Barbara Allan Antiques Roadkill

Antiques Roadkill

Barbara Allan

Kensington, Aug 2006

ISBN: 0758211910

Brandy Borne is not sure if she is on antidepressant medicine because of her recent divorce or returning to her hometown of Serenity, overlooking the Mississippi River, to live with her unhinged Red Hat mother Vivian and her social airs elitist wannabe sister Peggy Sue. However, adding to Brandy's depression is that her mom, under some powerful meds, sold family antique furniture to an unprincipled dealer, Clint Carson, for almost nothing. Irate Vivian confronts Carson over his conning a mentally deficient person, but the dealer says legally he provided the consideration in terms of the agreed upon compensation.

Not long after her public outrage towards Carson, someone runs him over on a remote country lane near the dealer's farmhouse. Local law enforcement feels Brandy has the motive making her the prime suspect with the only other person of interest being her mother, who may have been motivated by her daughter's tantrum. Brandy thinks otherwise as the list of people wanting to kill Carson is much of the county, but especially a horde of senior citizens he cheated just like he did her mom. Brandy and Vivian high on medicine investigate as neither trust the cops to be thorough, but there are warnings from much of their neighbors to back off as no one wants the secretes of not so Serenity revealed.

Amateur sleuth fans will enjoy traipsing around Serenity looking for a valuable antique amongst someone's garbage as much as observing Brandy and Vivian tripping over one another seeking to uncover the identity of the killer. During their detecting the two women unearth many of their neighbors' skeletons, which is why so many tell the Borne duo to back down. Fans will enjoy this lighthearted antiques whodunit with Brandy's side tips on collecting a bonus.

Harriet Klausner