The Golden Spoon and A Mansion for Murder

Two new mysteries to be published in March:

THE GOLDEN SPOON by Jessa Maxwell is a delicious debut which, as the publicity materials note, combines elements of The Great British Bakeoff with Only Murders in the Building. It is a totally fun immersion in behind the scenes view of Bake Week, a television contest (complete with big white tent) hosted by “America's Grandmother,” Betsy Martin, at her longtime Vermont family estate called Grafton Manor. There are six contestants who share narrator duties with Betsy. That moves the story along as we see the varied plans for baked goods from Gerald, a precise and logical math teacher; Stella, a former journalist recently turned baker; Pradyumna, an entrepreneur looking for adventure; Peter, a restoration specialist; and Lottie, a nurse and long-time baker in contrast to Hannah, one of the youngest contestants ever on the show. Each has some backstory that is gradually revealed, adding to the ominous foreboding feeling as (of course!) a storm rages. Designed for amusement and entertainment, albeit with some serious elements, THE GOLDEN SPOON received enthusiastic starred reviews from Kirkus, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly.

I really enjoy the Kate Shackleton Mysteries so I have already finished a preview copy of A MANSION FOR MURDER by Frances Brody, number thirteen in the cozy mystery series. Once again, Kate is immersed in the affairs of a small village (Saltaire) and its manor house, Milner Field, is purported to be cursed. She has arrived due to receipt of a cryptic letter from a local resident named Ronnie Cresswell who, sadly, is killed before they have a chance to meet. There are echoes of much earlier deaths in the region and Kate and her colleagues step up to investigate motives (industrial espionage? thwarted love affairs? covering up a theft?) with plenty of suspects and unexpected connections across generations and between social classes. Kate is a capable sleuth and Brody has developed another multi-faceted mystery to keep her readers guessing. Enjoy!