Books like Antiques Roadkill by Barbara Allan

Autumn has descended on Serenity, that quiet, cozy town nestled in the crook of the mighty Mississippi River -- or, one might say, with crooks. For the rain and fog have also brought an undercurrent of chaos -- and it's not just because the fall colors clash alarmingly with Vivian Borne's pantsuits. The only remedy is a trash 'n' treasures shopping spree. But the Bornes are about to get more than they bargained for... 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 an intruder steals into the Borne home, tries to mete out some ruff justice to Brandy's ferociously fluffy shih tzu, Sushi, and makes off with the cornet. But why is the horn worth killing for? Clues soon lead the sleuthing Borne duo to the next stashed victim -- and some of Serenity's juiciest secrets. Now Brandy and Mother will have to play a perilous game of cat-and-mouse droppings to catch the corpse-hoarding killer before it's time to blow "Taps" for all concerned...

The votes are in! Eccentric seventy-something Vivian Borne -- elected county sheriff, to everyone's amazement but her own -- springs into action. In her new role, the community playhouse diva appoints daughter Brandy reluctant deputy and makes their spunky shih tzu Sushi a K-9 unit of one. Soon the amateur-sleuths-turned-pro have a challenging case to solve as a series of creepy crimes plague an ill-fated Edgar Allan Poe festival, where a fiend is misguidedly dispensing Poe-etic justice. Small-town Antiqua, known for its quaint main street of antique shops, has set out to celebrate the gothic poet with food, fun, and rare memorabilia, only to have the Master of the Macabre's twisted tales come to deadly life. A purloined tome, a black cat, a musty mausoleum, and mysterious disappearances -- these tell the tale of a heartless murderer. But Vivian and Brandy Borne are determined to decipher the cryptic clues to make sure a ravin'-mad killer strikes “nevermore”!

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.

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 fatal axe-ident, mortally mauled just like the home's previous owner. The first suspect on the chopping block seems typecast for the role of killer -- he was found at the scene of the attack, clutching a stained axe. But as Brandy and Vivian chop around for clues, plenty of other suspects stick out their necks… It seems the show's cameraman clashed with Bruce -- could he be the culprit? What about the acrimony between Andrew, the harried homeowner, and Bruce, whose dirt-digging documentary all but accused Andrew of the original unsolved crime? And who's driving that blood-red Toyota that keeps making unscripted cameo appearances? If Brandy and Vivian are going to get to the bottom of this mystery, they'll have to be extra careful not to wind up on the cutting room floor -- in pieces!

After a mischievous slip at a swap meet, Brandy Borne’s accidental encounter with tycoon Wesley Sinclair III turns deadly when his wife Vanessa is murdered; Brandy, her mother Vivian, and their shih tzu Sushi team up to uncover the truth in this cozy, antique‑filled mystery.

In the quiet Mississippi town of Serenity, Brandy Borne and her eccentric aunt Vivian run a holiday antiques booth, only to uncover a Christmas murder involving a prized Tarzan book.