MURDER, LOCAL STYLE
by Leslie Karst
April 13 - May 8, 2026 Virtual Book Tour
Synopsis:
An Orchid Isle Mystery
Retired caterer Valerie Corbin investigates a suspicious poisoning in this Orchid Isle culinary mystery, featuring a feisty queer couple who swap surfing lessons for sleuthing sessions in tropical Hilo, Hawai‘i.
A dinner to die for!
It’s been an eventful transition, but retired caterer Valerie Corbin and her wife Kristen are finally settling into life on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Val’s even joined the neighborhood orchid society to make some new friends. So when she’s asked to step in to cater their latest social event, as the newbie of the group she can’t exactly say no.
But what should have been a straightforward gig is soon a dining disaster when the food from the event poisons and kills the society president. As Val herself becomes a suspect in the murder investigation, she’s determined to uncover the truth. Who would want to kill the mild-mannered president of the orchid society?
Turns out the list is longer than a celebrity chef's tasting menu. Apparently some of the residents did not "love thy neighbor." Can she reveal the killer’s identity before they strike again?
This mouthwatering cozy mystery is perfect for fans of Ellen Byron, Jennifer J Chow, Lucy Burdette, and Raquel V Reyes, and includes a selection of delicious Hawaiian recipes to cook at home.
Book Details:
Genre: Traditional Mystery, Snarky Cozy Mystery, Soft-Boiled Mystery
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: April 7, 2026
Number of Pages: 240 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9781448316588 (ISBN10: 1448316588)
Series: An Orchid Isle Mystery, Book 3 || Amazon, Goodreads, & Severn House
Book Links: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | BookBub | Severn House
Read an excerpt from MURDER, LOCAL STYLE:
From beginning of Chapter One...
Paradise isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.
Sure, Valerie Corbin knew she and her wife Kristen were supremely fortunate to now reside in the quaint, still-stuck-in-the-1970s town of Hilo on the magnificent Big Island of Hawai‘i—home to lush jungles, fiery volcanoes, black sand beaches, and coral reefs teeming with eye-popping tropical fish.
But at this moment, all she could focus on was the bull terrier-spaniel mix next door barking so loudly that it almost—though not quite—drowned out the whine of the pneumatic tools its owner was using on a jacked-up truck, the parts of which were currently scattered all across his driveway.
Letting loose a few choice words regarding both dog and man, Valerie slammed shut the window above the kitchen sink, then returned to the stove to poke at her potatoes simmering in a pot of water. At the sound of the back door opening, she looked up to see Kristen and her nephew, Sean, come inside from the lānai, Valerie and Kristen’s little white dog, Pua, trotting after them.
“We couldn’t take the racket anymore,” said Kristen, tossing her Outside magazine onto the counter. “Does he ever stop?”
“Who—Akoni or Larry?”
Kristen laughed. “Both, I guess. And yeah, I know the answer: rarely. Especially Akoni, with his constant yowling. Though I gotta say, it seems like Larry’s been working on his vehicles a hell of a lot more of late. And I don’t believe I’ve ever even seen that particular truck before. You think he’s started repairing other people’s vehicles, too?”
“Oh, God, I hope not. Though that would explain the increased frequency of the noise.” Valerie switched off the heat under her potatoes, then turned to Kristen. “I wonder if it’s legal to have a car repair business in this neighborhood. Maybe I should ask at tonight’s meeting if anyone knows.”
“Or maybe you could just talk to your neighbor about it,” put in Sean, who’d taken a seat at the kitchen table and was busy typing something into his phone.
Valerie and Kristen exchanged glances, after which Valerie replied, “Maybe later. But first we should figure out where we stand on the issue.”
Sean set down his phone with a shrug. “So what’s this thing you’re going to tonight, anyway?”
“It’s the monthly meeting for the neighborhood orchid society,” said Valerie, carrying the pot to the sink and dumping the steaming potatoes into a colander. “Shirley invited me—you know, the woman who lives at that house down the street with all those beautiful orchids in her tree ferns? I was admiring them the other day, and after we got talking, she invited me to come along tonight to see if I might be interested in joining. You wanna join me?”
Sean let loose his man bun, held in place by a wooden hair stick, and shook out his dirty-blond locks. “No can do; I’m working tonight at the hospital. It’s my first time in the ER, which should be interesting.”
Sean had come from Arkansas to do a three-month stint as a visiting nurse at the Hilo hospital and was now on his second week at the job—and at Valerie and Kristen’s house, where he’d be staying for the duration of his time on-island. “I didn’t know you were into orchids,” he said in a lazy drawl, pulling his hair back from his face and retying the bun.
“I wasn’t, not till we first got to Hilo. But they’re so amazing and, I dunno . . . other-worldly.”
Star Trek flowers, I call them,” said Kristen, and Valerie nodded.
“And they’re so easy to grow here, so I’m thinking it might be fun to try it myself. Plus, it’d be a great way to get to know some of the folks in the neighborhood a little better.”
“Like Larry?” asked Sean with a grin.
“Ha. I’m not so sure he’s really the orchid type . . .”
***
Excerpt from MURDER, LOCAL STYLE by Leslie Karst. Copyright 2026 by Leslie Karst. Reproduced with permission from Leslie Karst. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
Leslie Karst is the Agatha, Lefty, and Macavity Award-nominated author of the Orchid Isle Mysteries, the Sally Solari culinary mysteries; and the IBPA Benjamin Franklin and IPPY award silver medal-winning memoir Justice is Served: A Tale of Scallops, the Law, and Cooking for RBG. After years waiting tables and singing in a new wave rock band, she decided she was ready for a “real” job and ended up at Stanford Law School. It was during her career as an attorney that Leslie rediscovered her youthful passion for food and cooking and once more returned to school—this time to earn a degree in culinary arts. Now retired from the law, in addition to writing, Leslie spends her time cooking, cycling, gardening, and observing cocktail hour promptly at five o’clock. She and her wife and their Jack Russell mix split their time between Hilo, Hawai‘i and Santa Cruz, California.
Interview
1.
When did you first
realize you wanted to be a writer?
But it wasn’t until I retired from the law that I realized I needed to write a novel. And a mystery novel, at that. I’d long loved reading mysteries, so I decided, Hey—I think I’ll have a whack at that! And to my surprise and great pleasure, it actually worked out!
My first mystery took several years to pen, as not only was I plotting the story, but I was also discovering how, exactly, to write crime fiction, something I’d never before done. In fact, I’d never even before attempted to write fiction at all, so I found myself reading books with titles such as The Art of Crime Fiction and How to Write a Mystery Novel.
But after finally finishing the manuscript I secured a literary agent who got me a two-book contract, and all of a sudden, I had only six months to write the second book in the series. Yikes! But there’s nothing like a deadline to get your butt in the chair and write.
Ever since then, I’ve had a book published once a year, which means you have six months to write it, with the other six months dedicating to editing, proof-reading, and published.
3.
What is your work
schedule like when you're writing?
Then, once actually start to write, I try to do so for a couple hours most mornings. But it’s okay if I miss a day or two, as long as I’m progressing and getting several thousand words onto the page each week. Until that deadline starts looming. At which time I become much more driven: at least five-hundred words a day, hopefully a thousand.
4. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I’m a recreational cyclist, and my favorite
time to brainstorm ideas for my books is during my bike rides. Pumping up a
long and steep hill, nothing takes your mind off your burning calves like
solving a pesky plotting problem. But since I often do this by talking aloud to
myself (“Just how would Valerie figure out X?”), I often get strange looks from
the people walking along the sidewalk that I pass by.
So yes, I try not to say the word “murder”
aloud when I’m riding my bike and plotting!
5.
What do you like to
do when you're not writing?
Besides cycling, my favorite recreational
activities mostly involve food: growing vegetables in my garden; hosting dinner
parties (or being invited to one); going out with friends to restaurants; and
writing about food, as I do in all of my books.
But I also enjoy singing in my local chorus
(altos rock!), walking my Jack Russell mix Ziggy, and enjoying cocktails
promptly at five o’clock p.m. with my wife, Robin.
6.
How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
It amazes me to say this, as I had no idea
I’d even write a second book when I started my first mystery novel, but I now
have ten books published: six in the Sally Solari culinary mystery series;
three in the Orchid Isle mysteries, and a memoir about hosting an intimate
dinner party for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg called Justice is Served: A Tale of Scallops, the Law, and Cooking for
RBG.
Which is my favorite? Generally the one I’ve
just finished writing, as I’m always thrilled to have it done. But seriously,
the books that are dearest to my heart—and not necessarily the ones I consider
the “best”—are A Measure of Murder (in which Sally Solari joins a chorus singing the
magnificent Mozart Requiem), Molten Death (because of my obsession with volcanoes), and Justice is Served (because
that was the most marvelous experience of my life).
7.
As a child, what did
you want to do when you grew up?
When I was nine, I was obsessed with horses
and wanted to grow up and live on a horse ranch.
When I was thirteen, I still loved horses—but
also the Beatles—so my ambition was to grow up and live on a horse ranch with
Paul McCartney.
When I was twenty, I still loved the
Beatles—but had lost much of my horse addiction—so I wanted to become a rock
star.
8.
What would you like my readers to know?
I love communicating with readers, so feel free to drop me a
line (via the contact page at my website, which goes straight to my email), and
I promise I’ll write back!
And I want all of you to know just how much we authors truly
appreciate your support. We continue to write because of you!
Catch Up With Leslie Karst:
LeslieKarstAuthor.com
Chicks on the Case
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub - @ljkarst
Instagram - @lesliekarst
Threads - @lesliekarst
Facebook - @lesliekarstauthor
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