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A Measure of Murder
Sally Solari Mystery #2
Leslie Karst

Crooked Lane
February 14, 2017/ ISBN 978-1-68331-018-1
Mystery/Cozy/Amateur Sleuth

Reviewed by Laura Hinds

 

Three months have passed since Sally Solari’s Aunt Letta was murdered in the kitchen of the Gauguin restaurant. Sally inherited the restaurant and is running it while still working part-time at Solari’s, her family’s Italian restaurant. As if this isn’t enough to keep her busy, her friend (and ex-boyfriend), Eric, has persuaded her to audition to join the Santa Cruz Community Chorus. The chorus session runs for only three weeks, so what could go wrong in that short amount of time?

What can go wrong does go wrong, at the very first rehearsal when one of the tenors, an unlikable fellow, falls out of a tall church window to his death. The police chalk it up to a tragic accident. The window frame was rotted, and even though there was a sign affixed warning not to open it, obviously Kyle didn’t heed the warning. Sally isn’t so sure. The position of the body doesn’t look right to her. Kyle’s girlfriend doesn’t believe it was an accident either, and soon Sally finds herself investigating another murder, despite her misgivings after all that happened when she investigated Aunt Letta’s homicide.

Sally leads a busy life, what with working at two restaurants, her cycling workouts, the chorus, and a murder case. I wondered how an author could make a character so active and keep it believable. Then I read Leslie Karst bio on the back flap of the cover. It seems that Karst holds degrees in English literature, law, and culinary arts. She worked for twenty years as an attorney, and now in retirement, she enjoys cooking, gardening, cycling, and singing in the choir. Yet she finds time to write, too!

My hat is off to Ms. Karst for bringing a complex character to life with her ability to turn her true life experience into a work of fiction! Of course, I’m certain that Sally’s murder investigations are purely the result of her intelligent imagination!

I really enjoyed A Measure of Murder and I recommend it to all mystery lovers. It is well-plotted, paced nicely, and the cast of characters is unique. There are even some delicious looking recipes at the back of the book. Highly recommended.

Reviews of other titles in this series

A Measure of Murder #2
Death al Fresco #3

Reviewed 2017
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