[Alethea, the Circus Sleuth 01] • A Killer Blackout

The Thwaite family has been part of the circus for several generations. Alethea Thwaite, the oldest of three siblings, even stands to inherit the old circus director’s position: Virgil Ardelean, ancient and eccentric, seems to deem her a worthy successor. Since Alethea is already doing half of everything around the place, she knows why.

Only when her brother Braden faces charges as the main suspect in the murder of beloved local Larry Patrick – without even remembering the night – it falls unto his older sister to exculpate him. While she’s quick on the uptake, being an investigator would have never crossed her mind. Luckily, someone outside of the circus also believes in Braden’s innocence: FBI Agent Holden Westley is on the case, and teams up with Alethea to find the real culprit. And she thought she knows weird.

That’s when Alethea has to learn that the circus stage isn’t the only place where odd things happen – between townsfolk, circus folk and law enforcement, she’s hard pressed to tell where the spectacle ends and the real world starts.