Ready, Scrap, Shoot

Kiki Lowenstein Scrap-n-Craft Mystery #6

by Joanna Campbell Slan

For Kiki Lowenstein, only one thing is (marginally) worse than her selfish, hyper-critical mother coming for an extended visit — dodging bullets. In the merry midst of the timehonored May Day celebration at Kiki’s daughter’s private school, a sniper fires shots into the crowd, killing deep-pocketed alum Edwina Fitzgerald. Did someone want to punish the imperious, widely hated matriarch — or was Kiki the intended target all along?

Includes creative scrapbook design tips!

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Crafts, Amazon, Mystery Thriller

296 pages, Paperback

Published April 8, 2012

About the author

National bestselling and award-winning author Joanna Campbell Slan was born in Jacksonville, Florida, but she grew up in a small town in Indiana. After graduating from Ball State University with a degree in journalism, she worked as a newspaper reporter, a newspaper ad salesperson, a television talk show host, a college teacher, a public relations professional, and a motivational speaker. In that capacity, she was named by Sharing Ideas Magazine as “one of the top 25 speakers in the world.”

Slan's work has appeared in five of the New York Times Bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul books, and one of those became a television show. She is the author of nearly 80 books, nonfiction and fiction, including Death of a Schoolgirl, which won the 2013 Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence.

Joanna's personal essays have appeared in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and one was made into a television program on the Pax Network. The college textbook Joanna wrote—Using Stories and Humor: Grab Your Audience—has been praised as an invaluable resource by Benjamin Netanyahu’s speechwriter and endorsed by Toastmasters, International.

RT Book Reviews has called Joanna “one of mystery’s rising stars.” Her first novel—Paper, Scissors, Death—was an Agatha Award finalist. It features Kiki Lowenstein, a spunky single mom who lives in St. Louis. The sixth book in that series will be released Summer 2013.

Kirkus Reviews has said, “Slan’s mysteries are most valuable for the well-developed characters and the issues they raise.” RT Book Reviews has said, “Kiki is so darn entertaining that she’ll keep readers hooked.” A series of short stories featuring Kiki are available on Kindle.

Joanna’s newest series—The Jane Eyre Chronicles—began with Death of a Schoolgirl (Berkley) and continues with the release of Death of a Dowager. The series features Charlotte Brontë’s classic heroine Jane Eyre as an amateur sleuth.

As “Lila Dare,” Joanna has penned the fourth book in the Southern Beauty Shop series—Wave Good-bye.

Joanna is married to David Slan. The Slans live on Jupiter Island, Florida.

Website: www.JoannaSlan.com

Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/JoannaCampbel...

Twitter: @JoannaSlan

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm done with Kiki Loweinstein. Good lord, she is a train wreck. Cries at the drop of a hat, is amazingly insecure even with all she's overcome and accomplished, and I am convinced she's bipolar with the CONSTANT swing from "Why Does Clancy/Dodie/Sheila/Detweiler/InsertFriendRelativeNameHere Hate Me-Not Have Time for Me-Ignore Me, I've Done So Much for them" to "Oh, dearest FriendRelativeNameHere, We Have Come So Far and are SO close, I'm So Grateful For Them and All They Do For Me" mania. As in, from one page to the next! Clancy and I are such good friends!....Clancy never has time for me anymore....Dodie's always been there for me!...Dodie is cutting me out and making decisions without me. Auuuugggghh!! Grow some consistency already! And the infernal neverending internal questioning about EV.ER.Y.THING...self-doubt much?? That was completely understandable in the first book, but by book 5...really??

I really enjoyed the first book. I thot, yay, here's a cozy mystery heroine who is sympathetic, relateable, and reasonably rational & normal. That opinion has been gradually destroyed over the last few books. She's the most insecure whiner I've come across in a book in quite a while.

And the ending reminded me of an old fashioned mop, what with all the loose ends and untied strings. Way to leave your readers hanging in a remarkably obnoxious way. Made me think of that scene in Lord of the Rings...you know the one...where you've been sitting for 2.5 hours, following Sam and Frodo's Adventure, and finally they crest the hill, ready to enter Mordor, and you're like, BRING IT ON, I CAN TOTALLY SIT HERE ANOTHER 3 HOURS!! And the credits roll. W.T.H.? Yeah, that's what the last page felt like. Not that I wasn't ready for the story to end, but geez, take an epilogue to wrap a few things up, whydontcha.

The only thing I have actually enjoyed while following Kiki's story is her relationship with her dog Grace. That's pretty much the only thing that has had any consistency and been a pleasure to stick with for me.

Shakes head and walks off. Life is too short for whiney "heroines."

