Review of The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell

If you love cozy mysteries and love cooking competition shows, you need to check this one out. Here’s my review of The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell.

Jen’s Quick Take on The Golden Spoon

• A cooking competition murder mystery
• A bit of a locked room feel
• Definite cozy mystery vibes
• If you love watching Great British Bake Off, Top Chef, and the Food Network, you will love this book!

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell

Published on March 7, 2023 by Atria Books. Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

I read this book in February 2023.

Review of The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell

I got really hooked on culinary competition shows during the pandemic. They were the perfect thing to watch: comforting, low-stakes, and yet still held my attention.

The Golden Spoon definitely has Great British Bake Off vibes. Betsy Martin feels a little bit Mary Berry to me and Archie Morris’s charm feels a little Paul Hollywood. I also get a bit of Martha Stewart from Betsy, who hosts the competition at her own estate. (Did anyone but me watch Bakeaway Camp With Martha Stewart? Probably not.)

There are only six contestants: Gerald, who is a bit of a perfectionist/control freak. Hannah, the youngest contestant, is dying to get out of Polly’s Diner in Eden Lake, Minnesota. (Apparently she has not watched or read that cozy classic, Murder She Baked.) Peter, an architect. Stella, a former journalist. Pradyumma, an entrepreneur who bakes and self-medicates. Last but not least, Lottie is the grandmother of the group.

At the beginning of the book, someone discovers a body, but we aren’t sure who it is or what happened to them. As the rest of the story unfolds, contestants are eliminated under some circumstances that are also a bit mysterious.

The Golden Spoon is a cozy mystery combined with a locked room mystery. It has the food theme that many cozies are known for, but rather than taking place in a small town, it traps two hosts, six contestants, and a few crew members in a remote New England mansion.

If you enjoy cozies and/or cooking competition shows, definitely give this one a try!

If you’re up for women’s fiction set at a Great British Bake Off-inspired competition, try Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame!