Leslie Karst attinge a una miscela unica di influenze, comprese le discussioni familiari che valorizzavano sia l'analisi attenta che le arti, per creare avvincenti storie di mistero. Applica questa formazione fondamentale alla sua scrittura, creando una serie di misteri culinari ambientata a Santa Cruz, California. Ex avvocato con lauree in letteratura inglese e arti culinarie, il suo background informa il suo distintivo approccio narrativo. Karst dedica il suo tempo a varie attività creative, dalla cucina e il canto al giardinaggio e alla scrittura, infondendo al suo lavoro una prospettiva ricca e sfaccettata.
When a head cold knocks out restaurateur Sally Solari's sense of taste and smell, at the same time her old acquaintance Neil Lerici is murdered at the annual Artichoke Cook-Off, she plunges headfirst into the case, risking alienating everyone she knows. But soon it's not just her restaurant and her friendships on the line - it's her life ...
Sally Solari quits her job as an attorney to help her recently widowed father run his restaurant. When her aunt is found murdered and her sous chef is the prime suspect, Sally is determined to clear his name and find the real murderer.
The story follows amateur sleuth Valerie Corbin, who is taken aback by the discovery of a rapidly melting corpse near a volcano. As a food enthusiast, she finds herself drawn into a mystery where the challenge lies in investigating a murder with no evidence of the victim's existence. This intriguing premise sets the stage for a unique blend of culinary passion and crime-solving, as Valerie navigates the complexities of a case that seems to defy reality.