Hannah Swensen thought she'd finally discovered the recipe for a perfect life. But her sometime beau Norman Rhodes tosses a surprise ingredient into the mix when he phones to tell her he's just bought a house from local drugstore clerk Rhonda Scharfùwhich he plans to tear down in order to build the dream home he and Hannah designed. It seems the plan has been cooking for quite some time, and Hannah's shocked. Especially since her ring finger is still very much bareà

The good news is that the soon-to-be-torn-down house is full of antiquesùand Norman has given Hannah and her mother first dibs. They uncover some gorgeous old furniture, a patchwork quiltàand Rhonda Scharf's dead body. A little more sleuthing turns up the half-eaten remains of a very special dinner for twoùand one of The Cookie Jar's famous lemon meringue pies. Now it's up to Hannah to turn up the heatùand get busy tracking down clues. Starting in her very own kitchenà