Antiques Liquidation – Barbara Allan

Trouble''s on the wind when an auctioneer turns up dead in the new Trash ''n'' Treasures cozy mystery – "one of the funniest cozy series going" (Ellery Queen Magazine)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 with the police later, and Brandy and Vivian are the ''proud'' owners of a selection of dead stock, liberated ahead of an upcoming warehouse sale from unsavory auctioneer Conrad Norris. Brandy''s not convinced there''s a fortune to be made in vintage toys, retro plates and pearl buttons – there''s more mileage in their shop''s new Halloween display, even though it''s only August – but she supposes it could be worse.It soon is. After the auction''s taken place, Vivian and Brandy make an unnerving discovery. It''s not just the stock that''s dead – so is the auctioneer . . .This light-hearted, laugh-out-loud cozy mystery also features Brandy and Vivian''s humorous tips for buying and selling antiques, along with a selection of tasty recipes.