A strong storyline with well-crafted characters makes this a must-read novel. Antiques Ravin kept me guessing until the very end. A delight to read!

Ghosts are howling and creatures are stirring during the Edgar Allan Poe festival. Unfortunately, that's not all. Criminals are at it again and Vivian Borne is on the scene! Reluctantly her daughter Brandy and springy Sushi jumps to the scene. Mausoleums, black cats and much more await this triple threat. Will they defeat the dastardly villian?

The thirteenth book in the Trash 'n' Treasure Mystery series is Antiques Ravin'. This is the first book I have read in the series, but I was easily able to follow along with the character and story. Vivian is sheriff, and her daughter Brandy is her deputy/chauffeur with dog Sushi tagging along. When bodies start piling up during an Edgar Allan Poe festival, Vivian, Brandy, and Sushi stay busy trying to sort out the varied victims and suspects. This is a typical cozy mystery with a heavy dose of humor added. It was fun if a bit silly at times and a nice change. I will be looking for the other books in the series.

Everyone’s favorite 70 something, the eccentric Vivien Borne is back - as sheriff no less. (shiver) While she and her daughter Brandy have solved numerous murders, with lots of luck, her knowledge of police procedure is as spotty as a dalmation. But that doesn’t stop her from doing her thing and using her new resources when a spate of crimes hits Antiqua, including a heinous murder in the vein of one of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories. Brandy has her hands full attempting to manage her theatrical mother and her shihtzu, but finds time to share suggestions on how to properly search for collectible books.

It isn’t easy to make character narration of events work, but Barbara Allan does a superb job breaking the barrier between characters and reader, while still making the crazy hijinks believable.

I highly recommend Antiques Ravin’ to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries with a hefty dose of humor.

5 / 5

I received a copy of Antiques Ravin’ from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

-- Crittermom

Barbara Allan immerses us in another Trash n Treasures mystery Antiques Ravin'. Viviian Borne is taking a vacation from her antiques store in a new persona as elected county sheriff. She has lost her driver's license so her niece Brandy is deputized to drive her, Along with Sushi, their dog, the ladies are hunting murderers at a Edgar Allan Poe festival. Can anything go wrong? Read on.

Now that Brandy's mom, 70+ Vivian is sheriff, her life is nowhere near as calm as she wanted it. She is now a deputy, designated driver since Vivian lost her license and her sweet Sushi is the K-9 unit. A series of breakin's in Antiqua has them staying in town as part of the Poe Festival. Now a killer is handing out Poe inspired death and it's up to this new law enforcement team to solve the murder before they are next. This is book 13 in the Trash and Treasure series. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Back to spend time with Brandy, her mother Vivienne and the little dog Sushi – and much has changed since last I read a book in this series. Vivienne is the newly elected county sherriff, and Brandy has been coerced into being her driver after Vivienne’s license was revoked. Not entirely sure that this is a ‘job’ she wants – and well, she’s not being paid for it anyway, Brandy does know that keeping tabs on her mother is often the best way to avoid the worst of the mishaps that seem to pile up around them. And there is a series of issues piling up – and creating a situation that perhaps only this pair can solve.

Poe days are a three-day festival in nearby Antiqua, a reactionary event to a major “Poe find” years earlier that brought attention to the area and the many antique shops there. The town contracts with the County offices for police matters, and that means that Sherriff Vivienne is on the case. But, as with everything in this series: nothing is quite as it seems. Shop owners who, although they sponsor the event, seem to have little respect or interest in it. Clues dropped at specific times will pinpoint the title, item and location of the prize, and full to bursting there are grumbles of discontent from citizens, crowding from festival entrants and when you add in high heat and humidity, things are bound to heat up.

Then there are 2 murders, an attempted murder and a kidnapping, as well as attempts made on Vivienne, Brandy and Sushi as they slept in a refurbished pullman car, and the list of potential suspects, clues and dead-end leads are everywhere. With a lovely balance of Brandy’s rather ‘matter of fact’ voice to narrate broken up with a few (far too, she’d say) chapters from Vivienne, the story is easy to read, with plenty of atmosphere, laughs and a series of ‘how to’ for collecting books particularly useful for the beginner or novice. It’s been several books that I’ve jumped over to read this, but I didn’t feel in any way at a loss as Brandy is more than capable and willing to provide a quick recap of the important events, bringing readers clear and up to date. A lovely series and fun set of stories with characters that fairly jump off the page and demand they are heard, this is a great read for fans of cozies who like the insets of collectible and antique knowledge bandied about.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Antiques Ravin' is a fun and entertaining mystery. Brandy and Vivian alternates the chapters, but I sometimes found it hard to follow the trail of thought when it came to Vivian. I might add that I did enjoy Poe lurking in the background.

