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Last week, I reviewed the film Goodbye June, but it turned into a reflection on how death and dying is portrayed in media. Tina is reading the the Booker Prize winner, Flesh by David Szalay.

Book: Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot by Alexis Hall
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication date: 2025

Source: E-book borrowed from library via Hoopla

Summary: Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot is the third book in this series that is set in the world of a fictional British baking show. The first two books in the Winner Bakes All series, Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake and Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble, broke a long reading slump that I experienced in 2023.

In Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot, we meet Audrey, a contestant who is a journalist in her regular life. She’s eliminated early in the series, but not before she spots a human interest story.

Doris, the oldest contestant ever, has a connection to the grand house where the show is filmed. In World War II, when she was a child, she was evacuated from London to this house. After the war, she returned as a household servant. Her time at the estate included a clandestine relationship with the rebellious daughter of the house.

Meanwhile, the cantankerous producer of the show intends to control every aspect of it. A journalist with a story is the last thing that she needs! By rights, Audrey should be gone from the show but she keeps returning and the producer, against her better judgment, keeps allowing it to happen.

Thoughts: The Winner Bakes All series introduced me to the author, Alexis Hall. He writes prodigiously and in a variety of genres and styles. I keep being amazed.

It was such a pleasure to return to the world of the fictional baking show. Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot was an excellent addition to the series. I suspect this will be the last, making it a trilogy. I’m sad for it to end. On the other hand, the ending of this book is such a satisfying one that I’m willing to leave it behind and see what other wonderful things can come from Alexis Hall’s mind.

Appeal: The three books in this series can be read stand alone, but might as well be read in order. If you’re a fan of The Great British Baking Show (aka The Great British Bake Off), I think you’ll get a kick out of these books. I know I did!