Trash 'n' Treasures Mystery
7 primary works • 20 total works
Book 8
Small-town sleuths Brandy and Vivian Borne--with their trusty shih tzu, Sushi--head for a Big Apple comics convention to sell a rare 1940s Superman drawing. When an intruder breaks into their hotel suite, their madcap Manhattan misadventure is only beginning. Soon the out-of-towners stumble onto a murder victim impaled by a pen-shaped award. Villains abound--from cartoonists to crime bosses--creating a jumble of clues. Brandy and Vivian will leave no comic-book page unturned in their race to trap a ruthless killer.
Don't miss Brandy Borne's tips on antiques!
Book 10
Don’t miss Brandy Borne’s tips on antiques fairs!
Praise for Barbara Allan and the Trash ‘n’ Treasures Mysteries!
“Scenes of Midwestern small-town life, informative tidbits about the antiques business, and clever dialog.”—Library Journal
“The characters shine with brassy humor.”—Publishers Weekly
“A madcap series with non-stop humor.”—RT Book Reviews
Book 11
Book 12
Shortly after the Borne gals receive a valuable signed photo of an old-timey cowboy actor from the elderly aunt of Vivian’s political opponent, a massive explosion sends Brandy to the ER and auntie to the grave.
With a string of unexplained deaths turning Sunny Meadow into Boot Hill, the ditzy duo—aided by their clever shih tzu Sushi—must lay down the law on a deadly outlaw . . . before someone’s elected the next victim, with the Bornes headin’ toward their last round-up!
Don’t miss Brandy Borne’s tips on white elephant sales!
Book 13
Soon the amateur-sleuths-turned-pro have a challenging case to solve as a series of creepy crimes plague an ill-fated Edgar Allan Poe festival, where a fiend is misguidedly dispensing Poe-etic justice. Small-town Antiqua, known for its quaint main street of antique shops, has set out to celebrate the gothic poet with food, fun, and rare memorabilia, only to have the Master of the Macabre’s twisted tales come to deadly life.
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 hunting for valuable antiques!
Book 14
That local theater diva of a certain age, Vivian Borne--a.k.a. Brandy's mother--is sheriff of Serenity County now, but still hot on the trail of precious antiques. On a tour of the historic Wentworth Mansion, the two dedicated dealers are aglow at the treasure trove of priceless objects...never dreaming everything will turn to ashes, hours later.
A charred corpse in the ruins is identified as the mansion's caretaker, a one-time flame of Vivian's. But Tony Cassato--Brandy's beau and Serenity's Chief of Police--throws cold water on Sheriff Vivian's suspicions of murder. Then Brandy spots a certain familiar item for sale on the internet, and Mother suspects the fire was just a smoke screen.
When their doggie detective, Sushi the Shih Tzu, sniffs out a second body in the woods, Mother and Brandy turn up the heat on a homicidal torcher. Because any killer who takes on the Borne girls is playing with fire.
Book 15
To Brandy Borne and her ditzy diva mother, homicide in small-town Serenity is the gift that keeps on taking. But murder turns merry as Brandy and Vivian gather collectible clues in a wintry workshop, seek the grinch who dimmed a pageant star’s twinkle, and bag the humbug helper who snuffed a sidewalk Santa. Aided by Sushi, their elfin shih tzu, our seasonal sleuths crumble a bountiful batch of Christmas crookies. And though suspects may show bad will, and good cheer seems in short supply, this collection of Trash ‘n’ Treasures holiday homicides sparkles as the Borne girls wrap up three frolicsome felonies.
Includes Brandy Borne’s antiques tips and yummy recipes!
Praise for Barbara Allan and the Trash ‘n’ Treasures Mysteries
“A madcap series with non-stop humor.”—RT Book Reviews
“Plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor.”—Library Journal
“The exploits of the ditzy heroines remain endlessly amusing.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“One of the funniest cozy series going.”
—Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
Look out London - eccentric antiques dealer Vivian Borne and her daughter Brandy are bringing their own brand of mayhem and mischief to the British capital, in the fifteenth installment of the award-winning Trash 'n' Treasures cozy mystery series.
Vivian Borne - true-crime author, antiques dealer and ex-sheriff of Serenity, Iowa - is looking forward to meeting her new editor in London. Flying first class, rooms at the Savoy . . . Her long-suffering co-author, daughter Brandy, worries the trip will bankrupt them both, but the alternative - Mother travelling alone - is unthinkable. Brandy's almost tempted to make her fiancé, Tony - Serenity's Chief of Police - call Scotland Yard and warn them Vivian's coming.
But even Brandy doesn't predict their vacation will end in murder . . . or that she and Mother will be unceremoniously ejected from the country, with an order to leave things well alone.
Vivian and Brandy need a case to write about, and Mother doesn't care which one. But as the intrepid sleuths - ably supported by doggy detective Sushi - investigate a promising local prospect, they're plunged into a complex mystery that stretches right back to London . . . with no choice but to carry on.
Looking for a laugh-out-loud, quirky mystery to brighten your mood? Trash 'n' Treasures is "one of the funniest cozy series going" (Ellery Queen Magazine) - and if you're new to the series, it's safe to jump right in.
Trouble's on the wind when an auctioneer turns up dead in the new Trash 'n' Treasures cozy mystery - "one of the funniest cozy series going" (Ellery Queen Magazine)
Two o'clock in the morning is the perfect time to be asleep. So when long-suffering Brandy Borne is rudely awoken by her eccentric mother, Vivian, and invited on a surreptitious shopping trip, the idea is less than tempting.
But if Vivian - Serenity's true-crime writing, septuagenarian super-sleuth - has a nose for sniffing out antiques, Brandy's sense of smell is just as good . . . and trouble's on the wind.
A little light blackmail and one run-in with the police later, and Brandy and Vivian are the 'proud' owners of a selection of dead stock, liberated ahead of an upcoming warehouse sale from unsavory auctioneer Conrad Norris. Brandy's not convinced there's a fortune to be made in vintage toys, retro plates and pearl buttons - there's more mileage in their shop's new Halloween display, even though it's only August - but she supposes it could be worse.
It soon is. After the auction's taken place, Vivian and Brandy make an unnerving discovery. It's not just the stock that's dead - so is the auctioneer . . .
This light-hearted, laugh-out-loud cozy mystery also features Brandy and Vivian's humorous tips for buying and selling antiques, along with a selection of tasty recipes.
