Cozy Mystery Review: Murder Local Style + Character Guest Post!
Thanks to Great Escapes Virtual Blog tours for the chance to read and review the 3rd book in Leslie Karst's Orchid Isle Mystery series! (See reviews of Molten Death and Waters of Destruction if you like to start at the beginning.)
Murder, Local Style (An Orchid Isle Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Hawaii
Publisher : Severn House
Publication date : April 7, 2026
Print length : 240 pages
Hardcover
ISBN-10 : 1448316588
ISBN-13 : 978-1448316588
Digital
ISBN-13 : 978-1448316571
ASIN : B0FVLW3ZL8
Retired caterer Valerie Corbin investigates a suspicious poisoning in this Orchid Isle cozy 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.
My Review:
My Recommendation:
If you like a light, enjoyable, and well-constructed mystery with some fun foodie aspects (and recipes for food and cocktails), this series is for you. I always like to start at the beginning, but you won't be lost if you jump in here.Aloha, all, I’m Valerie Corbin. My wife Kristen and I moved to the Big Island of Hawai‘i from Los Angeles about six months ago, after falling in love with the place on our vacation here the previous spring. (Yes, that trip did include a few hitches—not the least of which was a dead body being covered over by hot, flowing lava—but it thankfully all worked out in the end. You can read about it in Leslie Karst’s book, Molten Death.)
I’m a retired caterer who worked in the film and TV industry, and I’d been looking forward to spending my days simply relaxing in my new-found home of Hilo. But I quickly found that was not enough: I needed something to do with my life other than taking walks with our rescue pup, Pua, and hanging out on the lānai reading and watching the noisy mynah birds squabble in the back yard.
Don’t get me wrong. The Big Island is an amazing place to live, with all sorts of activities to participate in. For one, there’s the fact that the island is home to eight of the thirteen total climate zones that exist on earth, from humid/tropical on the lush windward side of the island to polar/tundra atop the frigid slopes of Maunakea. And there’s also the unique geology of the land, with the presence of two active volcanoes (three, if you count Hualālai, which looms over the tourist town of Kailua-Kona and last erupted in 1801—just yesterday, in geologic terms).
And of course there are white and black sand beaches where you can snorkel and swim with eye-popping fish and adorable green sea turtles. Or simply laze on a towel and look up at the puffy trade-wind clouds as the float along the blue, blue sky.
Not to mention gorgeous tropical gardens with astounding plants and flowers that would be perfectly at home of the set of a Star Trek episode.
Nevertheless, I’ve realized that I’m a bit lonely here, having left all my old friends back in L.A. Sure, I’ve now got a job a few days a week as a bartender at the Speckled Gecko, the restaurant down on the Hilo Bayfront with the eclectic menu of Hawaiian, Asian, and Caribbean cuisine. And I do meet people there, but since they’re customers who generally come in to be with their family and buddies, I haven’t made any new friends there so far (other than the other staff—who are all great).
So when I heard that our neighbor had an orchid society, I was excited to join. It would not only be a great way to meet new people, but also to learn more about the amazing flowers which give their name to the Big Island’s moniker, the Orchid Isle. And unlike on the Mainland, where the plants have to be babied and kept in hothouses, orchids grow like crazy here: not only in pots, but on tree ferns and palm trees, and even as volunteers in unlikely places such as springing from street signs! Here’s an orchid along with a friendly gecko:
Then when I heard that the orchid society was looking for someone to oversee their annual benefit dinner, I realized I could make myself truly useful to them. I’d been a caterer for a living, after all. And if I do say so myself, the dinner was a resounding success. The ahi tower with avo and wonton crisps, butter-shoyu chicken, fried rice, and chocolate mac nut tart were all delicious and got rave reviews from the attendees. (The recipe for butter-shoyu chicken is in Leslie’s book, Murder, Local Style.)
Until the next day, that is, when the phone calls started coming in. It was a food service worker’s worst nightmare: food poisoning.
But things got even worse when the “poisoning” part of that phrase began to take on a whole other meaning. Had it been an intentional poisoning?
And then the finger-pointing started, and people began accusing me—the newcomer, outsider haole—of intentionally poisoned my neighbors.
Let’s just say that at this point, my initial idea of making new friends by joining the neighborhood orchid society was not going at all as planned....
Before we go any farther... enter the giveaway and win a signed copy of the book, 2 Orchid Isle coasters, and bookmarks!
About Leslie Karst
Leslie Karst is the Lefty and Macavity Award-nominated author of the Orchid Isle mysteries Waters of Destruction and Molten Death, of the Sally Solari mystery series, and of the IBPA Ben 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, then returned to school to study the culinary arts. Now retired from the law, Leslie splits her time between Hilo, Hawai‘i and Santa Cruz, California, spending her days writing, cooking, cycling, gardening, and observing cocktail hour promptly at five o’clock.
Author Links
Website http://www.lesliekarstauthor.com/
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BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/leslie-karst
GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14220589.Leslie_Karst
Purchase Links
Amazon Barnes & Noble Bookshop
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April 3 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
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April 4 – Because I said so – REVIEW
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April 7 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW
April 8 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
April 8 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
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April 10 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
April 11 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
April 11 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
April 12 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
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FTC Disclosure: I was given a digital ARC of Lies Are Better At the Lake as part of this virtual tour, and received nothing from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Rebecca M. Douglass, 2026
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