Antiques Roadkill: A Trash 'n' Treasures Mystery - Hardcover

Barbara Allan is the joint pseudonym of acclaimed short story writer Barbara Collins (Too Many Tomcats) and New York Times bestselling mystery novelist Max Allan Collins (ROAD TO PERDITION). Their previous collaborations have included one son, a short story collection, and five novels, including the 2008 winner of the Romantic Times Toby Bromberg Award for Most Humorous Mystery, ANTIQUES FLEE MARKET. They live in Iowa in a house filled with trash and treasures.

After her divorce, Brandy Borne heads back to the small midwestern town where she grew up only to find that her mentally ill mother, Vivian, has sold all the family's antiques to unscrupulous dealer Clint Carson. Before Brandy can reclaim the family heirlooms, Carson is murdered, and both Brandy and Vivian confess, each hoping to protect the other. When it becomes clear that neither of them is guilty, Brandy investigates. This mystery offers a likable heroine whose first-person narration draws the reader into the story, which includes subplots concerning the somewhat strained relationship between Brandy and her much older sister and the challenge of living with a flamboyant mother who is quite eccentric when she doesn't take her medication. Humor, though sometimes somewhat forced, laces the narrative in this first in a promising series. Readers of Sharon Fiffer will enjoy the antiques frame, including various tricks of the trade addressed to the reader at the end of each chapter. Sue O'Brien
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