Barbara Allan
1) Antiques con
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Brandy and Vivian head to a comic-book convention to sell a rare 1940s Superman drawing. An intruder breaks into their hotel suite, and they suspect a felonious fan, over-eager to acquire the artwork. When Brandy and Mother stumble onto a murder victim impaled by a pen-shaped award, suspects range from comic-book collectors to crime kingpins, leading to a madcap Manhattan misadventure.
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"Brandy Borne and her suspiciously well-informed mother, Vivian, have the winning bid on an abandoned storage unit's "mystery" contents, which they discover includes a vintage cornet. But when they arrive to claim the rest of their loot, the space is empty-except for the recently stowed body of Big Jim Bob, Vivian's tipster-a.k.a. former flame. Only one thing is certain: someone has definitely put the "rage" in storage! Murder turns to mayhem when...
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As Halloween approaches, Brandy and her meddling mother must unmask a killer when a body is found at the antiques mall, supposedly mauled to death by a good-natured pit bull, launching an investigation that results in the disappearance of her ten-year-old son.
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A con artist meets his end on a country road—and a lot of swindled senior citizens are suspects: "Hilarious...a delightful debut."—Joan Hess
Determined to make a new start in her quaint hometown on the banks of the Mississippi, Brandy Borne never dreams she'll become the prime suspect in a murder case. . .
Moving back in with her eccentric, larger-than-life mother, Brandy Borne finds small-town Serenity, Iowa,...
Determined to make a new start in her quaint hometown on the banks of the Mississippi, Brandy Borne never dreams she'll become the prime suspect in a murder case. . .
Moving back in with her eccentric, larger-than-life mother, Brandy Borne finds small-town Serenity, Iowa,...
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A cozy mystery with "a fast-paced plot, plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor, and tips on antique collecting" (Library Journal).
Spring has sprung a major leak in far-from-serene Serenity, as the Mississippi River drops in for an extended stay. With homes and businesses flooded, how better to help the town recover than by staging a church bazaar?
Brandy Borne knows her mother Vivian's plan, however, is more likely to lean...
Spring has sprung a major leak in far-from-serene Serenity, as the Mississippi River drops in for an extended stay. With homes and businesses flooded, how better to help the town recover than by staging a church bazaar?
Brandy Borne knows her mother Vivian's plan, however, is more likely to lean...
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When her "charmingly eccentric" mother Vivian is accused of killing mousy-haired busybody Connie Grimes after they were both involved in a bit of a scuffle, Brandy Borne must find the truth, which immerses her in a scandal involving questionable antiques and dark family secrets.
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An antiques dealer browses for suspects: "Lively...this bubbly tongue-in-cheek cozy also includes flea market shopping tips and a recipe."—Publishers Weekly
Winner of a Romantic Times Award for Most Humorous Mystery
As the Christmas season gets into full swing in the Mississippi River town of Serenity, Iowa, antiques connoisseur Brandy Borne finds herself in the midst of holiday mayhem when...
Winner of a Romantic Times Award for Most Humorous Mystery
As the Christmas season gets into full swing in the Mississippi River town of Serenity, Iowa, antiques connoisseur Brandy Borne finds herself in the midst of holiday mayhem when...
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The quaint Midwestern town of Serenity is about to hit the small screen. Brandy Borne and her dramatically ditzy mother, Vivian, will be starring in Antique Sleuths, a reality TV show based on the duo's antiquarian adventures--and their troubling talent for solving deadly crimes. What better shooting set than a creepy old house, the site of a 60-year-old unsolved axe murder? The location is perfect until Bruce Spring, the show's producer, meets a...
10) Antiques swap
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"It happened at Serenity's swap meet, right after Brandy Borne and her ever-more-eccentric mother Vivian finished shooting the pilot for their very own TV show, Antiques Sleuths. Brandy just, well, lost her balance and fell...into the helpful arms of an old flame, local tycoon Wesley Sinclair III. But did Brandy's innocent slip lead to the murder of Wesley's wife, Vanessa?"--Jacket.
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It's curtains at Christmas in a special short story:"If you delight in the absurd and enjoy manic humor, you'll treasure the Trash 'n' Treasure mysteries." —Mystery Scene
During the dress rehearsal for a festive Christmas play in small-town Serenity, Iowa, star Madeline de Morlaye topples over—on stage!—after a bite of prop pastry. Since the frosty actress had earned plenty of enemies through her offstage...
