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In this dynamite series debut, Sharon Fiffer has introduced an engaging and enterprising heroine in Jane Wheel. Recently laid off from her advertising job, separated from her husband Charley, and colliding head-on with a midlife crisis, Jane is trying to make ends meet as an antique "picker" foraging for killer stuff at suburban Chicago's estate sales and auctions, garage sales and flea markets.tBefore long she's addicted to the hunt, spending her Friday nights with the classified ads and a show more street map, outlining her weekend plan of attack. Jane knows that finding the real treasures is all about being in the right place at the right time.But just as she's settling in to her new routine, Jane finds herself in just the wrong place and at quite the wrong time: stumbling over her neighbor Sandy's dead body. Soon she's the prime suspect. After all, everyone on the block seems to have seen her kissing Sandy's husband at a recent dinner party. Leaning on her best friend Tim, a flower shop owner and fellow junk hound, as well as Evanston police detective Bruce Oh, Jane has no choice but to hunt for the truth. Hopefully her knack for uncovering valuables in the least likely of places will extend to discovering clues as well. Like the vintage postcards, Bakelite buttons, and Fulper lamps that she dreams of finding, to Jane the truth just might be priceless.Sharon Fiffer's mystery debut is a fabulously entertaining read and an intriguing puzzle featuring a heroine that's a dynamic mix of Miss Marple, Kinsey Millhone, and Leigh and Leslie Keno. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
First Jane Wheel mystery. Jane is laid off from her job in advertising and has time now to pursue her hobby of being a “picker,” frequenting rummage and estate sales in search of Bakelite, pottery and other collectibles. Junk, mostly. LOL When Jane’s neighbor Sandy is brutally murdered and Jane finds her body, she’s drawn into an intrigue that’s seated in the collecting world. Love the main character, and there are a few interesting ‘supportive’ cast too, but not being a junk person, my eyes glazed over at the descriptions of Jane’s “junk” and the killer stuff she wanted. May read more, but prepared to skim over the junky parts.
This book just is not very good. The story is undistinguished, there is no character development to speak of, and the style is best described as 'vague.' It's often unclear who is speaking, and the solving & solution to the crimes were overly complicated for the interest the story provides. That is, I have a vague idea of what happened & why, but the book really is not worth the effort of figuring it all out.
Amusing little mystery. Jane does not even really try to be a detective, she just wants to be picker, And save her marriage.
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Author Information
14 Works 966 Members
Sharon Fiffer lives in the Chicago area with her husband, Steve. Together they edited a couple of widely acclaimed collections of literary memoirs, Home: American Writers Remember Rooms of Their Own and Family: American Writers Remember Their Own. After this, Sharon began writing mystery novels. Her series about her main character, Jane Wheel, show more currently contains seven books. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Killer Stuff
- Original publication date
- 2001
- People/Characters
- Jane Wheel; Tim Lowry; Detective Bruce Oh
- Important places
- USA; Illinois, USA; Kankakee County, Illinois, USA; Kankakee, Illinois, USA
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 165
- Popularity
- 195,085
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.41)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 6
- ASINs
- 1
