Dying for a Taste

February 29, 2016
The stabbing murder of Violetta Solari in the prep room of Solari’s, her Santa Cruz, Calif., restaurant, propels Karst’s winning debut, the first in a cozy series. Detective Vargas, the lead investigator on the case, suspects sous-chef Javier Ruiz, since the murder weapon, a chef’s knife, belonged to Javier, but former attorney Sally Solari, who takes over Solari’s from her aunt Letta, has her doubts. Javier adored the supportive Letta. Sally sets out to find the truth, aided by DA Eric Byrne, an ex-boyfriend of hers with whom she remains on friendly terms. She soon learns that Letta received threatening letters and that many people resent that she’s now running the restaurant. Family secrets and friction as well as accusations that Letta was using inhumane food sources cause Sally to pursue lines of inquiry that lead to a surprising conclusion. An intelligent sleuth, an unusual murder, and a few recipes add to the appeal. Agent: Erin Niumata, Folio Literary Management.

February 15, 2016
A California lawyer-turned-restaurateur adds sleuthing to her resume. Sally Solari never cared much for her job as an attorney. So when her mother died, she went back to helping her father run Solari's, an old-style Italian restaurant on the water in Santa Cruz. Her life suddenly changes with a call from a former boyfriend, Assistant District Attorney Eric Byrne, who informs her that her aunt Letta Solari has been found dead in Gauguin, her Polynesian-themed restaurant. Letta's sous-chef, Javier, is the prime suspect, since she was stabbed with his knife, taken from a cabinet to which only the two of them had keys. Sally is shocked to find out that Letta left her the restaurant. She asks Javier to keep Gauguin running while she looks for an alternate suspect. Letta had a boyfriend, Tony, but Sally's surprised to discover that her past also included a girlfriend with whom she recently reunited. In addition, Letta received a number of threatening letters from an animal activist decrying her use of factory-farmed meat and fish. Some insider information Sally gets from Eric gives her still more ideas about possible motives. Eager to come to terms with her loss and set her future course, she keeps digging when Javier is arrested, despite warnings to back off. Karst's series debut features a spunky heroine, a mystery loaded with red herrings, oodles of food lore, and the requisite appended recipes.

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March 1, 2016

After her mother's death, Sally Solari quit her high-powered law firm in San Francisco and returned to Santa Cruz to work at her father's old-school Italian restaurant. Then her Aunt Letta is murdered in her own eatery, the upscale Gauguin. Eric, an assistant DA who happens to be Sally's ex-boyfriend, keeps her in the loop as the investigation of her aunt's death unfolds. When Javier, Letta's protege and chef at Gauguin, is arrested, Sally is convinced it's a miscarriage of justice. There are many other suspects, but the police are convinced they have the culprit in hand. VERDICT Fans of Joanne Fluke, Edith Maxwell, and Lucy Burdette will savor this food-oriented debut, seasoned with well-done plotting and characters, complete with tasty recipes.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2016
Former lawyer Sally is called from her new job at her father's restaurant in Santa Cruz, California, by her DA friend, telling her that Sally's aunt has been murdered. Aunt Letty also ran her own restaurant, and the number-one suspect is Javier, the sous chef Letty had mentored for years. Sally gets another shock when she learns that Letty left her the restaurant. Sally can't figure out if she should stay at her father's restaurant, take over Letty's, or return to work as a lawyer, so she does a little of each while trying to find Letty's killer. Karst's smart, engaging characters steal the show in this razor-sharp new food series. Recipes add to an intelligent story that will leave readers hungry for more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)