As autumn splashes colour across the small Mississippi River town of Serenity, newly divorced Brandy Borne is on the brink of going crazy after her ever-impossible mother quits the local theatre group. She comes up with a brilliant idea for preserving her sanity and keeping Mother busy: open their own booth at the new antiques mall in town. But they are about to cross paths with a killer...Brandy, along with Sushi, her spoiled Shih Tzu, pays a visit to the town's Chief of Police to ask about federal auctions of confiscated goods, a little-known source of great antiques and collectibles. Her buys at her first auction in Rockford, Illinois turn out to be a success. On the other hand, her first visit from ten-year-old son Jake, who has been living with his father, turns out to be a challenge.While Halloween looms large on the horizon, things turn grim when a body is found at the antiques mall. To the cops, the case seems pretty clear cut: the victim's dog, the normally good-natured Brad Pit Bull, mauled its owner to death. But Brandy knows her canines, and this dog has definitely been framed. Brandy and Mother are soon snooping into nooks, crannies, and cubby holes while stepping on assorted toes. As All Hallow's Eve shenanigans grow increasingly frightening, true terror unmasks itself when Jacob goes missing. Is his disappearance just a childish prank? Or are sinister forces bubble-bubble-toiling trouble in Serenity?Now Brandy and her over-the-top mom are on the hunt to find Jake before a devious killer mauls again...
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In this jumbled sequel to Antiques Roadkill (2006), Allan (the pseudonymous husband-and-wife writing team of Max Allan and Barbara Collins) burdens a simple whodunit with too much sentimental ornament. Recent divorcée Brandy Borne has her hands full with her aging, scatterbrained mother, Vivian, who has just announced her retirement from local theater. To keep Vivian busy and generate some cash, Brandy suggests they open a stall in the new antiques mall in their small Midwestern town of Serenity. Then the two women find a retired schoolteacher dead at the mall, apparently killed by her pit bull. Vivian insists the woman was murdered, but the official investigation comes up empty. Brandy and Vivian also detect a bit, but to little practical effect, eventually stumbling on the solution by chance. Brandy's rambling narration and Vivian's dotty escapades may not hold the attention of hardcore mystery fans, but antiques addicts will enjoy the trash 'n' treasures tips. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"* "Charming... A laugh-out-loud funny mystery." - Romantic Times (four stars)."
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well worth your reading time,
By Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Antiques Maul (Trash 'n' Treasures Mysteries, No. 2) (Hardcover)
Second in this new series by authors Max Allan and Barbara Collins, this funny and informative cozy mystery has many surprises in store for you. Not only are there Trash `n' Treasure tips at the end of each chapter, a few recipes are also thrown in!
Max and Barbara have created some fantastic characters in Brandy and Vivian Borne. Brandy has returned home to a small Midwestern town on the Mississippi to live with her mother after a messy divorce. She has custody of the old blind Shih Tzu, Sushi, while her husband has custody of ten-year-old Jake back in Chicago. Vivian has been a fixture at the Community Theatre Playhouse, and is dismayed when her archrival Bernice, a recent arrival in town, gets the position of Director. Vivian quits the theatre and Brandy comes up with an idea to keep her mother busy and out of her hair: she gets a booth at the new antiques mall in town. They travel to a federal auction of confiscated goods, buy enough to fill the booth, and pick up Jake for a short visit. Shortly after they set up their booth early one morning, they discover the owner of the mall, Mrs. Norton, on the floor, covered in blood with her timid pit bull standing over her! Was she mauled by her dog? And, who has been following Brandy? Why is the man from the federal antiques auction after the rolltop desk Brandy bought? Did he follow her to Serenity and try and track it down? Who is the young man Brandy sees arguing with Bernice? Son Jake comes to visit and helps out at the Antiques Mall, and finds a secret compartment in the wooden cigar store Indian. He claims all that was in there was the cigar. The authors have a unique voice and a quirky conversational style. This amusing trek through the world of antiques will keep you giggling. My favorite chapter was when Vivian takes over and does some sleuthing on her own. Armchair Interviews says: Treasures exist throughout this book.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Antiques Maul,
By Brenda Priebe (ALGONA, IOWA, US) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Antiques Maul: A Trash 'n' Treasures Mystery (Trash 'n' Treasures Mysteries) (Paperback)
If you are looking for some light reading and prefer mysteries, this book is for you. It had me lol right away. I love how eccentric the mother Vivian is! It's a great book for people who like to read, but don't have a lot of time to do so. Perfect for busy mothers who have a few minutes of "me time".
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
antiques maul trash n treasures mystery,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Antiques Maul: A Trash 'n' Treasures Mystery (Trash 'n' Treasures Mysteries) (Paperback)
Another in the wonderful series of cozy mysteries- I, for one, am tired of foresnic overkill and enjoy the cerebral aspect of mysteries (hence, "Cozy") I collect series and this is a welcome addition to my collection
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Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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federal auction, antiques mall, paint gun Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Barbara Allan, Peggy Sue, Brad Pit Bull, Vivian Borne, Officer Lawson, Haunted House, Weed Park, Game Boy, Native American, Officer Munson, Animal Control, Rex Stout, Red Feather, David Yurman, Chief Cassato, Rocky Horror, Pink Feather, Wild Cat Den Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Surprise Me!
federal auction, antiques mall, paint gun Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Barbara Allan, Peggy Sue, Brad Pit Bull, Vivian Borne, Officer Lawson, Haunted House, Weed Park, Game Boy, Native American, Officer Munson, Animal Control, Rex Stout, Red Feather, David Yurman, Chief Cassato, Rocky Horror, Pink Feather, Wild Cat Den Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Surprise Me!
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