Braised Betrayal

The engagement celebration at Charlie Joe's BBQ Shack barely has time to wind down before Jackie and Lauren Prescott are back in the middle of a murder investigation. This time, it's personal.

When a man is found dead at Bluebonnet Hills RV Park, all eyes turn to Al Rodriguez. He arrived the night before. He had a very public fight with the victim. And now Rod Boyd is dead. Al has an alibi, but history and proximity make him an easy target, and Jackie and Lauren aren't about to let their father take the fall for something he didn't do.

For Lauren, this is a chance to protect family. For Jackie, it's more complicated. Al has been a ghost in her life for decades, and learning to trust him again is its own kind of investigation.

The victim left plenty of enemies behind: jealous husbands, scorned women, and a community of RV park regulars bristling with old grudges. But when a second body turns up and the killer's carefully staged scenes begin to unravel, the sisters realize they're not just chasing a murderer. They're racing to stay ahead of one.

With Melody's sharp analytical mind, Rosie at her side, and a newly found footing with Tess and Al, the family digs into a tangle of affairs, betrayal, and desperate cover-ups that reach deeper than anyone suspected.

In Prairie Rose, family means you show up. Even when it's dangerous. Even when it's complicated. Even when it means standing up for the man who wasn't there when you needed him most.

The sixth installment in the Burnt Ends Mystery series serves up two murders, a long-overdue reckoning, and a reminder that the family you build is just as real as the one you were born into.