Just when things seem to have quieted down at The Sweet Pea B & B, Samantha Sweet finds herself caught up in another mystery. It's October now, and that means it's time for the 33rd Annual Pea Soup Cook-Off, the most anticipated event of the year in Peabody as locals and visitors alike vie for the coveted Golden Ladle Award. And this year promises to be the most exciting to date with celebrity chef Gavin Gillis sitting on the esteemed panel of judges, along with Samantha and several other Very Important People. It's a Pea-tacular affair at first but things start to go wrong when the five judges appear to be marked for death. After Samantha narrowly survives an attempt on her life, she starts poking her nose into the business at hand: finding the person determined to leave a trail of death in Peabody. Despite being warned off by the police, Sam and her friends continue to investigate and somehow stumble on to the truth. With only God to call on in a desperate moment, Sam faces almost certain death and discovers an unexpected twist that would shock even Mother and the ladies of The Hot Curler - if she lives to tell them about it.