When Heaven Lee is judging the barbecue, trouble seems to stick to her apron.

Although she's Kansas City's premier restaurateur and a helluva barbecue queen, this time around Heaven Lee is just a judge at the Barbecue World Series. But that doesn't stop her from getting in the soup. Not when she accidentally finds the upended body of champion barbecue cooker and giant pain Pigpen Hopkins sticking out of a potent pot of his extra-special secret barbecue sauce. Unfortunately, Heaven has had problems with the law before, and even though she came out clean, this is one sticky mess that's hard to explain.

With the town up to its ears in high rolling barbecue experts, the prize money is enough to send anyone gunning for the top spot. But when someone takes a shot at Heaven in the dark of night and then aims for a celebrated cookbook author, the competition is more than tough -- it's murder.