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Antiques frame / Barbara Allan.

By: Material type: TextTextSeries: Allan, Barbara. Trash 'n' treasures mystery ; 11.Publisher: New York, NY : Kensington Books, 2017Edition: First Kensington hardcover editionDescription: 226 pages : illustration ; 22 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 0758293127
  • 9780758293121
Subject(s): Genre/Form: LOC classification:
  • PS3601.L4 A8253 2017
Summary: When her initial successes with her hit reality series are jeopardized by a rival show starring her police chief boyfriend's ex, Brandy finds herself framed for murder while her kooky mom sorts through a rogue's gallery of suspects.
Fiction notes: Click to open in new window
Holdings
Item type Current library Collection Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Fiction Castlecliff Library Fiction Collection Fiction Collection ALLA Available T00627289
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"Nonstop humor as well as a tangled mystery." -- RT Book Reviews

With their reality TV series, Antiques Sleuths , Brandy Borne and her quaintly kooky mother, Vivian, have a real hit on their hands. But another "hit" enters the picture, after a rival bidder becomes a one-woman show at their televised auctions--and it's the estranged wife of Brandy's police-chief beau, Tony! Soon the fine art of murder colors the scene, fitting Brandy for an ornately elaborate frame.

But when you're inside a frame, it's difficult to make out the picture. That's why Brandy's mom--her daughter now wearing basic jailhouse orange--must sort through a rogue's gallery of suspects including a too-friendly farmer's wife, a ratings-happy TV producer, a questionable husband-and-wife auctioneer team, and even the chief of police himself.

Brandy and Vivian race to determine how an empty antique frame can hold a deadly portrait, a picture worth a thousand dangerous words. Aided only by Sushi, their loyal shih tzu, and police dog Rocky, the wacky mother-and-daughter sleuthing team must learn the killer's identity before they become the subjects of another masterpiece of murder.

Don't miss Brandy Borne's tips on investing in antiques!


PRAISE FOR BARBARA ALLAN'S TRASH 'N' TREASURES MYSTERIES!

ANTIQUES FATE

"Well-drawn characters . . . fun to read." -- Booklist

ANTIQUES CON

"This fun, fast mystery shows Allan at the top of her game." -- RT Book Reviews , 4#65533; stars

ANTIQUES SWAP

"Brandy and Vivian are engaging characters, and their first-person narration is fun to read. Quirky secondary characters add to the appeal of this humorous cozy mystery." -- Booklist

ANTIQUES KNOCK-OFF

"Scenes of Midwestern small-town life, informative tidbits about the antiques business, and clever dialog make this essential for those who like unusual amateur sleuths." -- Library Journal

ANTIQUES BIZARRE

"Genuinely funny . . . The Trash 'n' Treasures books have to be the funniest mystery series going." -- Somebody Dies

ANTIQUES FLEE MARKET
"Lively . . . this bubbly tongue-in-cheek cozy also includes flea market shopping tips and a recipe." -- Publishers Weekly

When her initial successes with her hit reality series are jeopardized by a rival show starring her police chief boyfriend's ex, Brandy finds herself framed for murder while her kooky mom sorts through a rogue's gallery of suspects.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Camilla Cassuto, the not-quite-ex-wife of Brandy Borne's significant other, police chief Tony Cassuto, has moved to Serenity, Iowa, in Allan's appealing 11th mystery featuring Brandy and her mother, Vivian (after 2016's Antiques Fate). Brandy and Vivian have recently finished filming their reality TV show, Antiques Sleuths, and Brandy hopes to get her personal life back on track by persuading Camilla to sign the divorce papers. But when Brandy visits Camilla's shop, she finds the woman beaten to death with a cast-iron corn husker. After Brandy's arrest, Tony must recuse himself from the investigation. Live-wire Vivian sets out to clear her daughter's name with her usual gusto and risible results. Whenever Vivian gets too lively and threatens to spin out of control, Brandy is able to take charge of the narrative and slow things down, allowing readers to catch their breath. Some may find this series too manic and far-fetched for their taste. Allan is the pseudonym of Barbara and Max Allan Collins. Agent: Dominick Abel, Dominick Abel Literary Agency. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

Former theater diva, the irrepressible Vivian Borne and her sensible daughter, Brandy, owners of the antique and collectible store, Trash 'n' Treasures, and stars of the reality TV show Antiques Sleuths, are wrapping up the first season of the show as Brandy deals with relationship issues. After serving her estranged husband (and Brandy's current boyfriend), Anthony Cassato, chief of police, with divorce papers, Camilla Cassato has changed her mind and now wants Anthony back. She has come to Serenity, Iowa, opened her own antique store, and is taking great pleasure in outbidding Brandy for items on camera, while the show is being filmed. When Camilla is found murdered, Brandy is the chief suspect, and Vivian leaps in to protect her daughter. A conversational writing style, with both Vivian and Brandy sharing the narration, adds to the appeal here, along with the well-drawn mother-daughter relationship and the many details of the antique business. This humorous series will appeal to readers who enjoy Jane K. Cleland's Josie Prescott mysteries, also set in the antique world.--O'Brien, Sue Copyright 2017 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

A mother-daughter sleuthing team has to solve an uncomfortably personal murder.Despite its name, the Mississippi River town of Serenity, Iowa, where Vivian Borne and her daughter, Brandy, run an antiques shop and host the reality TV show Antiques Sleuths, has been plagued by an unusual number of crimes. But all has been going well latelyeven Brandy's Shih Tzu, Sushi, is no longer blinduntil Camilla, the estranged wife of Brandy's beau, Police Chief Anthony Cassato, moves to town. Suddenly Camilla, who's opened her own antiques store, starts outbidding the pair at auctions and making a general nuisance of herself, especially to Tony, who mistakenly thought she'd signed divorce papers. Brandy runs into Camilla at another antiques store and auction house and sees her change prices on a picture frame but decides to say nothing, especially after Camilla apologizes to her for being vindictive. Too late: when Camilla is found bludgeoned to death with a corn husker she'd grossly overpaid for, Brandy, whose prints are found on the murder weapon, is thrown into jail. Her conflict with the victimeven the moment when Brandy shoves Camillahas all been caught on tape for Antiques Sleuths. Now Vivian, an actress and diva who relies on happy pills to keep her most outrageous impulses in check, has the job of clearing Brandy. Since Tony must return to New Jersey to see his daughter, Vivian tracks down clues, tapping into every source she has in the town, a hotbed of gossip at the best of times. She learns that the picture frame Camilla bought has gone missing and wonders if it might turn out to be the reason for murder. The amusingly ditzy duo, endlessly involved in dubious detection (Antiques Fate, 2016, etc.), manages to solve yet another case despite their generally clueless air. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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