Fork in the Road

When celebrity chef Preston Langley visits Crowder Family Farm scouting for suppliers, Clarkson Crowder thinks her dreams of commercial success are finally within reach. His enthusiasm for her asparagus is matched only by his promises of a lucrative partnership with his soon-to-open restaurant. But those dreams turn to disaster when Preston collapses in her driveway—and suddenly everyone in Crawford County is wondering if Clarkson's vegetables are safe to eat.

With her reputation wilting faster than lettuce in a heat wave, Clarkson has no choice but to dig into Preston's past. What she uncovers is a man who collected enemies the way other people collect cookbooks: a bitter ex-wife fighting over hidden assets, a loyal sous chef betrayed after years of sacrifice, and a fellow chef whose family recipe Preston stole and claimed as his own. The charming celebrity, it turns out, had a talent for smiling while he stabbed people in the back.

As Clarkson navigates the cutthroat world of farm-to-table cuisine with her trusty dog Diddly by her side, she'll need help from her sharp-witted grandmother Bea, her best friend Nora, and even the occasionally cooperative Sheriff Patterson to sort the fresh leads from the rotten ones. Because in a case where everyone had a motive, finding the real killer is the only way to save her farm—and prove that the only thing deadly about her produce is how delicious it tastes.