Happy book birthday to Leslie Karst—for today her first Orchid Isle Mystery, Molten Death, erupts into the world! Here’s the synopsis:

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 . . .

Molten Death has been getting rave reviews. Booklist says of the book:

“Karst’s first Orchid Isle novel is part murder mystery, part vividly evocative, colorful sketch of Hawaii and its history, geography, tradition, culture, food, language, and people. Armchair travelers and mystery aficionados alike will find it entertaining.”

And Publishers Weekly had this to say,

An “entertaining cozy series launch…. Karst rewards armchair travelers without ignoring the thorny politics of Hawaiian tourism, and firmly grounds the core mystery in Valerie’s emotional struggles. Readers will be hungry for the sequel.”

Congrats to Leslie!

Molten Death is available as a hard copy and ebook. Buy it here.