Antiques Flee Market
Barbara Allan
Kensington, Oct 2008, $22.00
ISBN: 9780758211958

In Serenity, Mississippi, Brandy Borne and her mother Vivian are shopping for bargains at the flea market at the fairgrounds so they can stock their booth at the downtown antiques mall. While looking around they meet Vivian ' s friend Walter Yeager who introduces them to his granddaughter Chaz. Vivian prevents Walter from foolishly selling a first edition of Tarzan and the Apes at a ridiculously low price. A thief is running away with his loot and just as Brandy is about to stop him, Chaz prevents her asking her not to intervene as he is her boyfriend.

Vivian and Brandy go to visit Walter and while her daughter chats with Chaz, the mom enters the trailer to find Mr. Yeager dead. The police declare it a homicide and arrest Chaz, but Vivian hires her Chaz a lawyer to represent her. He gets her off on a technicality. The Tarzan book is missing and Brandy finds she is in a case in which Joe, her friend who is a veteran suffering from PTSD is also missing and he wanted the Tarzan book. When Brandy is knocked out, Joe is found and arrested, but the Borne pair thinks he is innocent so they investigate.

The writing team of Barbara Collins and Max Allan Collins provide readers with an entertaining cozy that will bring sunshine on an overcast autumn day due to the loving often frustrating relationships between the mother and daughter. Although Brandy is the star, mom steals the show as she lands the duet in ridiculous predicaments. Fans will enjoy this latest ' Treasures Mystery ' as the bipolar mom treats her daughter like a child even though we and Brandy know she is the mom.

Harriet Klausner