It’s been a few months since we last checked in with Valerie and Kristen, and in that time, they’ve completed their move to Hawai’i. While they are trying to settle into their new life, Valerie agrees to help out their friend Sachiko who needs a bartender at the restaurant she manages. The old bartender has disappeared, but when his body turns up, the police start looking at Sachiko as a suspect. Can Valerie figure out what really happened to him?

Since Valerie and Kristen were fighting in the first book, I had trouble buying into their relationship. I’m happy to say they were getting along better here, and I enjoyed spending more time with them. The rest of the characters were great as well, and I hope we see many of them again. The plot appeared to be wandering a bit at the beginning, but everything came into play on the way to the surprising climax. Some of the characters do use Pigeon English, but I didn’t have trouble following their dialog. There is a glossary in the back if you want to learn more as well as five recipes to enjoy after you’ve finished. The setting came to life, and it was the next best thing to getting to visit myself. This is a fun second book for when you want a tropical retreat filled with murder.

In Waters of Destruction Valerie and her wife Kristin have just moved to Hilo, Hawai'i after vacationing there and solving a murder--covered in the first book of the series, Molten Death, which I haven't yet read. While they are still settling in, one of their new and only friends on the island asks Valerie to help out as a bartender. Sachiko is the manager of a restaurant, and her previous bartender has disappeared. Eager to find something to keep herself busy in her retirement, Valerie agrees. She soon finds herself entangled in another murder mystery when Hank, the missing bartender, turns up murdered and Sachiko is one of the prime suspects.

One of the things I liked about the book is the way Valerie and Kristin make new friends while investigating the murder. Valerie becomes involved with others at the restaurant, and both women join a paddling group to learn more about Hank's potential enemies there. Turns out Hank wasn't a great person, and more than one of his acquaintances had motive to kill him. But as they learn more about Hank, the two women also find themselves gaining new friends and hobbies.

The descriptions of Hilo and surrounding areas are wonderful, and on a gray wintry day just the thing to brighten up my own surrounding area!

While I did like all the new friends Valerie and Kristin were making, it was a little difficult to keep up with so many different characters. And sometimes the hinted at complications or issues with the characters sort of fizzled out--I know a good mystery has to have red herrings, but maybe there were just a few too many here.

Overall this is a great story, one I enjoyed reading. As I mentioned earlier, I had not read the first book in the series before reading this one, which was not a problem at all. Karst did a great job of including quick and unobtrusive details from the first book. I will, however, be reading that first book as soon as I can get my hands on it!

I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley.

Valerie finds herself tending bar at her friend's restaurant because the bartender has gone missing. When he turns up dead and Valerie's friend is the main suspect, she begins to ask questions. Hawaiian paradise doesn't seem so tranquil when a murderer is out there and just might be working with you! Well written story with plenty of action and red herrings to keep you guessing. I enjoyed this book, the setting and characters. Another great series for the author!
I was given an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review.

When Hank the bartender goes missing, Val agrees to step in to help her friend Sachiko. After all, she's a new resident in Hilo having more there with her wife Kristen and their little dog and making a community is high on her priority list. But then Hank is found murdered. Sachiko is a suspect, and Val sets out to investigate. The murder part is classic cozy but the setting and the characters- retirees in Hawaii- are what set this and its predecessor apart. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I'm a fan.

WATERS OF DESTRUCTION is the second book in the Orchid Isle Mysteries by Leslie Karst. With the gorgeous setting and multi-cultures of the Big Island of Hawai’i as the backdrop, this newest release brings the reader a twisty murder to solve along with colorful characters to keep the story entertaining. Protagonist Valerie and her wife, Kristen, are a retired couple, newly moved to the island. I love that they’re women of a “certain” age, yet grab life with vitality and gusto. They are also extroverts, intent on creating new friends and social circles in their new home. The author accomplishes this by having the pair get involved in local activities, like learning how to paddle outrigger canoes. This also become a plotline in the mystery while, at the same time, I found the descriptions of the sport (and culture) intriguing. The beauty and wildness of the island is also brought to life on the pages and I doubt you can find a more perfect setting for a mystery!

When Valerie’s new friend, Sachiko, asks her to help at a local restaurant, bartending, she finds out it’s because one of the bartenders has disappeared. And when Sachiko is implicated in his murder, Valerie becomes involved in the investigation. I appreciated Kristen is much more supportive of Valerie’s investigating this time, and even tries to help find answers. Their questioning takes them out on the waves of the ocean to the rocky banks of a magnificent waterfall to friendly neighborhood bars. As they delve deeper into the background of the victim, it becomes apparent more than one person had issues with him. The plot moves at a pleasant pace and evokes the charm of island life. As the story unfolds, the clues drop into place and all my questions were answered. I greatly enjoyed my armchair trip to Hawai’i and the chance to hang out with wonderful characters!

