by Jessa Maxwell
Atria Books, 2023. 287 pages. Mystery
When production for the tenth season of the hit cooking competition Bake Week begins at the gothic estate of the show's host and founder, celebrity chef Betsy Martin, everything seems normal. The six contestants are eager to prove their culinary talents over the course of five days, while Betsy struggles for control of the show with her new co-host, the brash and unpredictable Archie Morris. But as the baking competition gets under way, things begin to go awry. At first it's merely sabotage--sugar replaced with salt, a burner turned to high--but then someone shows up dead and suddenly everyone's a suspect.
As a Great British Bake Off fan, the premise alone of this novel was enough to keep me reading. I especially enjoyed the distinctive characters and their relationships with each other, and I came away wanting more of each of their backstories. A great pick for fans of cozy, culinary, and locked-room mysteries.
If you like The Golden Spoon, you might also like:
The Maidby Nita Prose
Ballantine Books, 2022, 289 pages. Mystery
Molly has her daily routine. She wakes up, eats her breakfast, dresses in her uniform, and heads to work as a maid at The Regency Grand Hotel. Her life is lonely and stressful since her Gran died and her life savings were lost, and Molly struggles to make friends and interpret social cues. But making beds, vacuuming neat lines in the carpet, and returning each room to a state of perfection brings order and joy to Molly’s life.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder
by Joanne Fluke
Kensington Books, 2000. 312 pages. Mystery
Hannah Swensen's supplies are delivered daily by Ron LaSalle, whom she often passes on her way to work. On this fateful day, Rons truck is soon parked behind the store, but he fails to reappear. When Hannah finds him seated in the truck, the window open, a bullet through his chest, shes inspired to work her way through the townspeople, looking for a motive for Rons death, even as she manfully resists her widowed mothers attempts to find her a husband.
SGR