Antiques Ravin’: A Trash ‘n’ Treasures Mystery
By Barbara Allan
Kensington
May 2019

Review by Cynthia Chow

Despite having no law enforcement experience and a tendency to go off her bi-polar medication, seventy-something Vivian Borne has somehow managed to get herself elected as the County Sheriff of Serenity, Iowa. A revoked driver’s license means that her daughter Brandy is an unpaid chauffer and de facto deputy, something sure to be a roadblock in her off-currently-on relationship with Chief of Police Tony Cassato. The nearby tiny town of Antiqua has to rely on the Serenity County Sheriff’s Department for services, which has them calling in Brandy and her mother to investigate a series of break-ins that occurs during their Edgar Allan Poe Days celebration. One of the festivities includes a scavenger hunt of clues for a valuable Poe artifact, and the Antiqua City Council fears that someone is intent on stealing it. That the entire council consists of antique store owners who all stand to profit in the festival does make the whole situation ethical questionable, but that’s quickly overshadowed when Brandy and her Shih Tzu Sushi discover the body of a waitress entombed in a sarcophagus.

Through problematic law enforcement practices and complete disregard on contacting the proper authorities, Vivian drags Brandy along as they – rather effectively – question suspects and follows the Edgar Allan Poe-themed clues to a killer. She’s not the only one focused on all things Poe, as deaths continue to stack up in manner reminiscent of those in the macabre writer’s works. Tony’s arrival in Antiqua to assist the sheriff – namely, Brandy’s mother – provides both official and emotional support, something Brandy’s going to need as her mother aggressively works down her suspect list and unravels a web of scandal, larceny, and of course murder.

While the plot move nimbly along and consistently surprises with swerves and red herrings, the real attraction here are the narrations of Vivian and Brandy. The Vivian presented here – perhaps due to her taking her meds – is far more practical and rational than earlier appearances, but that doesn’t mean that the chapters she narrates aren’t filled with hilarious tangents and pop culture observations. While Brandy and the “editor” do what they can to interrupt her tendency towards political incorrectness and campaign for Tab cola, readers will thoroughly revel in an unleashed Vivian who rarely contains her filter. The award-winning husband and wife writing team Max Allan Collins and Barbara Collins continue to top themselves with these exuberant, skillfully plotted, and extraordinarily original mysteries featuring one of the most co-dependent detecting team ever.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books, in return for an honest review. This is a continuation of a series involving Brandy, the daughter, and her mother, Vivian, and their dog, Sushi. The story is told from alternate points of view. Vivian’s personality is the driver for all of the hi-jinks that ensue. Vivian is a newly elected sheriff and unlike any other sheriff I’ve ever read. Brandy and Vivian alternate narrating the story, which involves a Poe-themed treasure hunt in the town of Antiqua, Iowa and a series of unusual burgleries. Then, murder strikes and Viv is on the case! The mystery is well-constructed and the characters are well defined. It’s clear which narrator is writing and how the story evolves from their points of view. If you’ve ever had an up/down relationship, adding love and exasperation in equal measures, with your parent or adult child, this story will resonate with you. A fun cosy and the train was a really interesting twist!

This is the thirteenth book in this wonderful cozy series. I have read many in the series and highly recommend the series for your reading enjoyment,. I received a ARC for review. My opinion is my own.,
Antiques Ravin’ is such a fun and humorous cozy mystery with unique characters.

Brandy and her mother, Vivian are the main characters. Vivian was elected County Sheriff and currently has a revoked driver’s license for driving without her bipolar medicine—so Brandy is her chauffeur. What I love about this series is the author writes of real lives with real problems and she does it so well with respect and humor throughout.

Sheriff Vivian in the town of Antiqua to investigate burglaries of five different antique stores.. Was the burglar looking for the Poe prize that is part of the town’s Edgar Allen Poe Days celebration ? But when a gruesome murder occurs reacted from a Poe book Brandy and her Mother are on the case.
Antiques Ravin has a fun sleuth with clues and suspects abound. The Poe reference was interesting and fun. The sleuth was realistic. I love the characters and the likable pairing of Brandy and her Mom. The conclusion was exciting and a fun sleuth to follow. I look forward to the next in series.

Excellent Cozy Mystery
This is a very refreshing story. This is the first of this series that I have read and I can see why they are so successful! The author switches back and forth between the main storyteller and her mother. The mother is decidedly not Politically Correct which really adds to the humor. There is speaking directly to the reader, quotes from Edgar Allen Poe and tips on buying rare and antique books. The story is great. The crime and its solving are delicious. The characters are more than interesting and the antebellum south is a great setting. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review. I do believe that I will be reading the first 12 books of this series!

