Justice Is Served: A Tale of Scallops, the Law, and Cooking for RBG

Foodie mystery writer Karst (Dying for a Taste) recalls her experience preparing a meal for an intimate dinner party honoring late Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her belabored nonfiction debut. Karsts’s attorney father befriended Ginsburg in the 1960s, and through this connection, in 2005, Karst, an apathetic attorney with a passion for cooking, inadvertently volunteered to host a dinner party with the Justice as a guest of honor. With nine months to prepare “the most important and elegant dinner party” of her life, Karst got to work, channeling all her energy—and neuroses—toward the upcoming meal. A chapter is devoted to a china and glassware consultation with her mother, while another details her efforts to replace the plates to better showcase the food. Historical tidbits concerning Ginsburg’s personal life and professional achievements provide a reprieve from Karst’s bland anecdotes, but even potentially exciting incidents—as when Karst ran into Diane Keaton—feel watered down and rudderless as Karst meanders her way to the inspiring but clichéd message that “your life should be about being honest with yourself and about following your own dreams.” There’s just not enough meat on these bones. (Apr.)