PMJ seizes Maxwell's 'gripping' cosy locked-room mystery

Penguin Michael Joseph has seized The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell, a “gripping and original cosy locked-room mystery” where “The Great British Bake-Off" meets Agatha Christie. 

Commissioning editor Grace Long secured UK and Commonwealth rights from Sarah Harvey at CAA. It was published in the US by Atria in March this year, and will be adapted for Hulu by “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" co-creator Aline Brosh McKenna and ABC Signature. PMJ will publish on 14th September in paperback original, e-book and audio. 

The synopsis says: “As six amateur bakers arrive at Grafton Manor for the tenth anniversary season of Bake Week, tensions are high from the outset. The show’s famous host and creator, Betsy Martin, is furious at the arrival of a younger male co-host who’s looking to steal her spotlight. The ambitious contestants are unnerved – by each other, and by the strange noises they can hear in the manor house at night. As the pressure starts rising, small acts of sabotage threaten to derail the competition. But when a body is discovered, everyone becomes a suspect – because someone at Bake Week is out to settle old scores…” 

Maxwell said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be working with the team at Penguin Michael Joseph. As soon as I spoke with Grace, I knew that MJ would be the perfect home for my debut murder mystery, The Golden Spoon. I hope it will complement the rest of their phenomenal list of books and authors that I have so long admired.” 

Long said: “I’m so excited to be launching Jessa’s brilliant debut in the UK. Jessa has created a thoroughly engaging and complex murder mystery, with a wonderful cast of characters who are at turns lovable and villainous throughout, a stand-out hook and a compelling puzzle of twists and turns that will have readers guessing throughout. Cosy crime and murder mystery fans are going to love this delicious debut.”