Benni Harper, the spirited ex-cowgirl, quilter, and folk- art expert, has an eye for murderous designs--and a talent for piecing together the most complex and cold-blooded crimes

Benni and her relatives and friends are gathered for the family's annual barbecue and cattle roundup. Among the guests is Shelby Johnson, a young photography student from a wealthy Chicago family. In Benni she finds a favorite subject and a new friend. But when the young woman's body is discovered on the ranch the next morning, Benni's closest relatives suddenly develop into prime murder suspects...