Quirky, off-center and funny

If slightly off-center people are to your liking, you will love the eccentric Vivian Borne and her daughter Brandy. In Antiques Swap, by Barbara Allan, they are up to their necks in trash and treasures as they begin filming their own TV show, Antiques Sleuths, in of all places, Serenity Iowa. Aptly named as not only do they uncover antiques, they unearth killers and corpses.

In this book Brandy encounters her old flame, local tycoon Wesley Sinclair III by literally falling into his arms. His wife Vanessa appears at the wrong moment and is not amused. She threatens Wes with dire consequences and storms off.

In a change of heart Vanessa calls Brandy to discuss selling some vintage beer signs. In a total change of demeanor Vanessa is sweetness and light when Brandy visits her home. Brandy agrees to do some research on the signs and return later in the day with some idea of their value. When Brandy and Vivian return to the mansion, they find Vanessa dead.

When Wes is accused of murder, Brandy is positive he did not murder her and, despite being told by

her policeman boyfriend (seems to be a pattern) to stay our of the case, she and her mother are on the hunt for the real murderer.

During a rambunctious  arraignment featuring an hysterical cross examination by the 90-year-old defense attorney, the case against Wes is dismissed for lack of evidence. Wes worries getting the case dismissed for insufficient evidence is not the same as getting a "not guilty" verdict.

Brandy is torn between continuing to search for the killer and taking her current boyfriend and police chief's advise, especially as her former boyfriend/former police chief is still on the force.

The quirky duo of Brandy and Vivian alternate writing the chapters in the book and it is so fun to read the different points of view of the same event.

The first book in the series is entitled Antiques Roadkill.