Bøker utgitt av Crooked Lane Books

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.

Perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz and Jenn McKinlay, acclaimed author Victoria Gilbert is back with more devious clues and deadly secrets as Hunter and Clewe take on a new case in the second Hunter and Clewe mystery.When Eloise Anderson, the owner of an antiquarian bookshop, arrives at the grand Aircroft estate to ask retired librarian Jane Hunter and eccentric collector Cameron Clewe for help, Jane and Cam expect a bookish inquiry. But the bookseller has a different sort of assistance in mind—clearing her mother’s name of a murder Eloise is convinced she didn’t commit.Eloise’s mother has just died after spending many years in prison for allegedly killing Eloise’s father. Armed with new information found in her mother’s effects, the bookseller is determined to uncover the true killer so her mother can rest in peace, even though the case is now colder than ice. When Jane tracks down the original detective from the investigation and discovers him stabbed to death in Eloise’s bookshop, Jane and Cam are sure this murder is connected to the cold case. They think it’s the same killer, but the police unfortunately have their own prime suspect, and this time around it’s Eloise.Cam and Jane’s cold-case sleuthing turns urgent—find who committed the murders or watch another innocent woman rot in jail as a cold-blooded killer walks free.

"When a grieving widower finds out there are dark secrets surrounding his wife's death, he's set on a nail-biting chase for the truth."--Provided by publisher.

"Nearly a decade after getting chased out of the Army for fighting back against abuse, Monna Locke's skill and discretion have made her the go-to safecracker for Los Angeles clients who need vaults opened and no questions asked. When a lawyer hires her to retrieve a box from his client's mansion, it seems like an easy payday--until she opens the safe and is immediately attacked by heavily-armed men. Locke barely escapes and returns to her isolated cabin only to find the client waiting in her home, threatening what she holds most dear: her son, Evan. After being knocked unconscious, she wakes up across the country, trapped in her own personal nightmare: she and Evan will be held captive until she helps a seedy crew pull off a seemingly impossible heist. Forced to practice breaking into the most impenetrable safe ever designed, Locke bides her time and eyes her escape routes. She knows there's no way to finish the job she's been forced into, but it's either crack the lock, or lose everything." -- Provided by publisher.

"In Over the Influence, communication professor and CNN Opinion contributor Kara Alaimo reveals how social media is affecting every aspect of the lives of women and girls--from our relationships and our parenting to our physical and mental well-being. Over the Influence is a book about what it means to live in the world social media has wrought--whether you're constantly connected or have deleted your accounts forever. Alaimo shows why you're likely to get fewer followers if you're a woman. She explains how fake news is crafted to prey on women's vulnerabilities. She reveals why so much of the content we find in our feeds is specifically designed to hold us back. And she explains how social media has made the offline world an uglier place for women. But we can change this. Alaimo offers up brilliant advice for how to get over the influence--how to handle our daughters' use of social media, use dating apps to find the partners we're looking for, use social networks to bolster our careers, and protect ourselves from sextortionists, catfishers, and trolls. She also explains what we need to demand from lawmakers and tech companies. Over the Influence calls on women to recognize and call out the subtle (and not-so-subtle) sexism and misogyny we find online, reject misinformation that is targeted to us because of our gender, and use our platforms to empower ourselves and other women."--Publisher description.

"Thirty years ago, Tommy, Malcolm, Henry, and Kevin were best friends graduating high school, brothers almost, until the night they did something terrible. The decision to keep hidden what they did in that parking lot shattered their friendship and warped their lives. But when Kevin, struggling with a heroin addiction, drives his motorcycle into the side of a truck, the other three find themselves together again--at Kevin's funeral. After watching her husband pay a steep price for keeping the friends' secret, Naomi has crafted a plan to make Tommy, Malcolm, and Henry pay their fair share. When the three men decide to fight back, they're forced to decide just how far they'll go this time."--

