The Fragrance of Death by Leslie Karst

Leslie Karst is the author of the Lefty Award-nominated Sally Solari culinary mystery series. A former attorney with a degree in culinary arts, Leslie splits her time between Santa Cruz and Hilo, Hawaii. The Fragrance of Death is the fifth Sally Solari Mystery.

A walk on the pier

Leslie said the idea for this series came to her during a walk on the historic Santa Cruz wharf. “I already knew I wanted to set my mystery in my own beautiful town, and I knew it had to be a culinary mystery, given my passion for food and cooking. But I wasn’t sure what the ‘hook’ would be. And then, watching a group of old Italian men as they laughed together and fished, I started thinking about all the changes that Santa Cruz had gone through over the past several decades and it came to me: What if my protagonist was a fourth-generation Italian gal whose family runs an old-school Italian seafood restaurant out on the wharf, but whose life is completely upended when she inherits her aunt’s upscale French-Polynesian restaurant and is suddenly thrown into the unfamiliar world of all the trendy ‘foodies’ who have swarmed into Santa Cruz of late?”

Each Sally Solari Mystery revolves around one of the five senses. The Fragrance of Death focuses on the sense of smell. Or rather, the lack thereof. “On page one, Sally wakes up to discover that a vicious sinus infection has taken away her ability to smell—not a good thing for a gal who depends on her senses of smell and taste for her livelihood as a restaurateur and cook. This—along with my passion for artichokes, which play an important part in the mystery—set me off on Sally’s adventures in this fifth book in the series.”

Cozies and the real world

“I firmly believe that good fiction requires both believable characters as well as a realistic setting for those characters to inhabit. And since my Sally Solari mysteries focus on the world of restaurants, I feel it would be doing a disservice to my readers to completely turn a blind eye to the real-life issues that impact those in the service industry. 

“That said, I write cozies, where there is an expectation that the stories will be upbeat and fun to read. As a result, although I do touch on some more serious subjects from time-to-time (e.g., addiction, sexism, and immigrants’ issues—as well as sustainable and humane food practices), my books definitely maintain a light tone throughout.”

I am not Sally

Leslie said readers often compare her to her protagonist, Sally Solari. There are similarities, but there are also differences. “We have many things in common: our love of food and cooking, dogs, Giants baseball, single-barrel bourbon, and snarky comebacks. And we’re both ex-lawyers who far prefer whipping up a sauce béarnaise to drafting a motion to compel discovery.”

As for their differences, Leslie said one of the biggest is what would happen if she discovered a dead body. “I would turn and high-tail it the other way as fast as my short legs would carry me. And I would never own a ‘57 T-Bird—they require way too much upkeep and tinkering to keep running. Nor would I want to own a restaurant. Having to work nights, weekends, and holidays and be on your feet for hours on end with an aching back and burns all over your arms and hands? No thank you! 

“But how fun is it that I can live vicariously through Sally! I’ve always dreamed of having a T-Bird, and I used to fantasize about running a French-Polynesian restaurant. And it’s great fun to put myself as I write inside the body of a tall, lithe gal (who’s also more than twenty years younger than I). And yes, I will admit that I too sometimes think of her that way, myself…”

Long before COVID-10

“The concept of having Sally lose her sense of smell in this new book came to me far before COVID was causing this problem for so many people the world over. About ten years ago, I had a vicious sinus infection that completely wiped out my sense of smell: I couldn’t detect a thing, not even the stinkiest cheese you could imagine. And when my ENT told me my sense of smell might never return—it all depended on whether my nerves regenerated—I was horrified. Food was my life. My passion!”

Fortunately, Leslie’s sense of smell returned after six weeks, but it planted a seed. “I thought: What about a mystery featuring someone who loses her sense of smell? How would that affect her ability to investigate the case? In other words, it’s good to know you can always turn your own worst nightmares into a plot for your next book!”

Tidbits—both culinary and otherwise

While writing the first book in the series, Dying for a Taste, Leslie research mortuaries. “I have a friend who lives upstairs from his. I learned all sorts of fascinating tidbits about the funeral business (such as the fact that they refer to the dead bodies they receive as ‘heads’). Most, alas, did not make it into the book—which is often the case with your research.”

But Leslie’s most enjoyable research comes when she’s working on new recipes. “Since Sally’s restaurant, Gauguin, serves seasonal dishes, I’ll consult charts about what fruits, vegetables, and fishes are in season in Northern California at the time the story takes place, then brainstorm different menu items for the restaurant based on those. Then the hard part comes, however, when I have to develop actual recipes for the items I’m going to include in the back of the book. Since I’m very much of a ‘pantser’ when it comes to cooking—tasting the dish, adding a little of this and then, then tasting again—coming up with specific ingredient amounts and cooking times can be quite the chore. But my family and friends are always very happy to be guinea pigs when I have them try out my inventions!”

Learn more about Leslie Karst at www.lesliekarstauthor.com. Did you like this interview? If so, click here to read more Behind the Story interviews from your favorite authors.