Trash 'n' Treasure, the antiques store owned by Brandy Borne and her eccentric mother, Vivian, is temporarily closed while Vivian serves as sheriff of Serenity County, IA. Because her mother's license has been revoked, Brandy serves as her chauffeur, allowing the widowed, bipolar septuagenarian to indulge her passion for solving crimes. Their first investigation takes place in Antiqua, a small town specializing in antiques and, for one weekend, the celebration of Edgar Allan Poe. Vivian has been called in owing to a shop break-in, but nothing is taken. Yet when their dog, Sushi, finds a body, and a second victim is rescued, Vivian realizes the scenes of the crimes resemble Poe's tales. The clues add up for Vivian, who is determined that the killer will "nevermore" strike the residents of Antiqua. Wordplay and fun references to Poe combine in this humorous cozy follow-up to
Antiques Ho-Ho-Homicides. The humor is doubled with two narrators, Brandy and Vivian, who are supposedly writing a "nonfiction true crime account" of this latest mystery.
VERDICT Fans of J.C. Eaton's "Sophie Kimball" books may want to try this series with another hapless daughter seeking to control her mother's eccentricities.
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