Antiques Ravin'

Barbara Allan

Apr 2019 · A Trash ‘n’ Treasures Mystery Book 13 · Kensington Cozies

About this eBook

“This humorous cozy—with its well-drawn, quirky characters—is a hoot.”
—Booklist

When a series of creepy crimes plagues an ill-fated Edgar Allan Poe festival, newly elected county sheriff Vivian Borne, along with her reluctant deputy daughter Brandy and spunky shih tzu Sushi, springs into action. A purloined tome, a black cat, a musty mausoleum, and mysterious disappearances—these tell the tale of a heartless murderer. But Vivian and Brandy Borne are determined to decipher the cryptic clues to make sure a ravin’-mad killer strikes “nevermore”!  

Don’t miss Brandy Borne’s tips on white elephant sales!
 
Praise for Barbara Allan and the Trash ‘n’ Treasures Mysteries
 
“Plenty of plausible suspects make this one of the best in Allan's long-running series, which is always humorous and full of tips for antiques hunters.”
—Kirkus Reviews
 
“Cozy fans will enjoy spending time with Vivian and Brandy and friends.”
—Publishers Weekly 

“A madcap series with non-stop humor.”
—RT Book Reviews

Ratings and reviews

Newest in the series with Brandy and Vivian working together at an Edgar Allen Poe festival. Fast paced and interesting twists that keep you guessing and ends in a big bang!

Back to spend time with Brandy, her mother Vivienne and the little dog Sushi – and much has changed since last I read a book in this series. Vivienne is the newly elected county sheriff, and Brandy has been coerced into being her driver after Vivienne’s license was revoked. Not entirely sure that this is a ‘job’ she wants – and well, she’s not being paid for it anyway, Brandy does know that keeping tabs on her mother is often the best way to avoid the worst of the mishaps that seem to pile up around them. And there is a series of issues piling up – and creating a situation that perhaps only this pair can solve. Poe days are a three-day festival in nearby Antiqua, a reactionary event to a major “Poe find” years earlier that brought attention to the area and the many antique shops there. The town contracts with the County offices for police matters, and that means that Sherriff Vivienne is on the case. But, as with everything in this series: nothing is quite as it seems. Shop owners who, although they sponsor the event, seem to have little respect or interest in it. Clues dropped at specific times will pinpoint the title, item and location of the prize, and full to bursting there are grumbles of discontent from citizens, crowding from festival entrants and when you add in high heat and humidity, things are bound to heat up. Then there are 2 murders, an attempted murder and a kidnapping, as well as attempts made on Vivienne, Brandy and Sushi as they slept in a refurbished pullman car, and the list of potential suspects, clues and dead-end leads are everywhere. With a lovely balance of Brandy’s rather ‘matter of fact’ voice to narrate broken up with a few (far too, she’d say) chapters from Vivienne, the story is easy to read, with plenty of atmosphere, laughs and a series of ‘how to’ for collecting books particularly useful for the beginner or novice. It’s been several books that I’ve jumped over to read this, but I didn’t feel in any way at a loss as Brandy is more than capable and willing to provide a quick recap of the important events, bringing readers clear and up to date. A lovely series and fun set of stories with characters that fairly jump off the page and demand they are heard, this is a great read for fans of cozies who like the insets of collectible and antique knowledge bandied about. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility. >

About the author

BARBARA ALLAN is the joint pseudonym of acclaimed short story writer Barbara Collins (Too Many Tomcats) and her husband, New York Times bestselling novelist and Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Max Allan Collins (Road to Perdition). Their previous collaborations have included one son, a short story collection, and eleven novels. They live in Iowa in a house filled with trash and treasures. Learn more about them at www.maxallancollins.com and at www.barbaraallan.com.