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay this book has real problems (I'd strongly suggest getting it from the library). I'm feeling hugely generous in rounding up to 3 stars. (1) Doesn't really have a plot. Is more like multiple (9+) short stories thrown together. (2) The main mystery that the book opens with is never solved. All you get is Kiki's theory of who did it, but no proof and no arrest. (3) Needs a good edit. For example, Kiki returns to car and says phone is missing. Three pages and five minutes later phone is in her pocket when she needs to speed dial for help. In another part she is starving and Sheila's refrigerator is bare, but a couple chapters later she is raving about how Sheila always keeps a well stocked pantry. In this same part she puts on a pot of water to boil to cook dinner, but then goes and takes a long hot shower before returning to kitchen to make dinner. (4) the e-Book edition is publisher formatted (no white text on black background). (5) The tone is not a cozy mystery. It is not a light read instead the main character is overwhelmed with one problem after another. (5) It is a first person narration--but that person doesn't think about prominent conditions she is experiencing so the reader doesn't know until another character states it. (7) The ending is unacceptable! Mysteries do not end on a cliff hanger "everything went black" then conclude it with newspaper article that rambles on but still leaves a cliff hanger. Yeah I get "guarded" has more than one definition and it is probably nothing...but to me it feels like the author is extorting me to buy the next book to find out if that character survived. SURPRISE! I'll get the next book from the library.

[Grey853 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kiki is berated and bossed around by her mother to the point of abuse. It makes the snide and shabby comments her mother-in-law heaped on her in the first few books look like child's play.

I found it incredibly disheartening and toxic. I like protagonists who can stand up for themselves and it's like Kiki has no backbone when it comes with dealing with these obnoxious women. Emotional martyrdom isn't attractive in a lead character, at least not to me.

There's a lot of action in the book, with two killers intent on killing Kiki. It's more than a little over the top.

In addition the ending was like something tacked on because the author didn't have time to actually finish writing the last chapter. Instead of having narrative, the ending is a single page news report to let people know who died, who went to the hospital, and who was arrested. Period.

After all that drama one would think the reader deserved a real final chapter and not an afterthought.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

My rating would be 1 1/2 stars if I could give a 1/2 star.

After the last book I swore that I would be done with this series. A friend gave me this one to read and I felt obliged to do so. Now I recall exactly why I wanted to be done with it.

1. The main character Kiki Lowenstein drives me to distraction. She is such a boo-hoo, woe is me character; I want to smack her upside the head.

2. The secondary characters do things with no explanation such as Dodie bringing in a new co-owner without consulting Kiki. Then she acts 'meanly' towards Kiki for no reason apparently other than to set Kiki to crying.

3. The 'mystery' of the story gets low billing in the storytelling.

4. The nasty characters - Kiki's mother and the erstwhile companion, Claudia - another storyline left hanging.

5. Kiki's out of left field pregnancy - where did that come from?

6. Detweiler's estranged wife - come on. Did she wander into this story from an Evanovich Stephanie Plum story?

Enough. No more and this time I mean it.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of mysteries and scrapbooking, I was thrilled to be able to review Ready,Scrap, Shoot from Midnight Ink through Net Galley. I found the book a little confusing at first but by the middle I was deeply committed to reading and enjoying the book.

Kiki Lowenstein is a realistic heroine and she is surrounded by interesting characters. And oh my does she have the nastiest mother! It is a really good cozy mystery with a good story. Recipes and scrapbooking tips complete this cozy.

Ready, Scrap,Shoot publishes in April. Be sure to preorder a copy if you like cozies.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will admit upfront that I didn't really like the ending.
Kiki Lowenstein's life is getting crazier throughout the book. Her mother comes for a visit. Dodie takes on a new partner - Margit. At the CALA May Day festival Edwina F. is shot. Robbie and Detweiler think that it was Bill Ballard trying to kill Kiki since she and Edwina were wearing similar clothes.
Kiki is pregnant but not mentioning it. There are some e-book singles out there that fill in the story between the last book and this one. A little problem with continuity between the stories.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is totally cheesy, but it is a quick and easy read with lots of suspense. I always have a hard time putting the books from this series down. This book seemed a bit more contrived than the others, which is why I gave it only 3 stars. In addition, I got kind of tired of Kiki not sticking up for herself. I am not a fan of weak women. However, I always enjoy the scrapbook references and tips, and I enjoyed reading this installment of the series overall.

[Diane Spurlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

Kiki continues to amaze me with her adventures. Forever a heroin she ends up saving the day to continue solving mysteries.

[Melissa Dinwiddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

These keep getting better!

If you’re looking for realism, look elsewhere, but if you’re looking to learn something new in every episode (about Saint Louis, about scrapbooking, about something having to do with crime or mental health or physical health, or all three!), and for an entertaining mystery with fun characters, Kiki Lowenstein can’t be beat.

The character is frustratingly without a backbone sometimes, but with each book in the series we get more of an understanding of *why* (this book most of all so far), and she grows more of a backbone as the series progresses.