"In a historical mystery, a serial killer is on the loose in Jazz Age Philadelphia. Philadelphia, 1921. When Edie Shippen returns home after spending years in California recovering from Influenza, she's shocked to discover her childhood sweetheart is engaged to her twin sister. Heartbroken and adrift, Edie vows to begin living her life as a modern woman--and to hell with anyone who gets in her way. But as young women start to disappear from the city, her newfound independence begins to feel dangerous. Gilbert Lawless returned home from the Great War a shell of his former self. He hides away in the office of Philadelphia's Coroner, content to keep to himself until a gruesome series of corpses come into the morgue. And when his sister, Lizzie, goes missing, he risks his career to beg help from the one person Lizzie seemed to trust: her employer, Edie Shippen. Fearing the worst, Edie and Gilbert desperately search for clues. It soon becomes clear that Lizzie's disappearance is connected to the deaths rocking the City of Brotherly Love... and it's only a matter of time until the killer strikes again."--

"Noland Twice, a star athlete turned private investigator, can find anyone, no matter how far they run or how well they hide. He works the Orlando-Tampa corridor, a bizarre land where theme parks and tourists coexist with drug deals and crooked businessmen. When a shady local executive, Valkenburg, goes missing, Noland is the only man for the job. Within hours of taking the case, Noland realizes nothing about this case is going to be easy, and he recruits his friend Kiril to help him with the dirty work when he finds a dead body. But the corpse isn't the missing man--it's the body of one of the partners of his construction firm. There's only one clue as to Valkenburg's whereabouts: a set of strange numbers hastily scrawled on the dead man's arm.

"Nick Freeman works hard as the star of the weekly karaoke night at his bar, hoping his singing talent, quick wit, and winning smile will distract from his cerebral palsy. But one night at the bar, watching a professional dancer light up the dance floor with her boyfriend, he realizes that entertaining strangers will never give him a fraction of the joy he sees in this woman's eyes. When Hayley Burke notices Nick's reaction to her dancing, she urges him to acknowledge his passion and try a few moves himself only to be mortified when she realizes Nick can only walk with the aid of a metal walker. As Nick and Hayley fumble through misunderstanding into friendship, Hayley begins to enjoy Nick's company more than that of her self-centered boyfriend. Nick tries to fight his attraction to Hayley, believing she deserves a dance partner who can move like her boyfriend does-but as Hayley and Nick continue to find their rhythm together, she shows him that 'dancing' is about so much more than moving your feet"

"In a world where any biological matter can be used to create life, stolen celebrity DNA sells to the highest bidder--or the craziest stalker"--

Everything is coming up rosé for innkeeper Jess Byrne until a murder on opening weekend gives her B&B’s killer vibe a whole new meaning.Schitt’s Creek meets Only Murders in the Building in this sparkling debut mystery.It’s the grand opening of The Pearl B&B in Hudson Valley, and owner Jess Byrne has prepared the ultimate, Insta-worthy welcome, complete with her ex-boyfriend—reality singing sensation Lars Armstrong—performing live. As guests check in and mimosas are poured, Lars arrives with his stepdad-turned-manager Bob in tow. But things go south when Bob is found dead, and Lars is the prime suspect.After a desperate plea from Lars, and knowing the reputation of her B&B is at stake, Jess agrees to help clear Lars’ name, but the more she digs, the less sure she is that he’s innocent. Especially when he’s found at the scene of another murder.With the guests under lockdown, the B&B in the press for all the wrong reasons, and a killer on the loose, Jess is in over her head. With the help of her best friend and business partner Kat, Jess is determined to uncover the truth before Lars is put behind bars and The Pearl is permanently cancelled.

Supercharge your "happy hormones" with this motivational self help book featuring mind-body techniques for boosting joy and gratitude through laughter.Laughter really is the best medicine!In The Laughter Effect, Ros Ben-Moshe provides a roadmap to tap into the lighter side of life with laughter therapy. Ben-Moshe shares tips and tools to achieve an intentional state of being she calls the Laughter Effect–a way to elevate mindfulness, gratitude, and self-compassion, including:Laughter yoga, which is comprised of coordinated movements, breathing and stretching, positive reinforcements, and expressions of mirthStarting a humor journal, where you collect things that make you laugh for future referenceSmiling and laughing mindfulness practices, including a gratitude mindful body scanPositive reframing to help you find joy in difficult timesWhen used regularly, it enhances resilience to stress, enabling you to respond to adversity and bounce forward with humor, levity, and grace. Drawing on research from around the world, practice and wisdom from humor and laughter therapy, and positive psychology and neuroscience, Ben-Moshe shows you how to use the energy of laughter and joy to counter stress hormones and stimulate a daily dose of positive wellbeing with “happy hormones.”The techniques, strategies and practices you’ll learn can transform your physical, mental, social and emotional landscape. Viewing life through a laughter lens will awaken a positive change in yourself, how you respond to the world and, in turn, how the world responds to you.