The thirteenth book of the Trash 'n' Treasures mystery series by Barbara Allan, Antiques Ravin' has an appropriately dark theme. Newly elected sheriff Vivian Borne and her daughter are investigating a murder at the Edgar Allen Poe festival -- after her performance of The Raven. It's a fun fast read that I highly recommend. To quote Brandy, "For newbies just jumping in -- heaven help you," but it's easy to start reading this series out of order. Brandy and Vivian, who alternate chapters, will tell you what you need to know and frequently tell you what book certain events happened in. I've probably read half of the books in the series and I find myself curious about past events, but never feeling too lost.

I know this is the last installment in a long series and I'm wondering why I never read any of them before.
I had a lot of fun, it's an engaging and entertaining book that made me laugh loud more than once.
I loved the cast of characters, the setting, the references to Poe.
The mystery was good and it kept me guessing till the end.
I look forward to reading the next installment and will surely read the previous.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The idea of Vivian Borne as sheriff takes some getting used to. I'm glad her daughter, Brandy is doing the driving and acting as pro bono deputy - Vivian sometimes need to be corralled. Together with their sweet pup, Sushi, they make a great team. A very funny, sometimes a bit over the top funny, team. Not the usual cozy humor some would say but that's the charm of the series.
Vivian and Brandy head over to the town of Antiqua, Iowa to investigate a series of very odd burglaries. Numerous antique stores have been broken into but, near as anyone can tell, nothing has been taken. Could it somehow be connected with the local Edgar Allan Poe festival? Someplace, in amongst all of the antiques is hidden something of value that is priced cheap. So, was somebody on a search to find it? Because Vivian and Brandy have decided to stay for the festival, they are on the case when the Poe theme murder occurs. I did enjoy the Poe references and the mystery was well crafted. I normally avoid mysteries with alternating dialogs but Vivian and Brandy's voices are so well defined that I happily make an exception.
If you haven't read the whole series or are new to it altogether, don't worry, jump right in and enjoy the crazy world of this mother/daughter pair. This book stands on its own very well. I've read them all and will most certainly read the next one.

Antiques Ravin’ is a humorous cozy mystery with unique characters.

Meet Brandy and her mother, Vivian. Vivian was elected County Sheriff in the preceding series entry when everyone else running was disqualified. Vivian has a revoked driver’s license for driving while not under the influence—of her bipolar medicine—so Brandy is her unpaid chauffeur.

Sheriff Vivian is called to the nearby town of Antiqua to investigate a series of burglaries. The surprising part is that nothing was stolen from the five antique stores. Was the burglar looking for the Poe prize? Part of an annual hunt for one valuable item tagged for a ridiculously low amount among all the town’s antique stores. The hunt begins tomorrow during the town’s Edgar Allen Poe Days celebration. When someone is murdered in the style of a famous Poe story, the story moves forward quickly.

Antiques Ravin’ is the thirteenth book in this series but my first. It is fine read as a standalone. I like the humor and the eccentric characters. However, my favorite part was that this book seems violent enough to almost be a thriller. Most cozy mysteries avoid violence but I think a bit is a welcome change. If you agree, this series will be a great addition to your cozy collection. 4 stars!

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Vivian Bourne is now county sheriff! And she’s commissioned her daughter Brandy as her deputy. For those who haven’t read this series before, Vivian is a 70 something bipolar thespian. Her divorced daughter has moved back home with her blind, diabetic dog Sushi. As usual this book is good for some laughs and a good story as Vivian is off to solve her first official case.

Loved it! The two ladies (mother and daughter, aka, sheriff and deputy (pro bono)) kept me snorting, chuckling and shaking my head. Wonderful descriptions. The mystery was secondary to my enjoyment. Yes, I cared whodunit, but it was fun getting to the conclusion. Speaking of conclusions, that was a hoot, too. Many references added to the humor, PC or not.

Vivian and Brandy are my two favorite fictional characters . Every time I see a new book featuring this dynamic duo, I know I will be in for one heck of a ride!
No matter what the situation, Vivian turns it into a theatrical event and Brandy ends up cleaning up the mess.

This installment of the Antiques series was missing some of the humor of the others. Brandy and her mother Sheriff VIvian Borne head to a neighboring community to enjoy Antiqua's Edgar Allan Poe festival. When things go wrong, they exemplify Poe's works--a purloined book, a black cat, a musty mausoleum, and surprising disappearances of people from the community--the "telltale sign of a heartless murderer".

Mother and daughter are determined to solve the mystery--and the killer is determined to do damage to stop them.