Death al Fresco: A Sally Solari Mystery

Cozy up on a cold late winter day with your tea and be transported to sunny Santa Cruz once more in the third installment of Leslie Karst’s Sally Solari Mystery series, Death al Fresco. Just as with her first two in the series, this novel easily stands alone, though it is wonderful to follow along with Sally’s continuing adventures. This time, while taking an outdoor painting class on the Monterey Bay coast with her best friend and erstwhile boyfriend, Eric, her energetic pup, Buster, discovers the body of a local fisherman. Even before foul play is obvious, one of the suspects is none other than her own father because of his seeming negligence in allowing an inebriated customer to leave his restaurant. Sally is determined to clear his name and find the real killer, even if that means putting herself in danger–again!

There is no shortage of suspects once it is clear that Gino was murdered. There is Gino’s handyman, Bobby, hot-headed bocce player Frank, and the mysterious Anastasia, who joined Gino for what happened to be his last supper.

Karst has a lot going for her in this series. The Monterey Bay setting is fabulous, the characters are complex and engaging, and perhaps best of all, she includes delicious recipes! What more could a girl want!