I've not read many cozy mystery novellas, but the plot of Antiques St. Nicked seemed interesting, so I decided to give it a try. I thought it might be a good way to introduce myself to the Trash n' Treasures series. Unfortunately, I don't know if I would be interested in reading another book from this series in future.

In a mystery novella, I believe that the mystery needs to be tightly written in order to ensure that the mystery not only makes sense, but can be contained within a novella-length read.

That isn't the case with this novella, as both protagonists Vivian and Brandy like to discuss other things that seem quite unrelated to the plot. For example, at one point in the book, a recipe is shared, ingredients and instructions and all. So, by the end of the novella, I found myself quite confused about the mystery and why the conclusion was the way it was.

I think fans of the series might like hearing from both characters, but as someone who is new to the series, I just found it to be too much given the length of the book. The plot itself is interesting and definitely has potential, but I don't think it was executed as well as it could have been.

Also, I found the writing style difficult to read. The POVs switch between Brandy and Vivian. I found Vivian's part particularly grating because she likes rambling on different tangents and breaking the fourth wall. It's very difficult to follow her train of thought and how she sleuths.

Fans of the series who are looking to read the series in its entirety would probably enjoy this book more than me though.

Please note that there are (brief) discussions of abuse in this novella.

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