I didn’t connect with the main character very well. I had read any of the previous books and felt a bit thrown into a complex set of situations.
The setting was intersting.

I really enjoy cozy mysteries. They provide a good break from the intense historical fiction books I frequently read. And this book was a perfect fit! The characters are well developed, there is a great mystery, and you will be flipping through the pages as the clues are slowly revealed. This is the first book I’ve read in the series … as by this author. But I will definitely go back and read the first three books and add this author to my favorites list. I liked the way relationships were developing and the delicious food described. Yum! I would definitely recommend adding this book to your to-be-read list.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

seeing as how this is book 4 in a series, and i didn't read the first 3, i felt very thrown into the character/story. felt like this part: "her estranged blind cousin whose mother has just died of a drug overdose" was a lot to deal with, the cousin should be in therapy and maybe with a more stable person, like someone with a high stress job and more time to deal with her issues. i did like that the murder itself was in the "family" of the main character, very few times do i get to read a story where the murder is someone in their family, normally it's just some random person in town or some guest to the area so they don't have to deal with the "feelings" of the death itself.

Jumping in at book 4 of the series, I felt that although I could tell it wasn’t the first of the series, it didn’t feel like I had missed a great deal. Amazing recipes at the back are always a win for me. The characters were fun and the world-building was excellent. The mystery was well written. I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series..

Thank you to Leslie Karst, NetGalley, and Crooked Lane Books for giving me the chance to read this story and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.

Sleuthing For Sally....
A Sally Solari mystery. When Sally’s cousin, Evelyn, comes to stay following her mother’s untimely death it’s not long before Sally is persuaded to enter into some amateur sleuthing when it becomes clear that the death may be no accident. A fun, entertaining cosy mystery with endearing characters and a rather good plot. Delicious sounding recipes included.

This is the fourth book in the Sally Solari series. This book is just as enjoyable and entertaining as the first three!!

Sally Solari is no longer practicing law and now owns Gaugin, a restaurant in Santa Cruz after inheriting it from her aunt. Her father also runs a restaurant, Solari and Sally spends her time between the two. It's a lot to juggle and now her father has a favor to ask of her that will make her life even more complicated. Sally's cousin has died and. according to the police, it was a suicide. She lived with her 20 year old blind daughter, Evelyn and Sally's father has taken her in but finds out he is allergic to her service dog. Will Sally please take over and help her adjust to her new circumstances? It's family after all and, even though the two had never met, it turns out they get along very well. Cooking skills run in the family and Evelyn fits in well, teaching Sally a lot about how the blind adapt to their world.

When Sally and Evelyn return to get some things from the house, Evelyn knows that things are not in their proper places - she and her mother kept everything just so which allowed Evelyn to navigate the house. Things have been moved and she convinces Sally that her mother was murdered. Despite the police asking her to keep her nose out of things, Sally and Evelyn do their own investigation. It leads them into the cut throat world of restaurants and the pool of suspects. Who wanted Jackie Oliveri dead?

Leslie Karst's latest book in the Sally Solari Mystery series is Murder from Scratch. Sally is busy with her restaurant but still takes in a family member whose mother died. Evelyn is blind, but even she can tell that her mother's death was not suicide. She and Sally team up to investigate. The characters is this series continue to be strong, and the mystery kept me guessing until the end. I continue to enjoy this series.

If you’re hungry - especially for Indian or Southeastern Asian food - DO NOT READ THIS BOOK, lol. It is a great cozy mystery set in a restaurant and starring people who love to cook, so there’s so many delicious food descriptions and even some recipes at the end of the book. You will be craving more of the series and an order of spring rolls by the time you’re done!

As an aside, this book is the fourth in a series, but I had no problem reading it as a standalone.

The book’s main character is Sally Solari, who is owner of Gauguin, a Creole restaurant who comes from a large Italian family. She needs to take in her blind cousin, Evelyn, when her aunt is found dead in their home. But even though police are convinced it was a suicide, Evelyn is convinced her mother would never do such a thing. After a series of weird events, Sally is also convinced someone is hiding something, and the pair begin to investigate Jackie’s death. Turns out, there are plenty of people who could have wanted Jackie dead.

The characters in this book are really great - I liked Sally and Evelyn, both as a detective pair and as characters. They were worth rooting for. I’m excited to see where they go after this, especially Sally’s personal life, which some subplots dealt with (and there were some big developments at the end there!).

