Hollywood Stuff by Sharon Fiffer (2006, Hardcover)

What's not to like about a mystery that contains not just one but TWO eBay references? First the heroine wonders about potentially hazardous exploding chemicals in "all those old boxed Mr. Wizard sets that were prized for their cool graphics and sold on eBay as MIB — mint in box — condition…". Later, another character worries about the problem of counterfeit TV and movie props being sold on eBay.

Just like eBay, "Hollywood Stuff" is a whodunit based around the joys of…stuff. Jane Wheel is a picker (one who goes to flea markets, garage and estate sales, and house auctions in hopes of finding items to resell to vintage and antiques dealers) with a bad habit of finding dead bodies. When her most recent amateur-sleuthing adventure lands her on television, she catches the eye of Hollywood producer Wren "Bix" Bixby, who wants to buy the rights to Jane's story for her offbeat independent production company, Bix Pix Flix.

Soon Jane and her best friend and picking partner, Tim Lawson, are flying first class out to La-La Land to see if Jane does indeed want to sell her story rights and to check out the West Coast stuff at the famed Pasadena City College Flea Market. But Jane's time in Tinseltown is interrupted when she discovers another dead body at the flea market and learns that someone seems to have targeted Bix and her colleagues. So Jane resumes her role as a detective, determined to find and stop a killer.

Like the first four books in the Jane Wheel series, "Hollywood Stuff" features a likeable heroine and sidekick plus other believable characters who are likeable or not as the plot dictates. Her mentor, homicide detective Bruce Oh, even makes an appearance.

The storyline is light on gore and heavy on references to Bakelite, art pottery, Depression glass, vintage linens, and other intriguing collectibles. Particularly enjoyable is the way the author, Sharon Fiffer, divulges her characters' innermost thoughts and motivations. You'll be surprised when the killer is finally unmasked. Best of all, you need not have read the previous four books in the series to enjoy this one. If you do enjoy "Hollywood Stuff" — and you will — then you've got four more treats in store.

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