Antiques roadkill A trash 'n' treasures mystery

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 Copyright 2006 Booklist

In this pseudonymous series debut, a run-of-the-mill cozy by the husband-and-wife team of Barbara Collins (Too Many Tomcats) and Max Allan Collins (True Detective), newly divorced Brandy Borne, who's on an antidepressant, returns home to Serenity, a little town on the Mississippi River, and to her slightly deranged mother, Vivian, who's also on meds. To Brandy's horror, Vivian has sold their antique furniture to an unscrupulous dealer, Clint Carson. Since the Bornes weren't the only ones this swindler has scammed, it's no surprise when Carson gets his comeuppance-run over on a road near his farmhouse. More bizarre accidents and violence follow. Humor partly redeems a plot that suffers from too many digressions and extraneous details. The authors also collaborated on the novel Bombshell (2005). (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved