Leslie Karst, A Measure of Murder

Bookshop Santa Cruz welcomes local author Leslie Karst for a reading and signing of her new cozy mystery, A Measure of Murder, book two in Karst's Sally Solari mystery series.

Sally Solari is busy juggling work at her family’s Italian restaurant, Solari’s, and helping plan the autumn menu for the restaurant she’s just inherited, Gauguin. Complicating this already hectic schedule, she joins her ex-boyfriend Eric’s chorus, which is performing a newly discovered version of her favorite composition: the Mozart Requiem. But then, at the first rehearsal, a tenor falls to his death on the church courtyard—and his soprano girlfriend is sure it wasn’t an accident.

Now Sally’s back on another murder case mixed in with a dash of revenge, a pinch of peril, and a suspicious stack of sheet music. And while tensions in the chorus heat up, so does the kitchen at Gauguin, set aflame right as Sally starts getting too close to the truth. Can Sally catch the killer before she’s burnt to a crisp, or will the case grow as cold as yesterday’s leftovers?

“Engaging characters, terrific writing, and a savory blend of musical and culinary erudition...polymath Karst sauces her plot without masking its flavor. And she’s a dab hand with the red herrings.” Publishers Weekly starred review

“Her wit is as razor sharp as chef’s knives, and with the liberal toss of red herrings into the mix, this savory story is sure to be as much of a hit as the first.” San Francisco Book Review (five stars)

“[A] mystery that rings true and features several unexpected twists along with the appended recipes that are de rigueur for culinary cozies.” Kirkus Reviews

Originally from Southern California, Leslie moved north to attend UCSC and, after graduation, parlayed her degree in English literature into employment waiting tables and singing in a new wave rock band. Exciting though this life was, she eventually decided she was ready for a “real” job and ended up at Stanford Law School. For the next twenty years Leslie worked as the research and appellate attorney for the Grunsky Law Firm in Watsonville. During this time, she rediscovered a passion for food and cooking, and so once more returned to school—this time to earn a degree in Culinary Arts from Cabrillo College. Now retired from the law, she spends her time cooking, singing alto in different choruses, gardening, cycling, and of course writing. Leslie and her wife and their Jack Russell mix split their time between Santa Cruz and Hilo, Hawai‘i.

Visit her online at http://www.lesliekarstauthor.com/