Pleasant Creek, Indiana, loves its history. Each summer the town sponsors Heritage days, a festival commemorating the signing of Pleasant Creek’s original town charter. Liz Eckardt couldn’t be happier to participate in the star-spangled celebration. Her bed-and-breakfast, the Olde Mansion Inn, is booked solid.

But someone else isn’t happy. Antique items related to the historic event are being stolen from Pleasant Creek’s people and businesses, including Liz herself. Not only that, the culprit is demanding that a reenactment of the original signing be performed during the celebration, or else people Liz cares about may come to harm. Determined to keep her friends safe, Liz takes on the daunting task of researching the original signing and directing the reenactment. Does the culprit merely want to torch the celebration or is there more to his sinister plan?

Material Girl Sadie Schwarzentruber has troubles of her own. Someone from her past resurfaces, and it looks like bygones may not be bygones for the descendant of one of Pleasant Creek’s founding fathers. Adding fuel to the fireworks, the beloved town historian, who’s collecting up artifacts as fast as others are being stolen, may have his own agenda. And what about the new director of the Pleasant Creek Playhouse? Hot publicity might be just what she needs to get her new venture off the ground with a bang.

Liz and the rest of the Material Girls, aided by Mayor Jackson Cross, will have to band together if they’re going to pull off this event without anyone getting hurt. Will this year’s celebration go down in history? Or go up in flames?

Tara Randel