The Wrong Stuff - (Jane Wheel Mysteries) by Sharon Fiffer (Paperback)

About the Book

A call from detective Bruce Oh asking for help on a homicide promises a new career direction for antiques picker Jane Wheel. But when she learns the identity of the accused--antiques dealer Claire Oh, wife of her new partner--the trail leads to imminent danger. Martin's Press.

Book Synopsis

Jane Wheel has a lot of stuff. Vintage flowerpots, postcards, Bakelite buttons, pencil sharpeners, mismatched china, linens, even old report cards from children she never knew peek out from the deepest corners of her home, threatening to envelop her entire life. Of course, she's not just a pack rat (or so she tells herself), it's her job: Jane is an antique picker, cruising garage sales and rummage tables looking for items she can turn around and sell to dealers or collectors, picking up a tidy profit. Trouble is, she does a lot of buying and so far only a little selling.

When a school permission slip lost among the towering boxes in Jane's kitchen causes her son, Nick, to miss a field trip, Jane vows to get rid of it all, organizing her house and, in the process, she hopes, her life. Meanwhile, she's entertaining two offers of employment---as an associate with her friend Tim Lowry's antiques dealership and as a consultant in a private investigations firm with former police detective Bruce Oh. Unable to decide, Jane figures she'll take a crack at splitting her time between the two pursuits.

Immediately, and with fragile emotions swirling from her great house-cleaning project, Jane finds herself smack in the middle of a case that will draw on both her new jobs. An antiques dealer has been accused of murder, perhaps as part of covering up an extensive furniture-counterfeiting operation. Jane can hardly wait to investigate---that is, until she learns the identity of the accused: Claire Oh, wife of her new partner Bruce. Rich in the details of junk-sale ephemera that have intrigued fans of previous Jane Wheel adventures, The Wrong Stuff is another fascinating, meticulously crafted mystery.

From the Back Cover

"Sharon Fiffer is a great writer of guilty pleasures. I've read every one of her mysteries. My rally cry: Give Me More Stuff!" -Alice Sebold, author of "The Lovely Bones"
Flea Market Treasures...Worth Dying For
Jane Wheel is an antiques picker, cruising garage sales looking for items she can turn around and sell to dealers for a tidy profit. She also has a knack for finding clues and solving crimes...
But her vast collection of junk has landed her in an emotional quagmire. When a school permission slip gets lost among the towering boxes in Jane's kitchen, causing her son Nick to miss a field trip, Jane vows to get rid of it all, organizing her house and, she hopes, her life. A call from detective Bruce Oh asking for help on a homicide promises a new career direction. Jane can hardly wait to investigate, until she learns the identity of the accused: it's antiques dealer Claire Oh, wife of her new partner. And the trail leads right back into the heart of her passion for other people's stuff...and into a deadly joining of old passions, new secrets, and imminent danger.
"Smart, funny, and rich with antique lore. Sharon Fiffer has the right stuff!"
-Parnell Hall, author of the" Puzzle Lady "crossword-puzzle mysteries
"[Jane's] 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."
-"Publishers Weekly"

Review Quotes

"Absolutely charming. Added bonus: the amusing admonitions to pack rats that head up each chapter." --Kirkus Reviews

"Sharon Fiffer writes very clever 'stuff.' Think Antiques Roadshow meets I Love Lucy and prepare to enjoy." --Jerrilyn Farmer, author of the bestselling Madeline Bean mysteries

"Fiffer has created an attractive and entertaining detective." --Dallas Morning News

"Sharon Fiffer's first mystery is a must-have...this is a keeper." --Chicago Tribune on Killer Stuff

"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...an auspicious debut featuring a popular pastime." --Booklist on Killer Stuff

"Clever...well-developed, entertaining characters...pack rats and fans of lighter mystery fare should be perfectly satisfied." --Publishers Weekly on Dead Guy's Stuff

"A promising springboard for future tales." --Orlando Sentinel on Killer Stuff

About the Author

Sharon Fiffer collects buttons, Bakelite, pottery, vintage potholders, keys, locks, and more dead guy's stuff. The author of the Jane Wheel mysteries, including Killer Stuff and The Wrong Stuff, Sharon Fiffer has also co-edited the anthologies Home: American Writers Remember Rooms of Their Own, Body, and Family: American Writers Remember Their Own and written Imagining America.