Not only are there several (delicious) bonus recipes at the back of the book, but there is also a glossary of Hawaiian and Pidgin words and phrases. Ms. Karst captures the flavor of the island using vernacular to fit the characters, and I appreciated being able to reference the glossary for clarification when needed.

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I could only read one chapter of this book. Nothing grabbed my attention or encouraged further reading. This seemed sort of like those short, formal stories you read in high school. I need books that grab my attention. Not my kind of read.

Thank you NetGalley. After visiting Hilo Valerie and Kristen are retiring there. Val offers to help out when a bartender leaves their friend without his help. His body is found a couple of days later. Who can be responsible for this crime. Val continues helping out while Kristen is helping a lady with some building to keep her occupied. Val is trying to kind out who might have done this crime. They take up paddling with some ladies. the story leads us around to who could he or she be that and why?

5/5 stars: This is the second entry in Karst's Orchid Isle Mystery series, which is a 2SLGBTQIA+ Senior Sleuth Culinary Cozy Mystery that follows a retired caterer who finds herself swapping relaxing with her retired carpenter wife for sleuthing for a killer in tropical Hilo, Hawai'i after a good friend's implicated in a bartender's drowning death. As she dives into the murky waters of the case, she'll uncover plenty of secrets and lies but she'll have to work fast to catch the killer. With plenty of twists and turns, Karst has masterfully crafted a mystery that deftly balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Heartfelt and humorous, Karst's writing and character work are stellar; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. It's a joy to catch up with Valerie, her wife Kristen and their friends at the Speckled Gecko and the folks of Orchid Isle. I adore sixty-something's Valerie and Kristen's lovely married life and relationship and their adorable mixed-breed rescue dog, Pua. Additionally, Karst's descriptions of the tropical loveliness of Orchid Isle and Hilo environs are incredibly sumptuous. Oh and you'll for sure want to try out the absolutely yummy recipes included! While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading the series from the beginning; so be sure to pick up book one, Molten Death.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Severn House in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Retired caterer Valerie Corbin and her wife Kristen have bought a house in Hilo and are enjoying their explorations of their new neighborhood. Local restaurant manager Sachiko and her partner Isaac are among their new friends. When Sachiko begs Val to fill in for a missing bartender, she agrees to help.. It's also a way to pass the time & meet new people. Tragically, Hank's body is found at the bottom of a waterfall a week later and police are interested in his interactions with Sachiko before his death. Val agrees to help find out more about Hank & help clear Sachiko of the crime.

This was another enjoyable book set in an idyllic locale with dangers lurking below.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Severn House. All opinions are my own.

This is a well written mystery and I enjoyed the fact that it was set in Hawaii. It was nice to learn something about a place I’ve never been. Unfortunately I never felt any kind of connection with the main characters.

sapphic-marriage, retired, amateur-sleuth, boatraces, customs-and-belief-systems, contemporary, friends, friendship, glossary, investigations, local-law-enforcement, local-gossip, local-legends, missing-persons, murder, pet-dog, recipes, small-town, small-business, unpleasant-victims, unputdownable*****

Sixty-something Valerie (former caterer) and her wife Kristen (skilled carpenter) have retired from SoCal to Hilo but find the need to continue with being useful and are also interested in new activities. One of those is Valerie fill-in bartending at the local restaurant as the current one seems to have done a runner. Turns out she likes the job and the missing bartender was picked out of the ocean dead several days later. Let the investigating begin (and enjoy the travelogue, too)!
There is a lot of nomenclature and local Pidgin, so I would definitely recommend reading the glossary first, so you don't go down that rabbit hole like I did.
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected ebook file from Severn House via NetGalley. Avail Apr 01, 2025.
#WatersofDestruction by @lesliekarst #OrchidIsleMysteriesBk2 @severnhouseimprint
#cozymystery #murdermystery #NetGalley @goodreads @bookbub @librarythingofficial @barnesandnoble **** Review #booksamillion #bookshop_org #bookshop_org_uk #kobo #Waterstones #crimeFiction #contemporary #Hilo #outriggerRelayRaces #recipes #glossary

I really wanted to like this, it had all the hallmarks of something I would love. But from the first paragraph everything I read was just trying too hard. Constant overdone descriptions of everything to make sure the reader was aware of how much the author knows about the setting which interrupted any kind of flow for the story,

Things introduced and then dropped a page later without any kind of substance. It was painful and I didn't make it past chapter 1.

