"An engaging amateur sleuth tale"
The past year has been rough on Evanston resident Jane
Wheel. She amiably separated from her geology professor
husband and lost her job at an ad agency when a couple of
clients left for other firms. Over the years, Jane has
been an amateur antique "picker" and with her ten-year-old
son in South Dakota at a dig with his dad, she tries to
make a living as a wheeler-dealer. Jane borrows her next door neighbor's van as she always
does when she makes the weekend rounds. When she goes to
return the vehicle, Jane finds the murdered corpse of her
neighbor Sandy Balance. Detective Oh leads the
investigation and Jane is the obvious prime suspect. Not
only for finding the body, but because everyone knows she
passionately kissed Sandy's husband Jack. Other
circumstantial evidence also points towards Jane as the
killer. Not one to sit idly by, Jane uses her skills in
finding items for customers to uncover the clues that will
lead her to the killer's identity before the police arrest
her. KILLER STUFF is an engaging amateur sleuth tale due to
the lead character seeming so real even when she seeks to
solve the murder. Though a bit too much collectibles is
included in the overall fine story line, the plot still
gracefully moves forward. Still the tale belongs to the
support cast such as Detective Oh and Jane's Kankakee mom
as they round out the case and Jane's personality. Overall
Sharon Fiffer has written a pleasant tale that balances
character and plot quite nicely. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted August 23, 2001
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