Clue meets The Great British Baking Show: when I read that description, I knew I had to read The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell (2023). It is the tenth season of Bake Week, a reality competition filmed at the home of “America’s Grandmother,” longtime host Betsy Martin. Six contestants arrive at the secluded Vermont estate, along with a new cohost and crew. After the novel opens with a murder, the story goes back a week earlier with members of an ensemble cast sharing their points of view.
This darkly comic mystery is well-crafted entertainment that’ll keep you guessing until the end. Motives, opportunities, secrets, and shenanigans abound.
I recommend listening to The Golden Spoon (via Overdrive/Libby), narrated by a full cast. And the book is in development for a Hulu miniseries—read it before you watch it!