Maxie Pierce has a missing father and a half-sister suspected of murder. Maxie and Sylvia start working the chili cook-off circuit when their father, Texas Jack, went missing. Maxie is determined to find him. Her personal life is a mess. She's just been wiped out by her last boyfriend. She gets asked out by Roberto, one of the crew on the circuit. One date with Roberto is enough to let her know that she isn't interested.

When Roberto's body tumbles out of an RV owned by a famous chef, Maxie immediately becomes a person of interest. Unfortunately, once the police are convinced of Maxie's innocence, her half-sister, Sylvia, is arrested. It turns out that Roberto was once Sylvia's fiancé. Like many other women before her, Roberto used Sylvia and dumped her once he had what he wanted.

Now, Maxie has two things to accomplish; find Jack and save Sylvia from conviction.

The mystery in CHILI CON CARNAGE was interesting and sufficiently devious to keep the readers involved in the story. The twists and turns kept the reader's focus and made the final resolution even more satisfying. The only thing that made it hard for me to keep my attention on the book was the constant fighting between Maxie and Sylvia. Their continuing rivalry for their father's attention got in the way of the story. It's time for them to grow up and let the animosity go.