Leslie Karst: Inspired by the Destructive Waters of Lovely Hilo #bookgiveaway

 

HALLIE EPHRON: Today we're delighted to welcome back Leslie Karst. A one-time attorney, she spends half of her time in a place most of us would call paradise -- Hilo, Hawai‘i -- and that paradise inspires her murder mysteries.

Today she's celebrating the launch of Waters of Destruction (#2 Orchid Isle mystery), and it's a stunner. The germ of the idea came to her as she was gazing out her office window... 

LESLIE KARST: My office window here in Hilo looks out toward the middle school gym behind the houses across the street, from which we hear at various times the thump of basket balls and squeak of sneakers, the rhythmic beat of taiko drumming, and the drone of a school administrator making an announcement over a tinny loudspeaker.

But a little ways behind the gym lies the Wailuku River, which makes its way from its source high upon the slopes of Maunakea, down between that dormant volcano and its sister, the active Mauna Loa, through Hilo, and out to the bay.

The Hawaiian word “wailuku” translates as “waters of destruction,” an apt name, since on average at least one person dies in the river each year. (The latest fatality was this past September.) Sure there are signs warning folks off, but the river often looks so calm and serene that many are tempted to take a dip, nevertheless.

What they don’t know is that beneath that calm surface lie hidden lava caves, which create dangerous currents that can suck a body down into the murky depths below. And once they’re trapped in one of those caves, the river is not generous about relinquishing its prize.

Stories abound of people disappearing under water, only to be spit back out days—or even weeks—later, at the whim of the river spirits.

Not only that, but flash floods caused by heavy rains in the mountains above—even when it’s sunny and clear in Hilo—can overcome the river at a moment’s notice, with no time to seek the safety of the land above.

Locals know that when they see the orange county helicopter flying up and down the Wailuku River, that means trouble.

So when I was at my desk about two years back working on what was to become Molten Death, the first in my Orchid Isle mystery series, and I spied that very helicopter behind the school gym—hovering in one place, a long rope dangling from its belly—I said to myself, “Uh-oh.”

Sure enough, they pulled a body out of the river that very afternoon. (An event which I thankfully did not witness, but read about in the paper the following day.)

So, so sad, was my thought.

But—I have to admit—the mystery author in me also said, “Ah-ha! I think I’ve just come up with the premise for book two in the series.”

The destructive waters in this new book, however, are not merely those of the Wailuku River.

Brainstorming the idea, I realized that that “waters” could also apply to alcohol.

My protagonist, Valerie Corbin, who has just bought a house in Hilo with her wife Kristen at the start of Waters of Destruction, had conveniently been learning the ropes as a bartender before moving from Los Angeles to the Big Island.

So it hit me that having her take up bartending once more in Hilo—and including a subplot about a recovering alcoholic who’s gone AWOL from the restaurant—would add another layer to the “waters of destruction” theme.

And then I remembered the paddling class my wife Robin and I had taken here some years back. I’d been captivated by beauty of being out in the middle of the Hilo Bay, with sea birds soaring above and turtles, fish, and whales (yes, one once surfaced only a hundred yards from our canoe) below. And how exhilarating was it to dig our paddles into the water as one, the salt spray splashing upon our faces and arms as the craft skimming speedily across the water.

Yes, I decided. Including this as well in the the book would be perfect. For although beautiful, the ocean of course contains many perils of her own....

Readers: Have you ever been to the Hilo or to the Big Island—or perhaps another part of Hawai‘i? Did you engage in an “water” activities—be they actual water or perhaps those with alcoholic spirits in them?

Comment for a chance to win a copy of Waters of Destruction! (US residents only.)

About Waters of Destruction:
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.

About Leslie:

Leslie Karst is the Lefty Award-nominated author of the Orchid Isle Mysteries Waters of Destruction and Molten Death, of the Sally Solari culinary mysteries, and of the IBPA Ben Franklin and IPPY award silver medal-winning memoir Justice is Served: A Tale of Scallops, the Law, and Cooking for RBG. When not writing, you’ll find her cooking, cycling, gardening, and observing cocktail hour promptly at five o’clock. Leslie and her wife and their Jack Russell mix split their time between Hilo, Hawai‘i and Santa Cruz, California. Leslie blogs with Chicks on the Case and Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen, and you can also find her at LeslieKarstAuthor.com. Author Photo: Robin McDuff