Crisp autumn breezes, sizzling bratwurst, warm gingerbread cookies... and just a dash of murder. It's Oktoberfest in Buttercup, Texas, and homesteader Lucy Resnick is taking a break from her chores to enjoy a day of bratwurst, craft beer, and German gingerbread at Sweetwater Brewery. But the day takes a bitter turn when one of the brewery owners turns up dead, crushed by a giant sack of barley. It doesn't take long for Sheriff Rooster (not the sharpest tool in the garden shed) to finger the victim's brother and co-owner, Simon Gustafson. But former investigative reporter Lucy senses that the blighted plants in her pumpkin patch aren't the only things rotten in Buttercup. Will she find the killer in time? Or will she be next in line for canning?