Brandy is suffering from morning sickness as she is pregnant, carrying the child of her best friend Tina and her husband as a surrogate mother. Still, she feels she must keep up her strength to keep an eye on her own mother (who Brandy has just learned is actually her grandmother), who often gets herself involved in crazy schemes, and many times murder.  Vivian is organizing a multi-denominational church bazaar and hopes to get elderly Nastasya Petrova to donate her fabled Faberge egg to the proceedings. 

Madam agrees readily enough; the egg has been properly authenticated and many of the major auction houses and collectors arrive to bid on the Russian treasure. During the course of the event, Madam falls ill and dies (from food poisoning) and the winning bidder is found dead at the bottom of a spiral staircase. Vivian takes umbrage that these deaths have marred her event and begins to investigate the murders, and the subsequent murder of Father O’Brien. 

Brandy tries to keep up with her mother, keep her food down, pursue her fledgling relationship with Serenity (Iowa) Police Chief Tony Cassato and deal with the revelation that her sister is really her mother and that a well-respected US Senator is her father.  

Written by a husband and wife team, Antiques Bizarre, while still having its comic edge, is more enjoyable than the previous editions, not being as zany and over-the-top crazy.  Being pregnant has settled Brandy down a bit, as has the revelation of her parentage. She has a new relationship with her sister, who still treats her as the pesky little sister, and has decided, for the time being, to keep the fact that she knows the truth about her birth from her mother. 

Brandy and Tony are making tentative steps toward a relationship and Tony is very patient with Brandy and her need to keep an eye on her mother. The plot is much easier to follow; suspects, and there are several, are more easy to identify in this mystery, giving it a broader appeal.  Brandy still has more to learn about her biological father, something that promises to add substance to the next mystery. 

There are still plenty of asides from Brandy, and a chapter written from her mother’s point of view, giving readers a laugh from time to time.  Antiques Bizarre is a fun, quick read, with plenty of tips for going to auctions and charity bazaars, and a recipe for stew (sans the rat poison).

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry