A Sense for Murder
-
- $9.99
-
- $9.99
Publisher Description
Chef Sally Solari has - to her own bewilderment - built a reputation as a talented sleuth who keeps tripping over dead bodies. But getting mixed up in the curious case of a cookbook killer threatens to be the final chapter in not just her investigating career . . . but her life.
It's the height of the tourist season in Santa Cruz, California, and Sally Solari has her hands full, both juggling crowds of hungry diners at her French-Polynesian restaurant Gauguin, as well as appeasing her father, who's distressed at the number of homeless people camped out in front of Solari's, the family's Italian seafood restaurant out on the historic fisherman's wharf.
Nevertheless, when Sally gets the opportunity to volunteer at a farm-to-table dinner taking place at the hip new restaurant and culinary bookshop Pages and Plums, she seizes the chance. Not only is it a fundraiser for an organization aiding the homeless and seniors, but up for auction at the event is a signed boxset of Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Sally's hero, the renowned chef Julia Child.
But then the Pages and Plums dining room manager turns up dead - the locked cabinet containing the precious books now empty - and the irrepressible Sally once again finds herself up to her neck in a criminal investigation. She may have a sense for murder, but can Sally outwit a devious killer with a taste for French cooking before the villain makes mincemeat of her, too?
A Sense for Murder is a fast-paced, super fun culinary cozy mystery that will have your brain working and your mouth watering. And if you haven't met sleuthing chef Sally yet, it's safe to jump right in.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Karst's breezy sixth cozy featuring Sally Solari (following Justice Is Served) opens with the chef and restaurateur volunteering to assist her pals Kamila and Lucinda with a fundraiser they're hosting at their hip bookstore café in Santa Cruz, Calif. The evening's silent auction includes a set of autographed first edition cookbooks by Julia Child and Simone Beck. Before the event can commence, however, Kamila and Lucinda's dining room manager is found dead beside the smashed cabinet that once housed the coveted cookbooks. Sally's old flame, Det. Martin Vargas, warns her against indulging her nosy instincts and launching her own investigation, but she's recently reconnected with another former beau—Santa Cruz's assistant DA, Eric Byrne—who's perfectly willing to accept her help. And Sally's eager to offer it, especially since Lucinda appears to be Vargas's prime suspect. Non-foodies may prefer to skip the extensively detailed passages about the meals Sally preps in the kitchen, but she's otherwise sassy, irresistible company, and the mystery remains surprising enough to satisfy. Culinary cozy fans will be in heaven.