This was described to me as The Great British Bakeoff meets Clue (it was a reader recommendation from the comments section here on the blog) and I immediately knew I had to read it, based on that one sentence alone. It is extremely fun, a little bit dark, and utterly enjoyable. The book opens with someone turning up dead on the set of a baking competition. We don’t know who died or who did it… just that there is a body. We rewind, and get to know the two show hosts. There is Betsy Martin, celebrated baker, longtime host, and owner of the estate where the show is filmed and now there’s her co-host Archie: new to the show and seemingly willing to play a bit dirty.. We also get to know the six contestants… all apprearing to be very kind and innocent people (you’d really imagine each of them on The Great British Bakeoff! Nothing is as it seems and not everyone is who they say they are. The show starts out with just a little bit of sabotage (mixing up ingredients, swapping sugar for salt) and quickly devolves from there. There is also a side dish of #metoo. I loved this. It kept me on my toes and was a super fun read. In the beginning I had a hard time keeping the characters straight but the author does a great job having us get to know them all as the show goes on. The only reason I gave it an A- was because I felt like it went just a little bit off the rails in the end but otherwise? Loved!
Author: Jessa Maxwell
