It’s about eight am, and my wife Kristen and her surfing buddy Isaac have headed out to catch some waves at Honoli‘i Beach. Which is fine with me. I could use some alone time.

We’ve been on the Big Island of Hawai‘i for almost a week now, and I have to say it’s not turning out to be quite the vacation I’d hoped for. First off, the place isn’t at all what I expected it to be. I mean, I get that what you see in the movies isn’t the “real” Hawai‘i. You know, everywhere white sand beaches lined with waving coconut palms under a cerulean blue sky, and sunny days spent by the pool with a Mai Tai in one hand and cozy mystery novel in the other….

Okay, so maybe I did kind of expect all that. Or hope for it, in any case.

Anyway, here in Hilo on the wet side of the island, it truly is that—wet, I mean. According to Kristen, it’s the second rainiest town in the US (Ketchikan, Alaska being number one). And it’s certainly been living up to its reputation: I think we had three inches come down yesterday.

And it’s eerie being in a place with active volcanoes, where at any moment one could erupt and send molten lava flowing down to where you are. And after what happened a few days back, the thought of hot lava is about as creepy as can be. You see, Isaac took Kristen and me for a hike out to the current lava flow, but what we didn’t bargain for was also seeing a body being covered over by that flow.

Though it was only me who saw it, actually. And I’m pretty sure neither Kristen nor Isaac even believe me. They think I merely imagined it, or that the boot I witnessed being covered over with molten rock was just that—simply a boot. Which makes the whole thing all the worse.

So this morning while they’re out surfing, I’m going to sit on Isaac’s beautiful lānai and have some papaya and yogurt for breakfast while gazing out at his pink ginger and yellow heliconia, sip a cup of smooth Kona coffee, and make a plan of action.

Because I know what I saw, and if they don’t believe me, then I’m going to do whatever I can to prove my sanity and figure out whose body it was out there being covered with hot lava—and why.

Molten Death, An Orchid Isle Mystery Book #1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: April 2024
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

A glimpse of a quickly melting corpse at the foot of a volcano has amateur sleuth and food enthusiast Valerie Corbin shocked. But how can she investigate a murder, when there’s no evidence the victim ever existed?

The first Orchid Isle cozy mystery, set in tropical Hilo, Hawai’i, introduces a fun and feisty LGBTQ+ couple who swap surfing lessons for sleuthing sessions!

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 . . .

The amiable characters, stunning backdrop and culinary delights make this the perfect cozy of fans who enjoy a tropical vacation with a twisty murder mystery and compelling Hawai’ian culture – paired with an added bonus of recipes of local Hawai’ian dishes!

About the author
Leslie Karst is the author of Molten Death, as well as the Lefty Award-nominated Sally Solari mystery series and the 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. Connect with Leslie at lesliekarstauthor.com.