In fact, this is one of the most satisfying parts of the entire series: watching Kiki’s evolution, from helpless housewife and stay-at-home-mom to über-competent (yet still self-doubting) woman!

She still lets herself get walked on sometimes, but she’s starting to stand up for herself, even when she has doubts. Every woman has her limits, and Kiki has finally hit hers!

Oh, and I forgot to mention one of my favorite parts about this series: although the number of times Kiki has found herself in life-threatening situations is way beyond belief, what I LOVE is that she doesn’t rely on a man to rescue her! THANK YOU, Joanna Slan, for writing a self-reliant protagonist, rather than a wilting violet!

[Patricia Moran · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely NOT FUNNY

Spoilers

I truly do not understand how this series could ever be classified as humorous. There were so many things wrong with this book that I’m horrified. I truly understand this is a work of fiction and it’s from the author’s imagination , but come on!
Sniper’s and murder at a school event, elderly abuse and mental illness. Describing an individual as having Alzheimer’s and than the main character carries around a gun in her purse. Add in a drug crazed stalker with a murderer.
A few errors made by proof readers. Deanna was described as getting her GED and later described as pictured at her High School Graduation. You get a GED because you didn’t graduate with your high school class.
I have never ranted about an author’s work. For this book I make an exception. It is NOT FUNNY! The scene in the restaurant AFTER the school shooting was horrifying. The woman was recently at the scene of this travesty against humanity and she curled up and took a nap. Was this supposed to be funny?

[Karol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't look for a satisfying ending - this book, #6 in the Kiki Lowenstein series, doesn't have one.

The plot was wild and largely implausible. Many of the characters acted in unbelievable ways. Kiki's relationships, whether extended family members, romantic interests, or friends seem to toss about emotionally in an endless, raging sea. My gosh, the woman wears me out with her conflicting statements about others.

The book needs better editing for many, many inconsistencies: little facts like whether or not there's always plenty of food in the kitchen at her mother-in-law's home. Maybe they are not important to the plot, but they were frequent enough to be a distraction for me.

I want so much to love this series. I do find the growing relationship between Kiki and her mother-in-law to be quite interesting. And I also liked reading about her working relationship with the new character Margit. However, the implausibility of much of this book, along with the cliffhanger ending has pretty well turned me off to the rest of the series.

[jimtown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't ever remember hating a book that I loved reading so much. I came into this series right here, with #6. The story stands on its own but there are occasional references to things that happened prior. I enjoyed Kiki's tenacity as she endured the endless barrage of bad luck and nasty women in her life. Her mother is #1 on that list. It was so hard to take the way Kiki was being treated, and yet she showed remarkable patience with her mother.

In this book we meet Kiki's daughter, Anya, her mother-in-law Sheila and some of the women she works with at the scrapbook shop. There's a shooting at an annual event and the cops think Kiki might have been the target.
It was interesting and fun to read. I would go back and read the other books in this series. The scrapbook setting gives us a much needed occasional break from Kiki's busy life. It lost a star only because the ending left me hanging in a most precarious way.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great Kiki Lowenstein mystery. From the first chapter to the last you will not want to put it down.

There are a few different issues in this book but they are all brought together by the end of the book.

It starts with a shooting at a May Day ceremony at Anya's school. The book also introduces Kiki's mom to the readers. Elderly care is also addressed. And of course there is more about Kiki and her hunky boyfreind Detective Chad Detweiler.

I won't give up the ending because that would just spoil it for you if you haven't read it yet.

If your a fan of the other Kiki Lowenstein mystery book you will love this one.

[Crystal Toller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kiki Lowenstein

Kiki, her mother who's come for a visit, her mother in law, Sheila, and her daughter Anya are at Anyas school when a sniper starts shooting. Kiki has also become a minority shareholder in her place of employment, Time in a Bottle. When she comes to work one day she discovers Dodie, the owner of the business has hired someone else who knows nothing about scrapbooking. How Kiki deals with her mother, solves thd sniper shooting and faces off with Bill Ballard, who's been after her since she escaped from him in Babler Park, makes for a great story. Really like this series and Kiki.

[Julie Akeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am done with this one, what a doozy! The book starts off quick with Kiki suddenly capturing on video a woman who was shot, then chaos reigned. Poor girl also had to deal with an emotionally abusive mother that was dropped on her unexpectedly, a crazy soon to be ex wife of her lover, a new employee at the scrapbook store that she can't stand, and then having to stage a fight to lure out the killer of her husband. and she has an unexpected 'health issue' to deal with. Busy woman, that one. and some great scrapping and recipies in this book too so enjoy.

[Genevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kiki's mother has to come to visit and she is not a nice lady. A shooting at the school may celebration has Robbie Kiki's mother in-laws boyfriend and Chad Kiki's boyfriend running around thinking the bullet was meant for Kiki since her husbands killer was still out there and had been making threats. This book has a great story line with lots of twists and turn. Plus some scary moments. I love how each previous book kind of leaves you on a cliffhanger and you have to read the next one to find out what happens. A great book and I couldn't wait to read the next one.

[Shelley Gingrich · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are too many plot lines in this book, and few of them get wrapped up. We open with an incident at Anya's school. An arrest is never made. There is continued drama with Detweiler's wife. Why is she not in an asylum somewhere? The shop has more drama than scrapbooking. Let's throw in a mean old mother, kidnapping, a gay kid, an unexpected pregnancy, friends who are unfriendly- what you get is a train about to wreck but not stopping. I have really enjoyed this series. I will read the next one, but I sure hope it is better than this.

[Margaret Loots · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love cozy mysteries and paper crafting (or crafting in general), you'll love the Kiki Lowenstein Scrap-n-Craft Mystery series. This is book 6 in the series (so far) I've liked or loved them all. I couldn't wait to move on to book 7. The self contained story resolved but the overall story arc left me begging for more.
What I love about the series is that the reader can enjoy a book individually or dive into the entire series. I listen to these via Audible in the car or on earbuds while walking. Either way, they keep me entertained! I hope you enjoy them as well!

[Kathy Zuercher Diveley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kiki

A lady is murdered and her son shot in the leg at a May Day celebration at Anya's school. The police think that someone might have been after Kiki. Kiki's mother flew in for a visit and is still narcissistic, but because of the danger they are all staying at Shielas' house. ' Claudia' shows up as a friend of her mothers', but sets off bad vibes when she is caught in the silver and heard to talk on the phone about loot.

[Celest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overload

Way To Much piled on Kiki in this one. I came close to quitting this story, but wanted to know who the sniper was. I'm so happy that I didn't give up on the book. There was a lot resolved in the end, although I'm sure that Kiki's life will always be Chaotic. I read chapter one of book 7 at the end of this book and it keeps trying to pull me in, lol. Love Joanna Campbell Slan. 😄

[Dusty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kiki is a doormat in this book. Sorry to say, I agree with Brenda, the wife, but I won't use the word.
Also the book ended abruptly !!!!! To find out what happened at the EXACT NEXT MOMENT, I will have to read the next book. THIS IS WHY I DO NOT LIKE SERIES. Give me a good stand alone book, one that begins and ends and life goes on. Off my soapbox.

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am very disappointed by the ending. What happened with the situation between Kiki's mother and "Claudia"? Was Claudia arrested? Also, who was the sniper at the May Day festival? I'm glad Bill was taken out of the picture for good, but come on. Loose ends were not tied up. Are Mert and Kiki going to remain friends? Is Kiki still going to be working at Time in a Bottle? What's happening!?!?

[Joan W. Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Payback

Why do some people think they should blame others for their actions? Kiki has been in a abusive situation all her life until she married. Yes he was in a relationship with someone else but he never abused Kiki. Others did. When times get hard though she has finally learned to fight back. Read.

[Linda Vermillion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Irritating book

I keep reading these books thinking at some point all the people in Kiki's life will give her a break. But no, things just keep getting worse. I am really sick to death of all the carp people keep putting her through. Can't she just solve a murder without being abused by all who know her?

[Debra Chiaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

So.... It appears that Kiki has gotten into more trouble again and with the wrong person this time. Brenda, Detective Chad's soon to be ex-wife, is mad as hell at Kiki and attacks her twice. Plus Bill, George's murderer, is still after Kiki. And so much happens its' hard to keep it all straight. I highly recommend this series and can't wait to get into the next book.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kiki's Mom arrives without warning. Dodie hires a new partner without consulting Kiki.
A sniper at the MayDay celebration is too close to home for Kiki and friends. Johnny devises a plan to trap George's killer. You know that will put everyone in danger.
Another scary yet entertaining addition to this well written series

[Mallory · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was pretty good, I didn't like the cliff hanger ending, I hate feeling trapped into reading the next one. I prefer to want to read because it's so good not have to read too know what happens. But the story was decent and there were still way too many editing errors for it to get 4 stars but it was a decent 3.5.

[Nancy Gerhardstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

Love the series. Kiki is fearless. Great character. She does get herself in some real scary situations. I get exhausted reading about all her activities. Great story lines. Love scrapbooking.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kiki

What a great story. Kiki's mother showed up created havoc in Kiki's life. And of course we have another plot of murder that Kiki has to solve but this time it involves people that she loves. Also we are pretty sure that Kiki is pregnant!

[Yvonne Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

I love this series that definitely features dysfunctional families at their best and how they love deeply. Kiki and Detweiler are vreT pair from the start. Murder, touch of Romance and much mystery makes a great series.