Cirque du Slay (A Hayden and Friends Mystery)

Cirque du Slay is the second book in the Hayden and Friends series, but it’s not really necessary to read them in order to enjoy the story. Middle-school teacher and amateur sleuth Hayden and his bespoke furniture-making best friend Hollister have scored free tickets to the preview show of Mysterium, an avant-garde circus show featuring word-class acts and Michelin starred meals.

The artistic director and magician, Kennedy Osaka, is a friend’s childhood acquaintance, who has promised to attend a fundraiser for Bakers Without Borders after the preview. But when Kennedy is a no-show and the dynamic duo’s friend Sarah Lee goes to confront her, she ends up standing over Kennedy’s body holding the murder weapon.

With no memory of what happened, and no other suspects for the police to question, it’s up to Hayden and Hollister to clear their friend’s name, and there’s no better way to do it than by infiltrating the circus.

While I loved the diverse LGBTQ representation, the mystery element of the story fell a little short for me. A perfect quick read for fans of C.J. Connor and Mark Waddell.