This was a charming little holiday book filled with a cast of lovely characters and a well developed plot . The story flowed along smoothly and was a very fun read.

This is an easy, relaxing read. Perfect for holidays.

It is part of a series, but, as I hadn't read the earlier books, it certainly can be read as a standalone.

It's a mystery with the backdrop of sunshine, family restaurant, local relationships, painting classes and bike rides - you get the picture.

I found it to be a 3* good read and if nothing else, it will take you to a sunny, beachside escape where wonderful food is served. What's not to like?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

“Death al Fresco” earns 4/5 Bodies in the Surf…Murderously Fun!

Santa Cruz, California? Painting outdoors? Treats from two restaurants? And a body in the kelp? Yeah! All the boxes checked off for this entertaining cozy from Leslie Karst’s Sally Solari Mystery series. Newbies need not shy away from enjoying “Death Al Fresco,” third book in the series, because background is revisited and character connections do have a reasonable explanation to keep readers engaged. The murder and subsequent investigation starts relatively quickly, a technique I enjoy in my cozies. Gino Barbierie, a local fisherman and regular at Sally’s father’s restaurant Solari’s, is found dead, but when the main ‘person of interest’ is very close to home, Sally must use her amateur detective skills to uncover the truth behind the victim’s death. The trail of clues and evidence, motives and suspects, dead ends and red herrings is engaging to follow, and the ultimate solution was a twist I didn't see coming, but totally enjoyed. However, I question how realistic it is for a conscientious restaurateur to abandon her responsibilities to go painting on a busy Saturday or off investigating a murder. Sometimes this happens in cozies, but how else will the busy main character get time to act as a detective? Garnering personal interest, Karst touched on the history of Italians settling in the Santa Cruz area in the early 1900s, and her description of the seaside brought to mind my numerous summer vacations and visiting my sister who lived there for a time. I enjoyed the rich characters Karst has created, well developed if not some quirky, and the dynamic between Sally and her father is entertaining…like most father/daughter relationships it is bittersweet, loving, but contentious. I totally identified! I also found interest in the friendly nature of the relationship between Sally and her ex. It provides a great partnership during the investigations (it's always good to have a DA on your side), but could more be rekindled? I am eager to see how all got here from there, so the previous two books are at the top of my “TBR” list! I highly recommend this book!

My favorite words in my cozies…Recipes Included! Sally has her own restaurant focusing on French/Polynesian cuisine called Gauguin, and along with her father’s Italian restaurant Solari’s, they have inspired four “friends will be envious” recipes: Solari’s Spinach Salad with Orange, Fennel, and Black Olives to accompany the Tagliarini pasta with Brown Butter, Sage, and Porcini Mushrooms, and from Gauguin’s Black Cod with Miso and Sake and Duck à la Likikoi. Yum!

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Death al Fresco by Leslie Karst is the third book in the Sally Solari Mystery series. Sally is taking an outdoor painting class when her dog finds a dead body. The dead man just happens to be a customer at her dad's restaurant, and the same man her dad had an altercation with a few days earlier. Sally sets out to clear her father's name. The mystery and setting for this book were interesting enough. I am still amazed that Sally has no real responsibilities when it comes to her restaurant. Several of the supporting characters are stronger than the main character. My problem with this book is the political angle. I read a book to relax not have to have political views forced upon me.

Sally Solari is enjoying an open-air painting class in Santa Cruz until her dog Buster sniffs out a corpse tangled up in kelp. The victim. Gino, was a local fisherman and a regular at the Solaris’ Italian restaurant. Witnesses claim Gino was drunk and people start blaming Sally’s dad for negligently allowing Gino to walk home alone at night. But then the coroner concludes that Gino was probably hit on the head and thrown in the water, so this was a murder. Meanwhile, Sally is busy helping her father organize a huge celebration dinner with VIPs from Santa Cruz's sister city. And then Javier, her chef, abruptly announces that he wants to run his own restaurant with his new pastry chef girlfriend. But Sally finds time to do some snooping and learns that Gino had been acting weirdly and antagonizing even his old friends. When Sally finds Gino’s distinctive hat in her dad’s boat, she hides the evidence, afraid that the police will come to the wrong conclusion. Sally uses hair from Gino's hat to test a theory about his odd behaviour. This helps Sally to eventually identify the killer and puts herself in danger again.

This is another enjoyable read in the Sally Solari mystery series with plenty of yummy Italian recipes.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

DEATH AL FRESCO, the third book in the Sally Solari Mystery series by Leslie Karst, is a delightful addition to Sally’s story. I enjoy that each book (all can be read as a stand-alone) focuses on a sense: the first book is taste, the second is sound, and this third book is sight. Ms. Karst weaves in plein air painting* into Sally and her dog discovering the body of an elderly Italian fisherman which had washed up on the beach. When she realizes the man frequented her father’s Italian restaurant, Sally feels a personal connection to the death. I found the bits and pieces that are provided about the Italians settling in the Santa Cruz area in the early 1900’s very interesting and it piqued my curiosity. The descriptions of the sea side setting made me feel like I was on vacation at this popular tourist destination. Sally Solari is a likeable character. She is one busy woman though, running her own restaurant, Gauguin, and helping her father as his restaurant prepares for a huge banquet to welcome an Italian mayor who is coming for a visit. There is also a hint of romance to come and I, for one, am hoping things work out between Sally and her ex in future books. I’ve always enjoyed the way they work together in the previous books and this one is no exception.

With so much responsibility demanding her attention, Sally doesn’t have much extra time on her hands. But when people start blaming her father for the death of the fisherman and she finds incriminating evidence, she knows she needs to start asking questions to clear his name. The action starts off early in the story with a good build-up to a satisfying conclusion. There are plenty of suspects to keep the reader guessing and I found the reason for the murder quite unique. It wasn’t at all what I had anticipated which added a nice twist to the mystery.

With Sally working at two restaurants in this book, there are so many delicious dishes mentioned! It made me want to visit Santa Cruz and track down both Solari’s and Gauguin… if they really existed. Fortunately, Ms. Karst has included a few recipes at the back of the book. All sound exceptional and since the author graduated from culinary school, you can count on them being delicious.

Sally and her friend Eric are taking an outdoor painting class around Santa Cruz. During class one Saturday, Sally’s dog finds a dead body in the kelp. The man was a regular at Sally’s family’s restaurant, and his last few days seem to be connected to his time there. Can Sally figure out what happened before the restaurant’s reputation is ruined?

This book has a good mystery with viable suspects and a couple of good twists to it. It also has some strong sub-plot, which are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they take the focus off the mystery a bit too much at times. On the other hand, they are the perfect showcases for some of the recurring characters, and I enjoyed seeing them again and how they are growing. Overall, I found this a satisfying read.

This is the third installment of the Sally Solari series. I read this ARC for a honest review.
Sally is a hard protagonist to like because she is not really a protagonist. She spends a lot of time painting and bike riding. She is living off a large inheritance from her family and has a easy does it happy go lucky indulged life with her own (inherited) restaurant which she does not seem to spend time running and free housing . .She prefers to be out on the beach or doing activities. She is impossible to take seriously as a protagonist. She seems to be very self involved and leave the murder and her business to others . She finds a dead body on the beach during another outdoor painting class and finds the deceased was a well known fisherman. Her investigation really never takes off as she goes from activity to activity. Her focus is riding bikes painting and flirting with her ex. I did like the supporting characters as they solved the murder for me.
I tried to read this 3 times to give it 3 chances but the character of Sally is not likeable and did not make sense in a mystery. The mystery itself was separate from her and well crafted.

I have been looking forward to this book. I have read a lot about the author’s books but this is the first that I have read. It is the third in the Sally Solari Mystery series. This story can be read as a stand alone.

Sally is a restaurateur. She has inherited Gaugin from an aunt, helps her dad with Solari, his restaurant, on an emergency basis, and tries to investigate questionable deaths.
Her dog,Buster, finds a pile of seaweed with a body in it at an open air painting class. She recognizes the body as a regular customer to Solari. Her friend and former boyfriend, Eric try to resolve the case to insure her father is not arrested for this crime.
The story was tight, well written and entertaining. I liked all the revelations as I progressed through the plot. I'm rooting for Eric and Sally.Recipes were included at the end of the book.
I am so happy that Netgalley has given me the opportunity to read this one. I received this ARC from Netgalley. Thank-you for the opportunity to read and review.

This is the third book in the Sally Solari series, and I enjoyed it. The descriptions of the Monterey Bay area and the restaurant business were interesting, but the story didn't keep my attention. I finished the book, and the writing was good.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely Saturday at the beach with a friend, enjoying a painting class...... with a side order of corpse in the washed up kelp? Sally is taking some much needed time out from her newly inherited restaurant Gaugin (that's a previous mystery) and having to deal with her father, owner of the family's Italian restaurant - he wants her to help him put on a dinner for 100. Oh, sure thing, Dad. Add that to the fact that the corpse was murdered and her dad is a prime suspect. With help from her ex-boyfriend and a nice cast of locals, she gets it done. By the end I was so hungry for Italian food you could have heard my stomach rumbling a mile away. Plus thinking of a nice vacation back to Monterey Bay, one of my favorite places for a getaway.
Overall a pleasant mystery with enough twist and turns to keep my attention. As this is the third in the series but the first I have read, I will be adding the previous entries to my TBR list.

Enjoyable cozy mystery. Interesting look at the kitchens of restaurants. Also enjoyed her painting class and bike rides. The dog is a fun addition. The murder mystery kept me reading until the end. I look forward to reading more in this series.

It’s summer in Santa Cruz, and restaurateur Sally Solari decides an open-air painting class is a perfect way for her to learn more about Paul Gauguin, the inspiration for her restaurant. But the beauty of the Monterey Bay coastline is shattered when Sally’s dog Buster sniffs out a corpse tangled up in kelp.

