Leslie Karst Follow

When a fellow contestant at the artichoke festival is found dead with the vegetable stuffed in his mouth, Sally Solari, restaurant owner/amateur sleuth is off and running. Her questions uncover a multitude of suspects who might have wished the artichoke farmer ill will, for a variety of reasons.

I am new to this series, but I never felt out of place. The characters immediately felt like people the reader could care about. The tiny story arcs gave a level of nuance to the mystery and left me wanting to come back and read more to see where things are going.

Sally’s investigation technique is a breath of fresh air, out of the box thinking coupled with tried and true cliches. At any rate, she got the case solved. I wasn’t surprised when the person I thought did it turned out to have actually done it, but I couldn’t have proven it right up until the moment Sally made the discovery for herself. There were so many questions needing answering, great suspects, and tiny currents of drama that kept the story moving at a steady clip.

I simply love the recipes and delectable dishes offered in the book. Artichokes are an unsung veggie that needs more attention. All in all, this was a pleasant quick read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily