Molten Death

December 15, 2021
Constable Teddy Creque, the sole police officer on Anegada, a tiny island in the British Virgin Islands, conducts two daring rescues during a massive hurricane, capturing escaped prisoner Marianna Orro, a self-proclaimed Palo Mayombe priestess, in the process. With the hurricane raging, Orro escapes from the Anegada jail, leaving two men dead and one dazed with no memory of her escape. Creque soon learns a fishing boat has disappeared and believes it may have been stolen by Orro. When the boat is located on the coast of Cuba, Creque's superiors send him to Cuba, both to oversee salvaging the boat and to find evidence of Orro's presence. Working with Cuban police officer Luz Garcia, the two travel to the boat and find that the tiny town nearby is apparently being terrorized by dark magic. A principled hero, solid details of police work and the practices of Palo Mayombe and Sateria, and lushly described settings permeated by unease and possible supernatural phenomena combine to distinguish this ambiguous, unusual mystery.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2024
Kristen and her wife, Valerie, visit Hawaii for some R&R and to repair their marriage, which has suffered after Valerie was involved in a fiery car crash that killed her brother. Soon after they arrive, they visit the site of a volcano to see the lava flow. Kristen goes off exploring, but Valerie witnesses a horrifying site--a human foot and leg gradually being covered by the molten lava. When Kristen returns, there's no trace of the body. Determined to prove she wasn't hallucinating, Valerie decides to play amateur sleuth. When she hears that a night watchman at the new (and much reviled) geothermal plant is missing, she thinks he could be the victim. As she investigates, it's clear she's ruffling some feathers. When her sleuthing pays off, the conclusion is sad, but it also--oddly--helps Valerie feel some closure about her brother's death. 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.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 19, 2024
Karst (the Sally Solari mysteries) introduces grief-stricken retired caterer Valerie Corbin in this entertaining cozy series launch. Valerie, the traumatized survivor of a car accident that killed her brother, Charlie, knows her emotional numbness has put a strain on her marriage. To brighten things up, she plans a vacation to Hawaii’s Big Island with her wife, Kristen. The couple’s island respite is short-lived, however. While viewing an active lava flow one day, Valerie spots a man’s boot, then notices it’s still attached to a leg. Moments later, the leg and boot are covered by molten rock. Though Kristen doubts what Valerie saw, Valerie doubles down on her claim and scours for information about missing people in the area. Soon, she discovers that a local man has recently disappeared, possibly in connection with a rash of avocado thefts, or a protest movement enraged that the island’s sacred resources are being exploited. 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. Agent: Erin Niumata, Folio Literary.

March 1, 2024
A recuperative trip to Hawaii doesn't go as planned. Valerie Corbin and her wife, Kristen, have come to Hawaii hoping that a change of scene will help Valerie recover from the horrors of the car crash that killed her brother and nearly killed her. Staying with a friend on the Big Island, they're glad when the heavy rains stop just in time for a pre-dawn trip to watch the lava flow from a nearby volcano. When her friends start climbing, Valerie stays behind to enjoy "the lava beast spread[ing] its limbs in its nonstop march downhill"--but she soon sees a boot-encased foot disappearing under the lava and instantly flashes back to her crash. Though neither her friends nor the police believe she really saw a body, Valerie resolves to investigate in the absence of any evidence. In the meantime, the couple continues to enjoy what the island has to offer. For Kristen, that's great surfing, while Valerie, whose brother owned a restaurant, enjoys the local foods she finds at the farmers markets. Reading the newspaper over breakfast the next morning, Valerie finds someone who might have belonged to that foot. She pokes around, asking questions about matters that are sensitive to several groups: activists for Hawaiian independence, opponents of a geothermal project, avocado thieves, and some low-level drug dealers. Even as she learns more about Hawaiian culture, she can't forget what she saw and continues to pursue clues likely to put her in danger. The mystery is overshadowed by the fascinating look at all things Hawaiian.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.