Clever and Challenging

Killer Stuff (Jane Wheel Mysteries, No. 1)
by Sharon Fiffer

'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 46 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.