Cirque du Slay

iddle school teacher and gay blogger Hayden McCall and his friend Hollister, a lesbian furniture designer, are invited to the Bakers Without Borders fundraiser. They don’t expect to have to solve a murder, but when celebrity performer Kennedy Osaka is found dead, that is just what they must do to prove their frenemy, Sarah Lee, is innocent. There are various suspects, each as unique as the performances of the Mysterium, an upscale adult circus. Osler’s second installment in the “Hayden and Friends” mystery series (following Devil’s Chew Toy) is a humorous and inclusive cozy mystery. Pete Cross captures each character’s personality perfectly; he offers an engaging layer of fun, even with some of the less developed characters. While some of Osler’s characters verge on stereotypical, cozy mystery fans will still enjoy unraveling this lively whodunit.