CHILI, CHAOS, AND COVER-UPS: A Backdrafts & Biscuits Mystery

About CHILI, CHAOS, AND COVER-UPS: A Backdrafts & Biscuits Mystery

When firefighter Quinn Bennett sets up safety equipment at the Meadowbrook Charity Chili Cook-Off, she expects to manage crowd control, not witness a propane explosion that kills celebrity chef and judge Howard Lansing. The official ruling? Equipment malfunction and tragic accident.

But Quinn and her sharp Australian Shepherd, Pepper, notice something the investigators missed—valve tampering that suggests someone turned the charity event into the perfect murder scene. As Meadowbrook's youngest firefighter, Quinn is used to being underestimated, but proving that someone deliberately rigged a propane tank to explode might require more than technical knowledge—it might require exposing the ugly side of small-town competition. Against warnings from her captain to stick to her day job, Quinn can't ignore what Pepper's keen instincts keep uncovering.

What started as a friendly fundraiser has left behind scorched rivalries, long-simmering grudges, and evidence that someone's jealousy finally boiled over. Between her shifts at Station 7 and following Pepper's nose through Meadowbrook's surprisingly cutthroat cooking community, Quinn discovers that competition chili recipes aren't the only secrets people are hiding. With help from her quick-witted cousin Veronica and the cook-off's flustered organizer Paul, she peels back layers of resentment that have been building for years—where blue ribbons matter more than lives and winning isn't just important, it's everything.

But the closer Quinn gets to the truth, the more dangerous her investigation becomes. Someone spray-paints threats on her truck, steals critical evidence, and makes it clear they're willing to create another accident to stop the firefighter who's gotten too close to the flame. In a town where everyone knows everyone's signature spice blend, Quinn must risk her career and her safety to prove that Howard's death was murder.