When the competition is rigged, everyone's a target.Jackie and Lauren Prescott thought running their inherited barbecue restaurant was the hardest challenge they'd face. They were wrong.When respected competition judge Tex Morrison dies from poisoning at the Prairie Rose Barbecue Championship, the sisters find themselves prime suspects in a murder investigation. Determined to clear their names and honor their friend's memory, they begin their own investigation, only to uncover a conspiracy that reaches far beyond a single death.What starts as a quest for justice reveals a massive criminal organization that has been systematically corrupting barbecue competitions across multiple states. With the help of Jackie's brilliant niece Melody and their growing ally Sheriff Martinez, they discover that Tex wasn't just a victim, he was an FBI informant gathering evidence against a network involving illegal gambling, money laundering, and competition manipulation worth millions of dollars.But when the FBI reveals that Tex was continuing an investigation started by his murdered brother, the stakes become personal. The criminal masterminds behind the corruption have killed before to protect their empire, and they won't hesitate to eliminate three women who've stumbled onto their biggest secret.As the sisters navigate federal investigations, legal intimidation, and escalating threats, they must decide how far they're willing to go for the truth. Because in a world where competition results are bought and sold, and where asking the wrong questions can be fatal, some corruption runs too deep to escape.Someone seeks justice. Someone demands silence. They're all running out of time.The sizzling second installment in the Burnt Ends Mystery series turns up the heat on family, loyalty, and the deadly price of truth in the world of competitive barbecue.
