Cirque du Slay

by Rob Osler

Overview

In this rollicking mystery sure to delight fans of Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club and Robert Thorogood's Marlow Murder Club series, the circus becomes the stage for a high-profile murder investigation.

With quirky LGBTQ+ amateur sleuths, Cirque du Slay will delight readers looking for a madcap mystery with high-flying excitement!

Pint-sized Seattle middle school teacher and gay dating blogger Hayden McCall and his best friend Hollister are invited to a fundraiser for Bakers Without Borders. The celebrity performer, Kennedy Osaka, is the artistic director of Mysterium, an upscale circus arts show combining magic, acrobatics, and a Michelin-star dinner. But Kennedy is a no-show—until she’s found dead in her hotel suite.

When frenemy Sarah Lee is discovered in the room with the body, Hayden and Hollister are on the case to find the real culprit before Sarah Lee is charged with the crime.

The suspects for the murder are as unique as Mysterium itself: a Russian trapeze artist, a cowgirl comedian sharp-shooter, an over-cologned operations director, a feisty, green-haired costume manager, and Adrenalin!, a sexy troop of Romanian male acrobats...If Hayden and Hollister are to clear Sarah Lee of suspicion, they’ll have to outsmart a killer for whom trickery is art.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781639106479
Publisher:	CROOKED LANE BOOKS
Publication date:	03/05/2024
Series:	A Hayden and Friends Mystery , #2
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	420,098
Product dimensions:	5.76(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Rob Osler writes mysteries with LGBTQ+ main characters. Rob’s debut novel, Devil’s Chew Toy, was a finalist for the Anthony, Agatha, Lefty, and Macavity Awards, and his first publication, Analogue, appearing in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, won the Robert L Fish Award at the Mystery Writers of America Annual Edgar Awards. With a philosophy degree from the University of Puget Sound and an MBA from the University of Washington, he previously worked as a brand marketing executive for global agencies and corporations. After living in Chicago and Seattle, Rob resides in California with his long-time partner and a tall gray cat.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Cirque du Slay:
“A big-tent extravaganza in more ways than one.”
—Kirkus

“Chock full of unconventional characters, both LGBTQ+ and not, this entertaining cozy is heartwarming in the characters' caring for one another.”
—Booklist

“From the atmospheric beginning onward, the prose is sharp and punchy.”
—Foreword

“Rob Osler’s latest proves that his winning combination of lovably-relatable characters, play-fair mysteries, and laugh-out-loud humor is way more than just beginner’s luck—it’s his inimitable style on full display.”
—The BOLO Books Review

“A fresh look at cozy mysteries in a lot of ways.”
—Cozy Mystery Book Reviews

“Readers will enjoy spending time with these engaging characters as they entertain one another and genuinely love just hanging out together and sharing their life experiences.”
—Kings River Life

“A fast paced and well written whodunit that kept me amused from beginning to end.”
—Dru's Book Musings

“It’s silly, serious, sexy, and great fun for fans of mysteries and the greatest show on earth.”
—Broadway Direct, The Best New Theater Books of Spring 2024

“A fun mystery, with the circus fitting in perfectly with the plot, as well as the diverse list of characters in the novel.”
—Red Carpet Crash

“Osler brings his irresistible wit to this trapeze act of a mystery, which swings between catching a killer and protagonist Hayden’s deepening friendships with his wonderfully quirky pals.”
—Ellen Byron, USA Today bestselling author

“Osler's debut knocked my socks off, and this devilishly clever and wickedly funny follow-up made me laugh out loud and kept me guessing to the end.”
—Greg Herren, award-winning author of Death Drop

“Osler delivers the perfect combo of adrenaline, feels, and fun. Cirque du Slay is divine.”
—Raquel V. Reyes, award-winning author of the Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series

“Unlikely heroes Hayden and Hollister are back on the hunt, leading to situations both hilarious and frightening.”
—Charlaine Harris, Mystery Writers of America Grand Master

“A rock-solid whodunit with a plot that keeps you guessing till the end. Funny, adventurous, and poignant, this mystery is more than clever crime-solving.”
—Michael Craft, MWA-nominated author of the Dante & Jazz mysteries

Praise for Devil's Chew Toy:
“Charming and diverse characters—both human and canine—fill the pages of Rob Osler's delightfully humorous cozy.”
—Gigi Pandian, USA Today bestselling author

"Take a disarming protagonist, a delightful supporting cast, and a pacy romp of a plot, add boundless warmth, humor, baked goods, and puppy love and you've got Devil's Chew Toy.” 
—Catriona McPherson, multi-award-winning author

From the Publisher

2023-12-16
Hayden McCall, a Seattle middle school teacher and gay dating blogger, gets involved with the pansexual crew that runs a circus troupe.

Magician Kennedy Osaka, the new artistic director of Mysterium, a contemporary circus, has big plans to make it more exciting. Meanwhile, Hayden and his friend Hollister are treated to tickets to a VIP preview show by his neighbor Sarah Lee, Kennedy’s old college roommate, who can’t make it herself because she’s getting ready for a fundraiser for Bakers Without Borders, where Kennedy has agreed to perform the next night. Before the world can see whether the magician’s onstage chops are matched by her ability to herd Mysterium’s cats, her leadership is cut short: Sarah Lee finds her in her room at the Park Olympic Hotel, stabbed to death with a pair of designer scissors. The hotel’s security videos prove unhelpful, and the cops’ interest in the case is limited to suspecting Sarah Lee, so Hayden and Hollister decide to investigate on their own. Eventually their suspicions coalesce around three groups of possibles. Cowgirl comedian Kit Durango and hair-bun acrobat Yaz Smilova are the most likely candidates to succeed Kennedy as Mysterium’s director. Boris and Sasha Smilov, Yaz’s father and brother, are respectively the troupe’s owner and its head of operations. And Vlad Halep, along with Florin, Marku, and Stefan, his partners in the Romanian acrobatic group Adrenalin!, would catch anyone’s eye—especially Hayden’s, since he’s increasingly certain that Venezuelan dancer Camilo Rodriquez is never going to requite his love. Since Hayden and Hollister’s main approaches to sleuthing are making wrong guesses and spreading rumors designed to goad the killer into striking out at them, readers shouldn’t expect a densely plotted mystery. Like Mysterium, it’s best approached as an LGBTQ+ circus whose inclusiveness extends to the dead.

A big-tent extravaganza in more ways than one.

Kirkus Reviews

Pete Cross provides a suitably lighthearted narration for this quirky, twisty, high-flying murder mystery set in a circus called Mysterium. This second installment in the Hayden and Friends mystery series follows a pint-sized gay middle-school teacher, Hayden, and his best friend, Hollister, as they seek the culprit in the murder of one of the circus performers. Although Cross's accents falter at times, he still provides enough variation among characters to allow the listener to follow the twists and turns of the plot. With its wide array of diverse characters, this cozy mystery is a fun addition to the emerging body of queer fiction. C.F. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2024 - AudioFile