by Sandra Murphy & Leslie Karst

This week we have a review of the latest Orchid Isle Mystery by Leslie Karst, along with a fun spring recipe from Leslie. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

Waters of Destruction by Leslie Karst
Review by Sandra Murphy

Retired caterer Valerie Corbin and her wife Kristen have moved to the Big Island for their retirement. Exploring the island, furnishing their new home, and playing with their dog is fun but they miss the company of good friends. They enjoy spending time with local restaurant manager Sachiko and her partner Isaac but need more. That leads them to try competition paddling. It’s exhausting but skimming the ocean’s waves is therapeutic for their minds and souls, plus they get to meet new people.

When a bartender at Sachiko’s restaurant is a no-show, Valerie offers to fill in until a replacement can be found. Meanwhile, Kristen is helping a new friend add on to her house. It puts them at opposite schedules but it isn’t permanent.

When the missing bartender is found drowned, it’s hard for his friends to understand. That part of the water is beautiful but they all know a swimmer can be pulled under without warning. Valerie begins to think it wasn’t an accident. It was murder. Can she prove it?

This is the second book in the series. The first was Molten Death, reviewed in KRL. Karst also writes the Sally Solari mysteries (6) and penned Justice is Served: A Tale of Scallops, the Law, and Cooking for RBG (Ruth Bader Ginsburg).

At the back of the book are recipes for a Hilo sunset cocktail with tangerine for a change from the usual orange, Japanese-style egg sando (egg salad made with Kewpie mayo and served on Japanese milk bread), celery salad with walnuts, dates, and pecorino cheese, Kalbi ribs (also known as Korean-style short ribs), and Ube blondies made with purple yams. Karst says the blondies are sweet and chewy so one piece goes a long way.

She also includes a glossary of Hawaiian and Pidgin words and phrases that are used in the book.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s the editor for the upcoming Yeet Me in St Louis, an anthology with stories from twelve St. Louis writers. Her own short stories have appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Magazine, and anthologies such as The Perp Wore Pumpkin and I (Almost) Died in Your Arms. ‘Lucy’s Tree’, published in The Eyes of Texas, won a Derringer Award from the Short Mystery Fiction Society. She lives in St. Louis with Ozzie the Westie Impersonator and his sidekick in crime, Louie the Cat.

CELERY SALAD WITH WALNUTS, DATES, AND PECORINO
By Leslie Karst

(serves 6–8)

This is one of Valerie’s go-to potluck dishes, as it can sit for a fair amount of time without losing its crunch, and the unusual combination of ingredients makes for a distinctive and flavorful salad. Be prepared to give out the recipe to all the people who will surely ask for it!

Ingredients

1 cup raw walnuts
1 small shallot, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons walnut oil
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper
1 bunch celery, sliced thinly on the bias
½ cup dried pitted dates, thinly sliced
3 oz Pecorino cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Spread walnuts out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until browned and fragrant, about 7–10 minutes. Watch carefully, as they can burn quickly. Remove nuts from oven and, once cooled, coarsely chop.

Combine the shallot, vinegar, and oils in a bowl and whisk well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large bowl, toss the celery, dates, and walnuts together. Whisk the dressing one more time, then add to the salad and toss. If you’re making composed salads, plate up the individual dishes and then top with the shaved cheese. If you’re serving it family-style in a large bowl, add the cheese along with the dates and walnuts.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copy of Waters of Destruction, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “destruction” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen April 19, 2025. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify.

Leslie Karst is the Lefty 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.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.