"Genevieve Francis, a 25-year-old Black reporter, assumed she'd go into her fourth year at her newspaper job with a bigger story than the latest seasonal ice cream flavor. Instead, she's relegated to doing copyedits and sensitivity reads on the articles her white colleagues write. So when Gen finally gets the opportunity to cover a prominent CEO's gala, she leaps at the chance--this will be her biggest assignment to date. The only problem: The CEO is her ex, Jude, whose marriage proposal she publicly rejected four years prior. Following their awkward run-in, Jude personally requests Gen to write the first-ever authorized profile of him. The potential for scandal, if anyone digs into their past, is high, but Gen decides to risk it--if she proves herself with this profile, it could jumpstart her dream of writing articles centered on Black voices. But between the racist backlash from her colleagues and her conflicting feelings toward her ex, Gen soon realizes she's in way over her head. And it may be more than just her career on the line. Timely and thoughtful, this energetic debut explores what it means to believe in your future when everyone and everything is working against you."--

"When Beach Reads bookshop hosts a Valentine's Day event, 'Romance by the Sea, ' bookseller Summer Merriweather has no idea that the guest author is under investigation for her own husband's murder. When that same author is found dead at the local bed and breakfast, nobody assumes it's natural causes--there were plenty of people who wanted her dead. As Summer searches for the truth about the author's stranger-than-fiction life, Summer finds suspicious indications of shady behavior in the author's belongings. But the casual sleuthing is quickly derailed when Summer's friend Glads gets hauled in for the murder, and they launch a full-blown investigation to clear her name. As Summer and company pick through the scant clues to solve the case, they may find more treachery and heartbreak than they bargained for"--

"Obituary writer Winter Snow is no stranger to grief, and writing obituaries for the citizens of Ridgefield, Connecticut, is her way of providing comfort to those who have been in her shoes. But funerals and eulogies are meant for the dead, so when the very much alive Leocadia Arlington requests her own obituary by the end of the week, Winter's curiosity is piqued. Even more so when she finds Mrs. Arlington dead soon after. Officer Kip Michaels and his relentless partner Tom Bellini make it clear that Winter is under suspicion for the death. Drafting an obituary for someone who hadn't died yet certainly looks bad, but Winter knows that it wasn't her, and she becomes obsessed with trying to figure out the real killer. She dives headfirst into the investigation to give Mrs. Arlington and herself some peace. When Winter realizes Mrs. Arlington was working on a revealing memoir that has now gone missing, Winter begins to wonder if the death wasn't exactly random-accident or otherwise. With the help of her foodie Uncle Richard, her wise octogenarian neighbor Horace, her best friend Scoop, and Diva, the Great Pyrenees puppy she inherited from Mrs. Arlington, Winter must uncover the killer before the next obituary written is her own."--

"Este March runs the family-owned Lucky Pie Diner on Split Pine Island in Northern Michigan. The pies at Lucky Pie aren't just good, they're magical, with a family recipe that grants certain customers their greatest hopes and dreams when they eat the pie. The remote island is closed to outsiders over the winter months, but on the last day of the season, the unpopular new produce vendor, Jeff, turns up dead on his boat, and Split Pine Island's peace goes up in smoke. Tom Cunningham, the local sheriff, casts suspicion onto Este, who may have been the last person to see Jeff alive. Not to mention several people witnessed her getting into an argument with the rude vendor in some of his final hours. Este decides to clear her name and her diner's reputation by launching her own investigation, which means she must turn suspicion on her friends and neighbors, because only a local could have murdered the victim. As Este investigates, she uncovers a deeper web of secrets, finding that many of the locals had reason to either frame her, or kill the victim. The clock is ticking to figure out the killer, and the clues in the case are flakier than an apple pie. Este will have to uncover the killer before her future crumbles"--