The body is Gino, a local fisherman and a regular at her father's restaurant, Solaris until he disappeared after dining there a few nights before. Witnesses claim he left reeling drunk, but his waitress swears Gino only had two beers with his dinner. Fingers begin to point at Sally’s dad for negligently allowing an inebriated customer to walk home alone at night.

From a long menu of suspects that includes Anastasia, the mysterious woman who dined with Gino that fateful night, Gino’s deckhand Bobby, and bocce player Frank who accused Gino of cheating, Sally must serve up the tall order to clear her father’s name.

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Series: A Sally Solari Mystery Book - 3
Author: Leslie Karst
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Culinary
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books - Publishing Date March 13, 2018

Death al Fresco is the third book in the “A Sally Solari Mystery” series. It is a quick, enjoyable read with plenty of plot twists and clues that may or may not be what they seem. Leslie Karst is a wonderful writer who knows how to build suspense and intrigue without getting bogged down in unnecessary verbiage.

Sally has her hands full working in her new restaurant as well as her father’s restaurant, Solaris and things do not look for getting better any time soon. With a big celebration at Solaris add her touchy cook, Javier at Gauguin’s, she isn’t sure whether she is coming or going. Things spiral downhill fast as she races against time to solve a murder before her father and she ends up out of business.

The cast of characters in this new addition to the series are fan favorites. They are likable and lovable, and readers cheer from the sidelines as each of them plays their part. Sally’s father, as well as her bf and old flame, Eric play a starring role in the story and add to the enjoyment of the book and the reader.

Santa Cruz is a wonderful location to set a series, and Ms. Karst uses it well as the backdrop of an intriguing and highly pleasurable plot. The recipes are mouthwatering and will have readers tracking down their local Italian restaurant to see if they have the delightful dishes described in the story.

When the killer is unmasked, the motive is a bit confusing and the killer although a suspect still seems a bit of a surprise. Although the motive for the murder is not explained very well and is left up to the reader to scrutinize its meaning, Death al Fresco is recommended for anyone interested in a good story filled with action and fun.

ARC provided by Netgalley

really tried to like this book. I attempted to read it 3 different times.
The story fell flat, it had nothing that grabbed me or captured my attention.
I had hoped that one of my attempts would have sparked an interest, but it just didn't happen.

I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

Death Al Fresco by Leslie Karst is the 3rd book in the Sally Solari Mystery series, and my second book by this author. Sally, a former attorney, who returns to her home town to run her inherited restaurant Solari, and also helping her father with the family restaurant, Gauguin. When a body is found, and it affects Gauguin, she sets out to solve the mystery. I found this book to be slow, and I wanted Sally to stand up for herself. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

'Death al Fresco' was my first in the Sally Solari Mysteries and I am a happy fan. The locale was fantastic, the characters engaging and the mystery was well-crafted and suspenseful. There was a perfect light touch of humor, mystery and romance. I'm going to go get the first books in the series and try to get full background. I look forward to more.

This is the third installment of the Sally Solari series. I must admit this is the first book in the series that I have read. I did not have a problem reading this as a stand alone book.

Sally has recently inherited a restaurant and is horrified when her dog finds a body tangled up in some kelp. It turns out the body is a regular at the restaurant who had disappeared a few nights earlier. Witnesses claim that the deceased was inebriated, but his waitress claims he only had two beers. Is this a case of being overserved and negligence or something more sinister? It's up to Sally to uncover the truth before someone she loves or the restaurant suffers.

This was a fun book that kept me guessing. A fun cozy mystery!

Sally Solari, former attorney and current restauranteur from Santa Cruz, California grew up in the family restaurant. When the body of an old local fisherman, and regular customer at her Father’s restaurant, is discovered by her dog, Buster, on the beach where she is taking a painting class, Sally finds herself playing detective.

While I enjoyed beyond whisked away to the Monterey Bay area for a while, the story was more focused on Sally’s personal life than solving the mystery. Running a restaurant, not counting helping in another, is a labor of love with lots of hours spent working. Between running her own restaurant, Gauguin, and helping her Father prepare for a party to celebrate the visit from the town’s sister city in Italy at his restaurant, Solari’s, I’m not sure how Sally managed to have free time to paint, throw a dinner party, and solve a murder.

While the author’s writing style provides for an easy read, I just didn’t truly get into it. Perhaps not having read the previous books in this series caused me to view the story differently, but I believe that books should be written to stand alone. And when well written, they will also make me want to read the previous books. I’m sorry to say that this voracious reader does not find either to be the case with Death Al Fresco

Death al Fresco was a relaxing read. It is the third installment in the Sally Solari Mystery series. It can, however, stand on its own. This is a delightful series perfect for those wonderful lazy afternoons at the beach or quiet evenings in with a cup of tea. Leslie Karst does a nice job of balancing mayhem, duplicity and a touch of romance. This book is less suspenseful than the previous books in the series, but it is still a nice read. The recipes at the end appear appetizing. I enjoyed it.