This was a fast paced cozy mystery. I didn't read the books that came before this one in the series and I thought I might be at a disadvantage. I was brought up to speed quickly and able to follow the story just fine. I found it a little difficult to get into this mystery and when I was done, ...
Well, we've completed almost two years in the life of Brandy Bourne and she and her mother Vivian have participated in the investigation of more murders than most people deal with in a lifetime. Meanwhile the plot thickens around the ongoing thread through all the books regarding the Bourne famil...
Really, no matter what mood I'm in, I can always count on a Trash 'n' Treasures mystery to make me laugh, over and over. This latest installment is no different. I enjoyed the plot and characters tremendously, as usual, and the addition of Rocky as a supporting character is terrific. My only comp...
Nicked Chapter Two “Here is a hammer and lots of tacks, also a ball and a whip that cracks . . .” The first responder to my 911 call was Officer Mia Cordona, dark haired, early thirties, with curves not entirely concealed by unisex slacks and a bulky blue jacket. Mother and I had a somewhat tumul...
That included casual clothes, good walking shoes, Sushi’s bed and food, plus the hats and wardrobe for the play. But also, most crucially, our medications. Yes, we were a pill-happy little group—lithium for Mother’s bipolar disorder, Prozac for my depression, and insulin for Sushi’s diabetes (wel...
The next morning, Mother and I had same-time appointments at the mental health clinic with our respective doctors (hers, a psychiatrist; mine, a psychologist), and at a little before ten, I pulled my new used burgundy Buick into the snow-plowed parking lot. I had recently bought the “gently dente...
And before you ask, no, I don’t know why Brandy insists on breaking up my chapters by inserting one of her own in between, which completely discombobulates my forward momentum. (Isn’t that a wonderful word, discombobulate? ) Furthermore, it further chips away at my precious word count (editoriall...
Mother and I were the first to be questioned by Chief Cassato, who wore his usual white shirt, blue tie, gray slacks, and blank expression. When he’d first arrived, our eyes met, his asking if I was all right, and mine signaling yes. Then his demeanor changed abruptly from concerned suitor to tou...
This is Vivian talking/writing. I do apologize for interrupting Brandy’s enthralling narrative, but I’m afraid I must clarify and correct a few statements she’s made. That child has quite the vivid imagination. Where do you suppose she got it? (I would attach a smiley face here, but both Brandy a...
I leaned up on an elbow. “Where have you been?” Her eyes danced with excitement, her smile as mischievous as a North Pole elf who just short-sheeted Santa’s bed. “I have something to report,” she said with grand formality. “… Report?” Her eyes flared, and with the magnification of those lenses, i...
This chapter is penned by none other than myself, Vivian Borne, about to regale you, dear reader, with the amazing adventure that transpired after I took my leave of Brandy and Sushi, following a certain unfortunate truncated press conference, a debacle for which I can only say: my bad. The tale ...
Rudder was a tall, burly man who reminded me somewhat of John Wayne, if I closed my eyes till they blurred a little. He had a fairly gruff demeanor, unless that was just how he behaved around Mother and me. (Yes, we’d had a few past run-ins with the sheriff—or mostly Mother had.) The light blue c...