"Losing her mother to a hit-and-run at age 15 threw Beatrice "Beans" Bennett's life into turmoil. Bereft, she developed a life-threatening eating disorder, and went through a challenging recovery process which paved the way for her work as a clinical psychologist decades later. When a new patient arrives at her office and insists that Beans's mother is still alive-and in danger-Beans is forced to revisit her past in order to uncover the truth. She learns the "patient" is a member of a notorious family that owns a drug company largely responsible for the national opioid epidemic, and that her mother was once tangled in their web. In a race against time-and her mother's assailants-while once again facing the disorder she thought she'd put behind her, Beans discovers that, like herself, her mother had a devastating secret''--

"Winston Greene, a has-been film star, wakes one morning to find his six-year-old granddaughter at his bedside--traumatized, unattended, and gripping onto a thumb drive. She comes bearing video proof that her mother, Win's troubled adult daughter, has been kidnapped by a murderous gang demanding all his "movie money" for her safe return. But what they don't know is ... his movie money is long gone. Unable to go to the police for fear the kidnappers will make good on their promise to kill his daughter, Winston turns to two close friends--a legendary Hollywood stuntman and a disgraced former LAPD detective. There's no easy way out for Winston or his daughter--the gang is violent and willing to do anything to get the money they're after, and Winston begins to realize that to get his daughter back, he'll have to beat the kidnappers at their own game."--

Writing as Mina Hardy, New York Times bestselling author Megan Hart delivers a nail-biting psychological suspense about the bonds of family, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Jeneva Rose.Sarah and Adam Granatt had the perfect suburban life: a beautiful house, an adorable daughter, a baby on the way, and a once-in-a-lifetime love. They were the couple everyone envied–until Adam died.In the wake of his death, Adam’s secrets begin to emerge. The first comes out when a woman named Candace introduces herself to Sarah as Adam’s mother. Sarah is rightfully confused: Adam had always said his mother was dead. Adam also lied about making sure Sarah, Ellie, and the new baby would be taken care of, financially. The truth is, there’s no money.Candace proves she is who she says, but admits the relationship between her and Adam was strained. Her beloved son is gone, but she can offer emotional support and better yet, a place to stay until after the baby is born and Sarah can get back on her feet.Living in Adam’s childhood home, Sarah begins to understand the life he had before they met–the life he buried along with his relationship with his mother. When Sarah notices Candace’s strange obsession with her, and the house begins to feel less like salvation and more like a cage, she realizes that the secrets go deeper than she ever could’ve imagined. Candace might not be the caring mother-in-law she seems...And maybe Adam had good reason to pretend that his mother was dead.

Miss Tiffany Woodall must sleuth the slaying of a footman to clear her beloved's name in the second Lady Librarian mystery, in the vein of Deanna Raybourn and perfect for fans of Bridgerton.1784 England. Officially hired as the librarian for the Duchess of Beaufort, Miss Tiffany Woodall is through with masquerades and murders for good. That is, until she stumbles upon the frozen dead body of former footman Mr. Bernard Coram. The speed with which her peaceful new life is upended is one for the record books: the justice of the peace immediately declares her the primary suspect in the murder.As Tiffany hunts for the truth to clear her name, she learns that Bernard got into a fight over a woman at the local pub the night of his death–but he was also overheard blackmailing Samir. The justice of the peace arrests Samir, and Tiffany realizes that her life may have more in common with a tragic play than a light-hearted romance.With her love locked up in jail and her own reputation on the line, Tiffany must attempt to solve the murder before the book closes on her or Samir’s life.

While inventorying the personal collection of a deceased magician in NYC, librarian-turned-sleuth Greer Hogan, determined to solve her husband's murder, finds her investigation has struck a nerve when she's attacked and turns to a magician named Grim to shine a spotlight on a killer before she's next.