Kiki is helping friend and boss Dodie set up for the Crop Around Missouri Program (CAMP) event that Dodie's store, Time in a Bottle is hosting. At this event, the winner of the prestigious scrapbooking contest will be unveiled and scrapbookers will get a chance to learn new techniques, try new products and finish up some pages, along with eating some yummy treats.

Just as the Crop is getting underway, the winner of the design contest dies of anaphylactic shock after she has an allergic reaction to something she ate and her epi-pen is found to be empty. Even though Detective Detweiler, to whom Kiki feels an attraction that she is pretty sure is mutual even as he continues to hold her at arm's length, warns Kiki to leave this case to the professionals, Kiki can't stand by idly and watch as her friends and fellow scrapbookers become suspects.

In addition to a murder to solve, Anya has gone from being a sweet, even-tempered young girl to a teenager with an attitude, leaving Kiki at the end of her rope. Mother-in-law Sheila has just recently begun to treat Kiki more kindly and even arranges a day at a spa for Kiki. Sheila is also proving to be someone Kiki can turn to for help with Anya, though when she comes across Anya helping Sheila stuff the ground with vibrators to help ride the yard of moles, she begins to rethink her choice of sitters.

In addition to the death, Dodie is also facing the jealous owner of a nearby scrapbooking shop and hate crimes as religious epithets are painted on Dodie's building with alarmingly regularity. Somehow, through it all, Kiki manages to keep her wits about her, even after she learns something that Detweiler has been hiding from her, something that may keep them apart permanently.

Cut, Crop & Die is a quick, light read with plenty of scrapbooking tips and ideas. Some of the scenes are very funny, such as when Kiki is at the day spa, commenting on processes she usually doesn't indulge in, or Shelia's attempts to get rid of the moles, though some may think that a bit over the top.

Kiki is not only getting used to being a single mother, but used to the idea that her husband had a secret life and was murdered for it and left very little for his wife and child's future. Kiki always puts her daughter first, and recognizes that Anya is starting to test her boundaries. Kiki is very loyal to Dodie who gave her a job and a chance to make a living when Kiki needed it most.

The mystery is pretty straight forward, though Kiki makes some interesting detours that provide several red herrings. Kiki must continue to look over her shoulder, however, as the man who murdered her husband is still on the lam, sending her menacing reminders, adding another layer of interest, as does wondering how Kiki's relationship with Detweiler will play out.

--Jennifer Monahan-Winberry