During the dress rehearsal for a festive Christmas play in small-town Serenity, Iowa, star Madeline de Morlaye topples over—on stage!—after a bite of prop pastry. Since the frosty actress had earned plenty of enemies through her offstage...
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A special holiday short story in the series starring "a hilarious team of snoops" (Joan Hess).
Hey Santa, get a clue . . .
Baby, it's cold outside at the small town of Serenity's annual Holiday Stroll festivities. But that doesn't stop Brandy Borne and her theatrical mother, Vivian, from making merry. That is, until the two find something frosty in Santa's workshop—the jolly man in red, dead as...
Hey Santa, get a clue . . .
Baby, it's cold outside at the small town of Serenity's annual Holiday Stroll festivities. But that doesn't stop Brandy Borne and her theatrical mother, Vivian, from making merry. That is, until the two find something frosty in Santa's workshop—the jolly man in red, dead as...
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A special Christmas short story in "one of the funniest cozy series going" (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine).
The Christmas rush is on as Brandy Borne and her quaintly quirky mother, Vivian, sniff out plum collectibles for resale, only to find the owner of a Santa's workshop worth of treasures has received some deadly tidings. It's beginning to look a lot like murder. . .but who wanted the deceased closed for the holidays—permanently?...
The Christmas rush is on as Brandy Borne and her quaintly quirky mother, Vivian, sniff out plum collectibles for resale, only to find the owner of a Santa's workshop worth of treasures has received some deadly tidings. It's beginning to look a lot like murder. . .but who wanted the deceased closed for the holidays—permanently?...
14) Antiques ravin'
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The votes are in! Eccentric seventy-something Vivian Borne has (somehow) been elected county sheriff, and she's lurched into action, naming daughter Brandy a reluctant deputy and recruiting their spunky shih tzu Sushi as a one-doggie K-9 unit. As the dauntless duo snoops into creepy crimes plaguing an ill-fated Edgar Allan Poe festival, an eerie series of mournful murders puts them on a rocky road to dispensing Poe-etic justice. Small-town Antiqua,...
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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....
16) Antiques Frame
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With their reality TV series, Antiques Sleuths, Brandy Borne and her quaintly kooky mother, Vivian, have a real hit on their hands. But when the bidding turns deadly, Brandy finds herself ornately framed for murder. Aided only by Sushi, their loyal shih tzu, and police dog Rocky, the wacky mother-and-daughter sleuthing team races to determine how an empty antique frame can hold a deadly portrait, before they become the subjects of another masterpiece...
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"Vivian Borne - true-crime author, antiques dealer and ex-sheriff of Serenity, Iowa - is looking forward to meeting her new editor in London. Flying first class, rooms at the Savoy ... Her long-suffering co-author, daughter Brandy, worries the trip will bankrupt them both, but the alternative - Mother travelling alone - is unthinkable. Brandy's almost tempted to make her fiance, Tony - Serenity's Chief of Police - call Scotland Yard and warn them...
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"Two o'clock in the morning is the perfect time to be asleep. So when long-suffering Brandy Borne is rudely awoken by her eccentric mother, Vivian, and invited on a surreptitious shopping trip, the idea is less than tempting. But if Vivian - Serenity's true-crime writing, septuagenarian super-sleuth - has a nose for sniffing out antiques, Brandy's sense of smell is just as good ... and trouble's on the wind. A little light blackmail and one run-in...
19) Antiques foe
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"When popular podcaster Nicole Chatterton wants an interview for Killers Caught, true-crime author Vivian Borne is overjoyed. Finally, some recognition for the sleuthing skills the septuagenarian antiques dealer and her daughter Brandy have demonstrated, solving countless crimes in their small hometown of Serenity, Iowa! Dolled up and dressed to the nines, Vivian figures the interview is going swimmingly . . . until Nicole turns the tables, accusing...
20) Antiques Wanted
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As spring lassos small-town Serenity, Brandy Borne's crime-bustin' mama, Vivian, hatches a harebrained scheme to run for county sheriff-ropin' in her daughter as campaign manager. First stop: a local assisted-living home, the ideal place to round up some voters and some much-needed funds. But shortly after they rope in a valuable donation, a signed photo of an old-timey cowboy actor, a massive explosion sends Brandy to the ER and the donor to the...