The award-winning, laugh-out-loud adventures of antiques dealers Brandy Borne and her drama-queen mom Vivian have made Trash 'n' Treasures 'one of the funniest cozy series going' (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine). In the latest installment, after flames consume a historic mansion full of priceless treasures, along with its occupant, the question arises: who charred the corpse? Brandy and Vivian are on the case in their fourteenth Trash 'n' Treasures Mystery! 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. Dont miss Brandy Bornes tips on buying and selling antiques on the internet!
The votes are in! Eccentric seventy-something Vivian Borne-elected county sheriff, to everyone's amazement but her own-springs into action. In her new role, the community playhouse diva appoints daughter Brandy reluctant deputy and makes their spunky shih tzu Sushi a K-9 unit of one.
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'!
With their reality TV series Antiques Sleuths, Brandy Borne and her quaintly kooky mother, Vivian, have a real hit on their hands. But when another hit enters the picture, Brandy's implicated for the crime. With Brandy now wearing basic jailhouse orange, Vivian must largely investigate alone, sorting through a rogue's gallery of suspects that includes 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! Aided only by the loyal shih tzu Sushi and the police dog Rocky, the wacky mother-and-daughter sleuthing team must learn the killer's identity before Brandy becomes the subject of a murder masterpiece.
In this latest Trash 'n' Treasures mystery, Brandy Borne's exceedingly eccentric mother, Vivian, has been invited to perform her one-woman interpretation of the Scottish play (sometimes called Macbeth) at the neighboring town of Old York's annual fete. As soon as they arrive tragedy strikes: the theater owner drops dead onstage while giving Vivian the grand tour. Before they know it, Brandy and Vivian are entangled in a progressively perilous murder plot. When a second victim turns up mysteriously murdered, the dynamic duo knows they've got to step into the spotlight. But the remorseless killer seems to be well rehearsed for the Borne girls...and won't leave even the smallest detail of their demise to fete!
In an attempt to soothe growing Cold War tensions between America and Russia, Premier Nikita Khrushchev visits the US to see all that his "enemy" has to offer. Top of his to-do list? A trip to Disneyland and an introduction to sexual icon Marilyn Monroe. Thanks to the impossible security requirements, Disneyland is out of the question. Marilyn, on the other hand, jumps at the chance to put on a show for the Russian official. During her appearance, she overhears the details of an assassination plot designed to spark an atomic holocaust and devastate both superpowers. When the Secret Service refuses to believe her, Marilyn risks everything to whisk Khrushchev away to safety - in the happiest place on earth. With US agents and the KGB hot on their trail, Marilyn and Khrushchev enjoy the thrills of the amusement park while fighting to stay one step ahead of the assassins and prevent the horrors of an unprecedented war that would annihilate millions.
Aging baby boomer Joyce Lackey never imagined she could go from having it all to being forced into an early retirement she can't afford. Increasingly alone and desperate, Joyce turns suicidal - until she's put in touch with a mysterious benefactor, X-Gen Agency. X-Gen offers Joyce a literal new lease on life. Through a near-miraculous medical development, the agency can make Joyce twenty years younger. But the illegal nature of the procedure requires that Joyce fake her own death and stay financially beholden to X-Gen for the rest of her new life. Willing to do anything to escape her hopeless situation, Joyce signs on the dotted line and wakes up after surgery a brand-new woman. Her new existence comes complete with a job, friends, and a renewed passion for all the pleasures she once indulged in. But when murder strikes the people around her, Joyce discovers X-Gen sits at the center of a deep, dark conspiracy - one that could see her buried before her new life really begins.