The mystery itself was good - it was a classic whodunnit, with plenty of suspects and motives. The ending was satisfying, and it made sense putting everything together. That’s really all you can ask for in a book like this.

Overall, I would recommend this as a great beach/vacation read or a good cozy mystery for a night in.

Meet Sally Solari, line cook/restaurateur and crime solver. So you know what that means! RECIPES with awesome Italian food at the end of the book, yet another reason to really sink one's teeth into this story. Sally's crime solver expertise is completely happenstance as she works to help her blind cousin, Evelyn, prove that her Mom couldn't have possible ended her own life when she had so much to live for. A cast of characters to choose from for a possible murderer, was it the ex-boss, the ex-partner, the ex-husband, or the ex-coworker? Evelyn might not be able to see but she can clearly tell that something is wrong and things are not as they should be. Sally needs to keep her wits about her when cooking and sleuthing because asking the wrong questions can get her burned.

The fourth in this mystery series featuring a lawyer-turned-chef, and I found it an enjoyable, solid mystery with some great writing and characters.

There wasn't a lot of info dumping, but I didn't feel wrong-footed as the characters were well drawn and introduced. Interesting to have a blind character in the mix! Using different senses really helps to round out clue hunting. Sally is a great MC, and there's a nice balance of angst over an ex-boyfriend/friend, and the potential relationship with an investigating detective (but, please, no love triangle!!), as well as family issues and figuring out the murder of her young cousin's mother.

It was an easy read and is a series I would like to start at the beginning, to follow the character development and storyline more closely. Well-written story and a well-plotted mystery!

At Gauguin, the restaurant left to her by her aunt, things are going well, so we'll that she is taking her chef, Javier, on as a full partner. But her father let's get know that a cousin has passed away, either suicide or perhaps something more sinister. Evelyn, her cousin's blind daughter, comes to stay with Sally for a few days and the more they learn, the more it looks like murder. As they look into it, the number of suspects behind to narrow down. Hopefully they can it out before the murderer strikes again. Quite a treat!

This is one of the best books I have read in a while. The plot was well crafted and the characters loveable - except for the shady ones who made it an interesting read.

The introduction of a character with a disability made the plot that much better. It is a rarity to see a character such as this. It shows they are as much a part of society - and of a crime solving team - as anyone else.

This book read very much like a movie. I ccanot wait to read the next ibstqllment!

Murder from Scratch is the fourth installment, but can be read as a standalone novel.

Evelyn who is blind finds her mother dead. The police think it is a suicide. However, Evelyn and her cousin make it their mission to find out the truth, and the truth is that Jackie was indeed murdered. Her cousin is Sally and she has inherited Gauguin an upscale restaurant which was founded by her aunt Letta. Sally is in the process of finalizing her partnership with Javier and is dealing with running a restaurant when she gets interrupted. Her fathers calls and asks for a huge favor. Her cousin has just lost her mother, she is blind and needs a place to stay. She is currently staying with Sally’s father, but he is allergic to dogs and can’t have her continue to stay at his house.

The storyline starts with Brian the cook working in the kitchen at Gaunguin. The problem for me is that is takes several chapters before things start picking up. Overall it is a slow telling story.

As to the characters, I wish most of them were a little bit more developed. Evelyn however is my favorite. Thoroughly enjoyed how the author accurately incorporates the life of a blind person into the storyline. Hoping to see Evelyn in future installments.

One of my favorite things about culinary cozy books is the inclusion of recipes. These are always exciting because inadvertently I will try them out. This book has just that as it includes several jump recipes. Can’t wait to sample the Singapore Noodles with Roast Pork and Broccolini and Nona Sophia’s Homemade Egg Pasta.

I was provided this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

My review will also appear on my blog https://www.ilysguesthouse.com/books on May 10, 2019.

This was the first cozy mystery that I genuinely liked. There was solid sleuthing shown which warmed my thriller loving heart. My first book by author Leslie Karst, though this was the fourth in the series, it was quite fun to follow Sally as she put on her thinking cap to find out who murdered her blind cousin Evelyn's mom.

I loved the way the author had characterised Sally. She was a line cook in her own restaurant. She managed her work, her hobbies, her friends quite comfortably. This book dealt with the cut throat restaurant business where making money seemed extremely difficult. It was quite enlightening. Evelyn too had a great part in the book, she was shown to be quite an enterprising strong woman, who had heightened senses.

