It is the fourth of July, deep in the heart of Dixie, and everyone from miles around is celebrating at the park, but Jenny Justice senses that evil is afoot. Her feeling is confirmed when the mayor is found dead in a nearby camper and the daughter of a local merchant turns up by the lake after escaping her kidnapper. No one knows if the incidents are related, and what's worse, no one knows why either crime was committed. The stories have hit the national news, and the FBI is wrestling with the local Sheriff over jurisdiction. The mayor's wife is keeping to herself, and his mistress is demanding justice.
With approximately six thousand suspects, Jenny and her granddaughter must deploy their own special brand of "detectin" to narrow things down before someone else gets hurt. What they find is a web of scheming that reaches far beyond Jackson County, and the number of hands in the pot is staggering. Jenny knows she might not have all the answers just yet, but with a little patience and a whole lot of stirring, secrets always boil to the top.