Leslie Karst has channeled the atmosphere of Hawaii in the second Orchid Isle mystery. Newly retired Valerie and Kristen are adjusting to their new home in Hilo when they get asked to look into a suspicious disappearance. Great fun, and it will make you long for the islands!

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I appreciate seeing more and more cozies with queer main characters where that's not any big deal in the book. I also enjoy the Hawaiian setting. But the mystery doesn't feel all that gripping to me, and it seems like the book is 90% talking. I would perhaps try another book in the series, but I suspect this just isn't my cup of tea.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

In her second Orchid Isle Mystery, Waters of Destruction, Leslie Karst deftly delivers a plot and characters that have the ring of authenticity regarding Hawai'i's Big Island, where the author and her spouse live for part of each year.

After vacationing on the island, retired spouses Valerie and Kristen have moved to Hilo and into their comfy new home. Looking for opportunities to keep herself busy and to get to know some of their new neighbors, former caterer Valerie agrees to work part-time at the local restaurant. She's filling the slot of one of the bartenders, who has disappeared suddenly after an employee event and is later found drowned. Knowing that Valerie had previously helped solve a murder after a volcano eruption, the restaurant manager asks her to sniff around and see if this was an accident or possibly a murder, and Valerie is happy to comply. At the same time, she and Kristen--the more athletic of the two--are learning the sport of group canoe paddling, and Kristen is helping a new friend build a lanai on her property.

It was interesting getting to know the restaurant employees, as Valerie picks up more and more clues, although nothing--at first--adds up. I appreciated the way the author caught readers up twice on the clues and suspicions Valerie had collected, which made me want to try to figure out the guilty party (although the number of persons of interest and the twisty plot happily prevented me from doing so). I enjoyed being immersed in the culture of Hilo as well, not to mention the food and the special cocktails Valerie created (recipes included at the end of the book). There is even a lengthy glossary of Hawai'ian, pidgin, and local vernacular words and phrases at the end, although I wished I had known it before completing the book. This is a series that has become a must-read for me, and I will definitely be looking for the next in the series.

My thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

I really enjoyed this as a sequel in the Orchid Isle Mystery series, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from the first book. I was engaged with the mystery of this book and enjoyed the overall feel of this. Leslie Karst has a strong writing style and was glad everything felt like it was supposed to. I'm excited to read more in this series and from the author.

(I was gifted this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review courtesy of NetGalley)

I really hate, and try to avoid, giving books a one star rating unless I feel I have no choice, and here we are. Honestly, if this weren’t an ARC I was reviewing, I likely would have chosen to DNF as well. The only pro for me was that the book was casually queer revolving around a sapphic married couple and that they just so happened to be gay, but that wasn’t the point or premise of the story. The issue was that I wasn’t invested in the characters, the mystery or the plot. I felt like I didn’t get to know enough about the characters to care about them and there wasn’t any development about them. I could have forgiven that if the mystery completely took me over and kept me hooked but it took a long time to drop and then it wasn’t enthralling to me. I had to force myself to keep reading and when I pick up a mystery, I want it to be a page turner that has me guessing and re-guessing with almost every page or chapter which this just didn’t do. I was really disappointed and letdown and hate that I was. Curious if the precursor was better and the followup was a bust or if the series just isn’t my cup of tea.

Immediately craving an Hilo Sunset and Ube Blondies.
This was a fun and quick read, a cozy thriller that took place in a beautiful setting. Valerie definitely needs ti go into investigation as a side gig to her current one(s).

After a vacation of a lifetime in Hilo, Hawai‘i, retired caterer Valerie Corbin and her wife Kristen have decided to move permanently to the beautiful – if storm-prone – Big Island. The couple are having fun furnishing their new house, exploring their new neighborhood and playing with their new little dog, Pua. But while they’ve made good friends with local restaurant manager Sachiko and her partner Isaac, they can’t help but feel a little lonely.

So when Sachiko begs Val to fill in for a member of her bar team who’s gone AWOL, Val dusts off her cocktail shaker and happily agrees. It’s a great chance to meet more people – and learn the local gossip.

Such as about Hank, the missing bartender, who vanished after a team-building retreat at a local beauty spot a week ago, and hasn’t been seen since. Until, that is, his body turns up at the bottom of the waterfall, and the police seem very interested in where Sachiko was at the time of his death.

Sachiko couldn’t have killed him . . . could she? Val dives into the murky waters of the case, determined to find out.
Loved it. Will recommend to others.