Maxximum Blues has a solid foothold in the Manhattan blues scene, but Maxx Maxwell (real name: Elizabeth) knows a CD will make the band irresistible to festival organizers. Prowling Rooster Records is her label of choice, but when the CD is nearly finished, producer Rick Schneider disappears—and it looks like he’s hooked up with his old girlfriend, singer-songwriter Brenda Honeycut. Maxx’s interest in Rick is personal too. He’s the first guy she’s trusted since leaving Sandy, the womanizing guitar player who broke her heart.

When Maxx searches for the CD’s master in Rick’s studio, she finds his cherished memento, a framed album cover, knocked from the wall—and even more alarming, a pool of dried blood. The next day, she identifies Rick’s body at the county morgue.

The cops believe Rick was pirating CDs and was murdered in a mob territory battle. Maxx is determined to clear his name by finding his real killer. Her quest leads her into the orbit of the temperamental Brenda Honeycut and into the complicated lives of Rick’s peculiar business partners. And it ultimately leads her to the sad secret Rick kept hidden.

Maxx’s quest is complicated by a rooster with personality to spare and by her old boyfriend Sandy, who’s determined to win her back.