Killer Stuff (Jane Wheel Mysteries, No. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "If she hadn't spent an hour sorting through the postcards and theater programs under the workbench, if she hadn't held each slope-shouldered pale blue jar..." (more)
Key Phrases: flower frogs, carnival glass, book guys, Officer Mile, Jane Wheel, Nancy Drew (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After making their way through this engaging debut mystery, readers will be scrounging through their attics looking for neglected treasures of all kinds. Jane Wheel, recently laid off from her PR job and separated from her professor husband, is making ends meet by foraging through garage and estate sales, flea markets and the odd auction in search of "killer stuff." Jane often borrows her neighbor Sandy's Suburban so she can haul her finds home, but after one trip she returns to find Sandy dead. Since too many people caught Jane sharing a furtive kiss with Sandy's husband at a dinner party months before, she fears the neighbors will consider her the prime suspect in the murder. Luckily, Chicago homicide detective Bruce Oh seems to have an open mind, and when Jane discovers a second corpse, as well as a peculiar object used in the murder, Oh is willing to let Jane employ her special expertise in the sleuthing. Aided by best friend Tim, a gay antiques dealer, Jane persists in her dual hunts for the killer and for overlooked bargains. Jane's casual attitude toward her estrangement from her husband might be off-putting to some, but her addiction to Bakelite and other unusual relics of the American past will endear her to many cozy readers, especially those who are fans of TV's Antiques Roadshow. The publisher would have done better to create a dust jacket that makes this connection clear, however; the bland design of what appear to be two rings, one large, one small, certainly won't help.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Readers whose idea of heaven is picking through boxes of junk at a dusty flea market are certain to love this entertaining first novel starring Chicagoan Jane Wheel, who's facing a midlife crisis after having been laid off from her advertising job and separated from her husband. As someone with McCoy flower pots and vintage dish towels in her kitchen and a stack of old fiber suitcases in her living room, Jane can think of no better therapy than working as a "picker" for an antiques dealer. Being able to spot an item of value among a mound of junk is a nice analogy for a criminal investigation, and Jane finds her antiquing skills helpful when a neighbor is murdered. Thanks to an untrue rumor that Jane was having an affair with the victim's husband, she finds herself a prime suspect. The world of antiques and collectibles provides the clues as the plot takes the reader from estate sales to auctions (a Fulper lamp drives the unexpected cllimax). An auspicious debut featuring a popular pastime. - Stuart Miller
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur (September 16, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312983700
• ISBN-13: 978-0312983703
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #538,802 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 1 in The Jane Wheel Mystery Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Killer Read!, September 14, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Killer Stuff (Jane Wheel Mysteries, No. 1) (Hardcover)

What separates this novel from others in the genre is that the writing is so superb. Also, what happens around the plot (the flea market material) is fascinating enough on its own. I'd recommend this book to anyone from those accustomed to reading more literary fiction to anybody wanting a brisk, satisfying entertainment. I look forward to how this author will let her character unfold. This is one I could hang with for ten years at least!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Antique Murder in Modern Times!, April 16, 2003

By	Silmarwen (Huntington Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Jane Wheel has had some big changes in her life lately. She had been downsized from her job as an ad executive, kissed her next door neighbor, separated from her husband, found out her father was going in for some medical tests and discovered her next door neighbor's wife dead in her living room. However, Jane keeps herself busy with her new job as a "picker" for an antique dealer. She spends her time scrounging around through moldly basements, dusty attics and anywhere else she can find treasures at estate sales, garage sales, flea markets, rummage sales, etc. Unfortunately, Jane's unlucky streak continues when she and her best friend since elementary school, Tim, discover the dead body of Tim's assistant in his flower shop. Luckily, the detective working on these cases is fascinated by Jane and her collector tendencies and uses Jane's powers of observation to help him gather evidence. As Jane roots around for clues, she picks up antique photo albums, early American pottery, Bakelite buttons and other treasures as well as more dead bodies...

Killer Stuff is one of the funnest reads I have had in years. All of Sharon Fiffer's characters are absolutely superbly drawn and seem so real. Jane Wheel is such a fascinating character and so fun to read about as she hunts down treasures and tries to get her life back together again. Detective Oh was also another great character and is quite atypical from your usual run-of-the-mill detectives. I also loves the way Fiffer described the estate sales and the viciousness of the pickers and antique dealers who frequent them. I quite enjoy watching programs like The Antique Roadshow and this book was just great because it described so many antiques and collectibles. The reader will learn just as much as they will be entertained by this book. Buy this one - it is definitely a keeper and an author to watch out for!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever and Challenging, March 26, 2004

By	Conan the Librarian (Incognito CA) - See all my reviews

'Killer Stuff : A Mystery', written by Sharon Fiffer, is a wonderful addition to the genre. The central character, Jane Wheel, having lost both her PR job and her academic husband, is the chief suspect in a murder, and the story twists like a pretzel as the mystery unfolds. To the very last page, the book will hold you like an overweight aunt at a family reunion. Particularly impressive as a character is Homicide Detective Bruce Oh, revealed largely through dialogue. The following excerpt from page 94 illustrates the author's style and success.

'"Did the Wheel woman confess?" Oh asked as he dunked his doughnut.
His partner, Detective Dee Tective, not long out of the Academy, smiled coquettishly and said, "No. I was about to give her the third degree when she said she wanted to take the Fifth."
"The fifth what?"
"Beats me. She said she had a perfect right."
"A perfect right what? Foot? Hand? Eye?"
"Beats me. I'm just a cop in a tight skirt, not a physician."
"Oh," said Oh.
"Is this roll call?" Dee asked.
"I wasn't saying my name, you klutz. It was a frustrated utterance."
"Oh," Dee said.
"Yes? What is it?"
In non-alphabetical order, Dee was bemused then amused.
By now, Oh's doughnut was a small sponge at the bottom of his cup. Outside, the sky was eye-blue and clear. A flock of pigeons settled on the window ledge.
"Will someone please let those damned birds out!" Oh shouted above the flapping.'

Sharon Fiffer has made an enduring name for herself. It is well deserved.