The Golden Spoon is a new novel by Jessa Maxwell with a premise too perfect to pass up — it’s a murder mystery that takes place at a fictionalized version of The Great British Bake Off. Now, I know what you’re thinking… there’s no way a murder would happen at The Great British Bake Off because the contestants are too lovely and nice. Agreed. But! The book’s Bake Week is an American baking show, not a British one, which means the contestants are a little more intense, the judges are a little harsher, and the stakes are a little higher. In the prologue we learn a murder has been committed in the tent, but the identity of the victim is left a mystery (think Big Little Lies); from there, the book takes us back four days prior as the contestants start to arrive on set. The Bake Week competition takes place over the course of five days with each day presenting a new baking challenge, and we follow along as the contestants whip up cakes and breads in hopes of impressing judge Betsy Martin and her new co-host Archie Morris. To add to the Clue-ness of the mystery, the contestants all stay in Betsy’s old-fashioned country mansion for the duration of filming. At first, the bakers appear perfectly friendly, if a little competitive — someone’s sugar is swapped for salt, another contestant’s fridge is left opened — but secrets and motives emerge as the week progresses that make even the sweetest contestant a suspect.

I absolutely adored this book. I’m a longtime fan of The Great British Bake Off, and I have to imagine Maxwell is one as well; she gets the tone of the beloved baking show exactly right, and seems to know its quirks and traditions inside and out. Like the real-life show, the contestants are what make this book shine. Maxwell alternates perspectives so that we get to exist within the mind of each of the contestants (as well as Betsy) in turn, and all of their backstories and personalities feel distinctive and believable. And though the setting is cozy and characters are largely likable, Maxwell somehow imbues the novel with this creepy, sinister air. I was thoroughly spooked by the ghosts that seemed to lurk in the mansion’s shadows, and found myself holding my breath at each end-of-chapter cliffhanger. The Golden Spoon is the perfect blend of charm and terror, a delightfully fun read.

I’d recommend this book to…

• Anyone looking for a compulsively readable mystery with multiple narrators… it’s similar in style to Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
• Anyone who loves when an endearing cast of characters gets stuck in a house with a potential murderer… it’s similar in theme to The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray
• Anyone hankering after a light yet satisfying read… it’s similar in tone to The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennet