I’ve recently taken to listening to podcasts about books and reading, and a couple of them mentioned this gem. The problem with this situation is that the podcasts get me excited for new releases, and I have to either take my place on a long holds list through the library, or fork over the money to buy it—the takeaway being that my wallet has become MUCH lighter lately! But in this instance, I was good and waited for my turn with a library copy. Then promptly devoured it in next to no time at all!

The description of this mystery as a combination of Clue and The Great British Bake Off is an apt one! A popular baking competition reality TV show is filmed at the host, Betsy Martin’s, estate. Over the course of a week, contestants vie for the coveted Golden Spoon through a series of baking contests. But things are not going great for Season Ten, as an unwanted cohost has been foisted upon America’s Grandmother, and someone seems to be sabotaging the competition. First a contestant’s salt gets swapped with their sugar, but we know things are going to escalate quickly, as the prologue shows us Betsy discovering a dead body on set.

There was another family saga-type historical mystery with a Gothic vibe going on that I really dug. Many of the characters were a joy, even if I wasn’t 100% buying the characterization for some of them (looking at you, Hannah). There were some plot points I found a bit questionable, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the heck out of this read, and consuming almost all of it in a single sitting (much like I do with baked goods). Brava!

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