I never was much of a mystery reader. I did enjoy a good Nancy Drew back in the day, but post-grade school, I’ve been pretty meh on the genre. I’m not sure why. My mother was an avid fan, particularly enjoying Agatha Christie and the Brother Cadfael series. Another relative, the wife of my eldest cousin, a lady whom I respect immensely, has been trying to get me to read cozies for ages. Cozies, for those not in the know, are contemporary casual mysteries that are genial and personal in tone and often run in a series focusing on a particular business. Thus, there are coffee shop owners who solve mysteries, proprietors of bed and breakfasts, caterers, bakers, etc. Often these books include recipes or advice. I picked Antiques Swap, part of the Trash n’ Treasures series, for this challenge solely because of the cute little Shih Tzu dog featured on the covers, which promised fun.

The series, now running ten books, is about a mother-daughter team of antique shop owners in a small, historic town in Iowa, and it grows and expands with every release as they age, which is cool. The previous adventures are touched back on in each book, which is nice for a reader just picking up the series. Antiques Swap opens as the pair are waiting to receive word on a reality-show pilot they’ve just shot – if a network buys, they’ll hit the big time. But trouble happens when the wife of a local millionaire is brutally bludgeoned to death after the daughter of the team visits her to buy some old beer signs for her shop. The obvious suspect is cleared, but then there’s another murder, and it turns out the millionaire kept tight with some cronies who had a wife-swapping bridge club going on. (Each chapter is named after a Bridge move, which is fun.) Local personalities, including the police, are introduced and/or touched on, and again the daughter becomes involved despite her misgivings. It’s all told in first person and that adds to the readability, the eccentric, ex-actress mother even getting a chapter or two. It was all rather madcap.

It was a quick, entertaining read, but it was a little too casual I guess; the intellectual content was minimal. By that I mean there wasn’t enough for my mind to chew on, whether it was in the writing, the plot, the background, the era, or the general zeitgeist of it really. I didn’t force me to think. This isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy it, because I did; it’s just when I read a book, I want to take away from it more than I put into it, if you know what I mean.

Still not a mystery fan, but I’m warming up to the idea. ( )

http://joannesbooks.blogspot.com/2015/06/antiques-swap-trash-n-treasures-mystery... ( )

I just finished Antiques Swap by Barbara Allan. It is the ninth book in A Trash 'n' Treasures Mystery. It is different from other cozies because the book is written from the characters point-of-view. It is like Vivian and Brandy are talking to you. There is also a cute little dog named Sushi. She is a diabetic and recently had her sight restored through cataract surgery.

Vivian and Brandy Borne are mother and daughter. Brandy has to keep a close eye on her bipolar mother. They run an antiques store called Trash ‘n’ Treasures and are working on a television pilot called Antiques Sleuths. Vivian is a very outgoing and over the top person who loves solving mysteries. Vivian likes to be the center of attention and have all the latest gossip. Brandy tries to reign in her mother, but has no luck. Brandy is divorced and her son, Jake, lives with her ex-husband. They are filming the last of the show at an antiques swap. When they are done filming, Brandy sneaks off to eat Fried Butter (a stick of butter is dipped in funnel cake batter and deep fried) and encounters Wesley “Wes” Sinclair III. He had also sneaked away for some fried butter (it sounds disgusting). After they finish eating, Brandy trips and Wes catches her. Wes’ wife finds Brandy in Wes’ arms and starts yelling. Vanessa Sinclair is not the nicest person nor is she well liked about town.

Later that day Brandy receives a call from Vanessa. She has some old beer signs that she wishes to sell and wants Brandy to look at them. Brandy evaluates them (and takes pictures) and promises to return with a quote after 5 p.m. The signs belong to Wes but Vanessa said Wes agreed to sell them (sounds like a set up to me). When Brandy and Vivian (who has never been able to wheedle herself inside the house) return, they find Vanessa dead.

Brandy’s boyfriend (and cop), Tony Cassato, asks her to not get involved in the investigation. Brandy agrees and tries to comply. However, Vivian made no such promise. Soon Brand is looking into the investigation as well and Tony is helping them. They find out that Wes and Vanessa Sinclair have one big skeleton in their closet.
To find out who killed Vanessa and the big secret, read Antiques Swap. I give Antiques Swap 4.5 out of 5 stars. There is a lot of humor in the story (sometimes a little too much) and the characters are quirky. I found the mystery very easy to solve. I have to say that this is the first book I have read in this series. I own the first book in the series, but have never read it (it is a paperback version and the print is so tiny). I think I will have to go and read all the book in A Trash ‘n’ Treasures Mystery series. If you have not read the previous books, you can read Antiques Swap.

I have received a complimentary copy of this novel from NetGalley (and Kensington Books) in exchange for an honest review. ( )