 hours 1 minute

Audible Release Date:  12.21.2018

Publisher:  Spot on Publishing

Publish Date:   01.01.2009

Category /Genre:  Cozy Mystery

Recommended for:  12 + due to murder context

Listenability:  OK  or  NSFW

Received from:  Spot on Publishing (as an Audible gifted copy)

Goodreads link: Paper, Scissors, Death

Date completed: 03.07.2019



Description from the publisher:

Every scrapbook tells a story.  Memories of friends, family . . .,
and murder?

Mousy housewife Kiki Lowenstein has two great loves: scrapbooking and her young daughter, Anya.  But her happy family album is ruined when her husband, George, is found naked and dead in a hotel room.  As Kiki tracks down George's murderer, she discovers his sordid secret life.

Cruel taunts by George's former flame compel Kiki to spout an unwise threat.  When the woman is murdered, Kiki's scissor-sharp words make her the prime suspect.  She could be creating scrapbook keepsakes for the rest of her life-behind bars.  Supported by her loyal friends, along with a little help (and a lot of stomach flutters) from the dashing Detective Detweiler, can Kiki cut the true killer out of the picture and design a new life for herself and Anya?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


PAPER, SCISSORS, DEATH is the first book in the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery series.  They will need to be read in the order of release.



There was absolutely nothing about this book that I didn’t love.  Kiki and her daughter Anya show admirable resilience after her husband’s death.  They went from McMansion lifestyles to “transitional” neighborhoods and living frugally.  After that, Kiki is learning quickly at the University of Hard Knocks at the Tough Tamales campus.



In the months following George’s death, Kiki quickly has all of the downs on the rollercoaster and soon learns that most of the ups involve great friends.  Hers are named Mert (previously her housekeeper), Dodie (owner of Time in a Bottle Scrapbooking store), and Chad Detweiller (the hunky detective that just may be more than a friend).



There were some glaring odd hooks in the book – who pays a half a million dollars debt without some kind of proof?  This seemed especially odd to me when realizing it left her with no means to care for her 11-year-old daughter beyond the minimum wages job a friend has given her.



Still, I love cozy mysteries, and this one has crafting in a medium in which I have experience and love.  I would love to listen to more of this series (if another narrator is chosen).



Narration - 2 crowns:  The narrator, unfortunately, is Nicole Blessing.  She has a pleasant voice, but a monotone delivery.  She tries to give different voices, but has only about three voices in her repertoire, so this leads to confusion when there are multiple people in the dialogue.



Note:  While I received this book as a gifted audiobook copy via getfreeaudiobooks.com, my opinions are my own and are given freely.



Kiki Lowenstein Mystery series:

Love, Die, Neighbor

1.      Paper, Scissors, Death

2.      Cut, Crop, & Die

3.      Ink, Red, Dead

4.      Photo, Snap, Shot

5.      Make, Take, Murder

5.2 Kiki Lowenstein and the Secret Santa

5.3 Kiki Lowenstein and the White Elephant

5.5 Kiki Lowenstein and the Empty Heart

5.6 Kiki Lowenstein and the Lucky Charm

5.8 Kiki Lowenstein and the Purple Passion

6.      Ready, Scrap, Shoot

7.      Picture Perfect Corpse

7.2 Kiki Lowenstein and the Lilac Festival

8.      Group, Photo, Grave

8.1 Kiki Lowenstein and Too Much Squash

8.4 A Halloween Close Call

9.      Killer, Paper, Cut

9.1 Kiki Lowenstein and the Cupcake Caper

10.  Handmade Holiday Homicide

11.  Shotgun, Wedding, Bells

12.  Glue, Baby, Gone

13.  Fatal, Family, Album

Also from Joanna Campbell Slan:

·         Adventures in Journaling

·         The Best of British Scrapbooking and Card-making

·         Bless this Mess: Motivation for Moms

·         The Coloring Club Cookbook

·         Dollhouse Décor & More

·         Dutch Me Deadly

·         The Glassblower’s Wife

·         I’m Too Blessed to Be Depressed

·         One Minute Journaling

·         Quick & Easy Pages

·         Scrapbook Storytelling

·         Second Chance at Faith (Second Chance #4)

Cara Mia Delgatto Mystery series:

1.      Tear Down and Die

2.      Kicked to the Curb

3.      All Washed Up

Cara Mia Delgatto Short Stories series:

1.      Cara Mia Delgatto and the Haunted Flamingo

2.      Cara Mia Delgatto and the Thanksgiving Gift

The Jane Eyre Chronicles:

1.      Death of a Schoolgirl

2.      Death of a Dowager

















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