subject: Killer Stuff Book Review [print this page] Killer Stuff Book Review Killer Stuff Book Review
There is no shortage of mass-market murder mysteries, whether prowling Barnes and Noble, the airport bookstore, the shelves at a thrift store, or more obviously, at the local library. But buy to keep?
An organizer on television once suggested, to someone who desperately needed to simplify and organize their home, that they remove any mysteries from their home bookshelves. Paraphrasing here, but the organizer asked, "If you know who did it, know the end, why do you need to keep the books?"
For the average person, that may be a "universal" truth. However, to the collector, the response may be "Because I love the writing, the stories and I want to collect all the books by this author." Or, how about, "Just because."
So there. For the book collector, it can be exciting, for example to find a collection of Raymond Chandler tomes in a certain edition, or to find all (and there are a lot) of Agatha Christie novels, all in mass-market paperback size.
That said, you don't have to be a collector to appreciate writer Sharon Fiffer's Jane Wheel mysteries, which begin with "Killer Stuff." Meet Jane Wheel, recently laid-off executive who's considering taking her hobby of being a "picker" and turning it into a business. Her best friend, Tim Lowry, who she's been close to since childhood, owns a flower shop, but has found a way to make a living from being a "picker." Tim, who's gay, has an expert eye for antiques and collectibles.
Fiffer cleverly weaves in the different types of auction stalkers, estate-sale denizens and more, throughout "Killer Stuff." Fiffer describes those who wait in line for numbers to get into a house, the greediness of some dealers (especially those, coincidentally, who deal in books), who scoop up as much as they can, ferret their plunder away in a corner , stake out their pile, and continue to grab items to place on their spot. Later, they'll go through everything they hoarded, choose the most valuable, or the most potentially valuable, and leave discards behind (and not, as they should, return them to where they were originally).
Fiffer describes the architectural scavengers, who love an about-to-be-demolished home and carry a toolbox and a tough attitude. They pull shelves, mantles, moldings, cabinetry and more.
Jane Wheel has her own favorites in the architectural scavenger area she collects knobs, handles and locks. She's also favors pottery (McCoy, Rook and the like) and bakelite.
Jane's marriage to Charley, an archaeologist, is on the skids, and her 12-year-old son Charley has joined his dad on a dig, leaving Jane to contend with the murder of Sandy, who lives next-door in their outside-of-Chicago town.
Fiffer brings much humor and charm to her story, which is also laden with entertaining facts. Before she penned "Killer Stuff," she was a strictly non-fiction writer and her ease and expertise with writing clearly shows throughout the story.
Certainly, there are many mysteries and mysteries series to wade through when looking for something to read, but Fiffer's books are the perfect combination of finely drawn and likable characters, fascinating settings and clever storylines.
