Molten Death (An Orchid Isle Mystery)
by Leslie Karst

About Molten Death

Molten Death (An Orchid Isle Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – the Big Island of Hawai‘i
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Severn House (April 2, 2024)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1448312167
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1448312160
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CKWF5VWT

A glimpse of a quickly melting corpse at the foot of a volcano has amateur sleuth and food enthusiast Valerie Corbin shocked. But how can she investigate a murder, when there’s no evidence the victim ever existed?

The first Orchid Isle cozy mystery, set in tropical Hilo, Hawai’i, introduces a fun and feisty LGBTQ+ couple who swap surfing lessons for sleuthing sessions!

Retired caterer Valerie Corbin and her wife Kristen have come to the Big Island of Hawai’i to treat themselves to a well-earned tropical vacation. After the recent loss of her brother, Valerie is in sore need of a distraction from her troubles and is looking forward to enjoying the delicious food and vibrant culture the state has to offer.

Early one morning, the couple and their friend – tattooed local boy, Isaac – set out to see an active lava flow, and Valerie is mesmerized by the shape-shifting mass of orange and red creeping over the field of black rock. Spying a boot in the distance, she strides off alone, pondering how it could have gotten there, only to realize to her horror that the boot is still attached to a leg – a leg which is slowly being engulfed by the hot lava.

Valerie’s convinced a murder has been committed – but as she’s the only witness to the now-vanished corpse, who’s going to believe her?

Determined to prove what she saw, and get justice for the unknown victim, Valerie launches her own investigation. But, thrown into a Hawaiian culture far from the luaus and tiki bars of glossy tourist magazines, she soon begins to fear she may be the next one to end up entombed in shiny black rock . . .

The amiable characters, stunning backdrop and culinary delights make this the perfect cozy of fans who enjoy a tropical vacation with a twisty murder mystery and compelling Hawai’ian culture – paired with an added bonus of recipes of local Hawai’ian dishes!

About Leslie Karst

In addition to Molten Death, Leslie Karst is the author of the Lefty Award-nominated Sally Solari mystery series and Justice is Served: A Tale of Scallops, the Law, and Cooking for RBG. After years of 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, Leslie spends her time cooking, cycling, gardening, observing cocktail hour promptly at five o’clock, and, of course, writing. She and her wife split their time between Santa Cruz, California, and Hilo, Hawai‘i.

Author Links

Website http://www.lesliekarstauthor.com/

Chicks on the Case https://chicksonthecase.com/

Mystery Lovers Kitchen https://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lesliekarstauthor/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesliekarst/

GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14220589.Leslie_Karst

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/leslie-karst

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Bookshop.org

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

March 29 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT

March 29 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE

March 30 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

March 30 – Elicia’s Book Haven – REVIEW

March 31 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW

March 31 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

April 1 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 1 –Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 2 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT

April 3 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW*

April 3 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

April 4 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

April 4 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

April 5 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 6 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

April 7 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

April 7 – Rebecca M Douglass, Author – REVIEW

Click here to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Want to Book a Tour?
Click Here

The Witless Protection Program (A Catering Hall Mystery)
by Maria DiRico

About The Witless Protection Program

The Witless Protection Program (A Catering Hall Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Setting – New York
Kensington Cozies (March 26, 2024)
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1496744624
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496744623
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C9W8W668

Mia Carina has steered her Italian-American family’s Astoria, Queens, catering hall, Belle View Banquet Manor, into becoming the borough’s premiere party site, and nothing could make her happier—except her boyfriend proposing. There’s just one presumed-dead obstacle in the way . . .

A strong, independent woman and respected entrepreneur, Mia never imagined she’d pine for a marriage proposal. Yet lately, with her beloved Shane, she’s on tenterhooks. It’s especially surprising, considering Mia’s first husband, Adam, was a philandering grifter, assumed lost-at-sea after a boating disaster. But everyone knows what happens when you assume . . .

While working a huge wedding expo in Manhattan, Mia is shocked to spot the man who nearly destroyed her life. The one who’s supposed to be sleeping with the fishes. But she loses him in the crowd. And when it happens again the next day, it’s time for an emergency meeting with the family—and the Family. Because if Adam is alive, Mia is still married . . .

Everyone wants Adam dead. Everyone except Mia. She’s dealt with enough police for a lifetime. Mia needs to be a divorcée, not a widow. But someone out there disagrees, and if Mia doesn’t discover who, she may never be free to marry Shane—or anyone else . . .

Italian recipes included!

About Maria DiRico

Maria DiRico is the pseudonym for Ellen Byron, author of the award-winning, USA Today bestselling Cajun Country Mysteries. Born in Queens, New York, she is a first-generation Italian-American on her mother’s side and the granddaughter of a low-level Jewish mobster on her father’s side. She grew up visiting the Astoria Manor and Grand Bay Marina catering halls, which were run by her Italian mother’s family in Queens and have become the inspiration for her Catering Hall Mystery Series. DiRico has been a writer-producer for hit television series like Wings and Just Shoot Me, and her first play, Graceland, appears in the Best Short Plays collection. She’s a freelance journalist, with over 200 articles published in national magazines, and previously worked as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart, a credit she never tires of sharing. A native New Yorker who attended Tulane University, Ellen lives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter, and two rescue dogs.

Author Links – Website – Chicks on the Case – Facebook – Twitter –

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo –Bookshop.org – Kensington –

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

March 25 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT

March 25 – Elicia’s Book Haven – AUTHOR GUEST POST

March 25 – Christa Reads and Writes – SPOTLIGHT

March 26 – The Mystery of Writing – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 26 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

March 26 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 27 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading – REVIEW

March 27 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT

March 28 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 28 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

March 29 – Books to the Ceiling – PODCAST – SPOTLIGHT- EXCERPT

March 29 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 30 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT

March 30 – MJB Reviewer – SPOTLIGHT

March 31 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

March 31 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT

April 1 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW

April 1 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

April 2 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR GUEST POST

April 2 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – REVIEW

April 3 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

April 3 – The Plain-Spoken Pen – REVIEW – EXCERPT

Click here to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Want to Book a Tour?
Click Here