My niggles would be there are certain lines which indicated the past few books, which I had no idea about. Hence I couldn't get a feel of their backstories. But that didn't affect my reading as Sally kept her personal life quite separate from her investigation. Another point which made me smile, having not read the complete title, I came to know the main character's name in chapter 9 when someone addresses her.

Overall, though a bit slow from my other books, but the good murder mystery more than made up for it. I quite enjoyed the interplay of familial relationships shown too.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery book set in Santa Cruz California. In the story, Sally Solari's relative is found dead by her daughter Evelyn. The police think it's a suicide at first, but Evelyn is sure it was murder. Sally and Evelyn do some sleuthing to find the murderer, and Sally ends up in a very precarious situation. Sally is a really likable MC and I enjoyed her frustrations with her love life. Her restaurant Gauguin is also really cool. And I loved her reaction to her dad dating again.

Murder From Scratch by Leslie Karst is the 4th in the series. It could be read as a stand alone . I recommend the series for all that enjoy cozy mysteries.
Sally is a busy restaurant owner. in a coastal town. While she is busy running her restaurant she has a nice relationship with her family and friends. She is a enjoyable protagonist and a good investigator to past crimes in her town. This addition to the series was both heartwarming and sad.
When a relative commits suicide, Sally moves the blind daughter, Evelyn, in with her. Evelyn asks Sally to help find the killer. She is sure her Mother did not kill herself.
This leads to a strong mystery as Sally try's to solve the murder of Evelyn's Mother. Because it is family is is all the more difficult then the other cases she has worked on,. As in every book in the series, the restaurant meals all sound delicious. It has a nice setting of a coastal town in California.,
This is an easy read with a strong story line and a good sleuth with multiple clues and suspects. Nicely done to the author. Thank you for the ARC for review., My opinion is my own,

Sally found herself playing host to her blind cousin Evelyn after Evelyn had come home to find her mother's dead body. After poking around the house a little and hearing about how a suicide note was worded, Evelyn was completely sure her mom hadn't committed suicide, and she wanted Sally to help her prove it. This was an exciting case that had several good suspects, red herrings along the way, and just when I thought we were being double-red herringed into thinking it was one person, I was still wrong, but it was a fun ride. The showdown was great and Sally really kept her brains about her and made some pretty smart moves and observations, one of which involved a fork in the perp's face.

During the case, Sally and Det. Vargas started being on a first-name basis, so maybe we'll get to see them go a on a few dates eventually. He seemed to appreciate her and Evelyn's help in this investigation. Sally's dad even found a lady to date. It'll be interesting to see what happens next. I really enjoyed the character of Evelyn! She was a strong young woman and an amazing cook, which told Sally from the get-go that they'd get along famously when her dad asked her to take Evelyn in for a few weeks. It's always a fun trip to Santa Cruz!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Murder From Scratch is the fourth book in the Sally Solari Mystery series by Leslie Karst. I have enjoyed all the books in this series, and this one is no exception. In this book Sally learns that her distant cousin has passed away and has left behind a visually impaired daughter. Initially the death appears to be a suicide but then signs start to point to something more sinister.
As always Leslie Karst grabs my attention from the start and holds it until the end , taking me on a wild ride of twists and turns until the ultimate reveal of the never suspected killer.
I would definitely recommend this to fans of the culinary cozy genre.
Already looking forward to the book!

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Sally is reunited with her blind cousin under sad circumstances. Evie finds her mother’s corpse and while the initial verdict seems to be suicide, Evie is unconvinced. There are too many things that do not make sense and so the two cousins try to convince the authorities that they should look deeper.
In the cut-throat world of food, it seems there are lots of high emotion. Evie’s mother has set up her own restaurant but not everyone is happy with it. Could one of her competitors kill in order to gain the upper hand? As the two women investigate, it seems more and more likely.
Sally and company are an interesting lot. I found Evie, who is certainly handi-capable, fascinating. She is not one to let her lack of sight slow her down. The interaction between characters added to the story and the mystery had sufficient twists and turns to keep me entertained.
Four purrs and two paws up.

Book 4 in the series.

Frankly, I read the first two books in the series and didn't intend to go any further than that. I don't really like Sally, and I think she's the worst restaurateur in the world because she spends too much of her time doing everything but running her business.

But I saw this up on NetGalley and thought I'd give Sally another chance. I didn't even bother to finish, just skipped to the end about a third of the way in. I felt like the author kind of phoned the story in this time around. The story felt thin and the ending was pretty predictable.

So long, Sally!