Sparks fly, tempers flare, and a politician drops dead in the town square.
It's the Fourth of July in Steeplechase, and barista Madison "Beans" Perkins is ready for the heat. Between serving "Star-Spangled Iced Coffee" to sweaty tourists and keeping her eccentric friend Mavis from accidentally starting a war with her Revolutionary War reenactment musket, Madison has her hands full.
But the festivities take a dark turn when Councilman Carl, the town's loudest advocate for "quiet streets," is shot dead on the bandstand during the grand finale fireworks. The noise of the explosions masked the gunshot, leaving a crowd full of suspects and a mystery as thick as the summer humidity.
With the local reenactment society, including Mavis, caught in the crosshairs of the investigation, Madison must team up with the handsome Detective Gabe Miller to clear her friend's name. From a condemned clock tower to a political campaign headquarters stained with gunpowder, Madison hunts for a killer who used the celebration as the perfect cover for murder.
Can Madison filter out the lies and find the truth before the killer reloads? Or will this Independence Day end with a final, fatal bang?
