Posts tagged Murder by Month Mysteries

January Thaw by Jess Lourey

February 27, 2014 · Filed under Book Reviews, Just Read · Tagged , , , , , , , ,

January ThawMira James is still reeling from the events of December Dread when she discovers yet another dead body — this one under the frozen lake the whole town has gathered around for Winter Wonderland festivities.  Does this death have anything to do with the recent gang activity in the area?  Does it have something to do with a crime that happened in the area shortly after the Civil War?  Or, does it have to do with something else entirely?

As much as I love this series, this book fell a little short for me.  Just a little and it may be in part because December Dread was so GOOD.  It felt like there was too much going on this time — to begin with, the Bad Brad storyline didn’t do anything for me.  It was mildly funny, yes, but he’s not an interesting character; I would much rather see Mira spend more time with Sid and Nancy, or even Jed.  And, after loving Mrs. Berns in DD, I wasn’t as fond of her this time around.  Surprisingly, I did like Kennie and Gary Wohnt.  Finally, there were a couple of incidents that seemed like they should mean SOMETHING, but if they did, we didn’t discover the meaning.

Those are minor quibbles though.  There were two major things that I didn’t like.  I hate it when characters leave cryptic “in case anything bad happens to me” messages.  It doesn’t ring true.  If I thought something bad was going to happen to me, I can tell you right now that there are several people who would know exactly what they needed to know, no sleuthing required.  I also hate storylines in which the girl sees her guy with another woman, jumps to conclusions, which of course are WRONG because her guy is a GOOD guy and they don’t cheat.  There are many reasons I hate this storyline but for the sake of brevity we’ll just stick with it’s overdone.

That said, there were several things I did like about this trip to Battle Lake.  As always, Lourey creates a strong sense of place.  I like the new museum opening in town, the connection of the present with the past, AND the possibility of a ghost.  I loved the interactions between Mira and Curtis and I mostly enjoyed the banter between Mira and Wohnt.  Mostly.  Mira did seem a little too oblivious to the situation, but that’s okay, I guess — it’s taken me several books to see him as the character he’s become too.

Recommended!

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December Dread by Jess Lourey

October 17, 2012 · Filed under Book Reviews · Tagged , , ,

Christmas is just around the corner but things are not as festive as usual in Battle Lake, or the surrounding areas for that matter.  A serial killer has come to Minnesota and he’s targeting attractive thirty-something single brunettes who live alone.  Because Mira is single, brunette, thirty-something, and lives alone she allows herself to be convinced to go “home” to visit her mom.  It helps matters that the local campus is offering a P.I. class – our favorite librarian/reporter/mystery-solver has a knack for quickly assessing people and scenes so becoming a private investigator is a logical step.  Paynesville is appropriately named however – going home means Mira will have to confront her painful past as a wild teenager and her conflicting feelings about her father.

When a woman from her high school graduating class becomes a victim of the Candy Cane Killer, Mira decides to find him before he can kill again.  Mrs. Berns joins in and they both venture into the world of online dating, a world they suspect he uses to find his victims.

I love Mira James.  Even though the story is dark, it’s off-set by the hilarity we’ve come to expect anytime Mira and Mrs. Berns spend time together.  What I like best about Mira is that while she’s usually at a loss when dealing with men, particularly Johnny Leeson and Gary Wohnt, she’s serious about her job.  She’s a good librarian, a good reporter, and a good investigator.  Unlike a certain other fictional character, she is serious about being good at what she does (I’m talking about you, Stephanie Plum – love ya but it’s been awhile since you’ve shown the same Can Do attitude). In addition to her P.I. class, Mira and Mrs. Berns take a Self-Defense course.  I’m betting that Mira will still find herself confessing all sorts of silly details to Gary Wohnt the next time she sees him, but I’m also betting that she can kick his butt if the need arises.  And Mrs. Berns!  I had my doubts about her early in the series but she’s grown into one of my favorite characters.

As always, the mystery is well-plotted – Lourey kept me guessing for as long as she intended.  She adds a new twist this time – some chapters are written from the killer’s perspective which is both creepy and effective.  Looking forward to January Thaw!

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November Hunt by Jess Lourey

March 21, 2012 · Filed under Book Reviews · Tagged , , , , ,

November in Battle Lake, Minnesota is extremely cold – so cold that even Richard Simmons would bundle himself in several layers of clothing.  It’s not exactly the best time of year to snoop around for clues but Mira James has no choice; Tom Kicker was killed in a hunting accident and his daughter believes there was nothing accidental about it.  Mira’s investigation leads back to an incident that happened years ago when Tom was just a teen and it’s making more than one prominent citizen uncomfortable.

Great mystery!  I did suspect the correct people although I didn’t make the connections on the why until Mira spelled it out for me.  In fairness to me, I was a bit distracted by those pills Kennie coaxed Mira into buying – there was just so much wrong with this storyline.  It was funny but knowing what kind of schemes Kennie gets into, why on earth would Mira buy pills from her, especially after catching a whiff of Kennie’s breath?  Do people generally think taking multiple pills of the same supplement at once is a good thing?

Mrs. Berns cracks me up – love her!  I’m not sure how I feel about Gary Wohnt – he was so creepy in the first couple books that it’s hard for me to see him as a potential love interest for Mira now.

Looking forward to the December title!

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September Fair by Jess Lourey

June 3, 2010 · Filed under Book Reviews · Tagged , , , ,

Leaving Mrs. Berns in charge of the library, Mira James packs her press badge and heads to the city to report on Battle Lakes’ representation at the Minnesota State Fair.  As part of her coverage of the Milkfed Mary contest, Mira’s snapping photos of Battle Lakes bad girl Ashley Pederson as she has her head sculpted in butter.  Mira has a moment to wonder what’s wrong with Ashley before the lights go out.  When the lights come back on, Ashley is a strange shade of red and quite dead.

Never one to wait for the results of a police investigation, Mira determines to solve Ashley’s murder.  As she digs for information, she uncovers secret love affairs, embezzlement rumors, freaky compulsions and a big business cover-up.  On the lighter side of things, she’ll find herself sharing a trailer with Mrs. Berns and Kennie Rogers, throwing granny-panties at Neil Diamond and indulging in the ultimate decadence, the deep-fried Nut-Goodie on a stick.

I’m really enjoying this series!  In addition to crafting a good mystery, Lourey offers quirky, eccentric characters and laugh-out-loud humor.  Mrs. Berns and Kennie may be a bit over the top (particularly Kennie) but oh, they are fun.  In this series installment, Lourey adds a touch of seriousness as she draws attention to dark side of the dairy industry—I have to admit, I’m a still a bit squeamish.

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August Moon by Jess Lourey

May 28, 2010 · Filed under Book Reviews · Tagged , , , ,

Mira James thought that she’d found a home for herself in Battle Lake but it’s been a murderous summer—she’s stumbled across 3 corpses in as many months.  She’s also been stood up by Johnny Leeson, the local landscaper who dared her to give romance another try.  Mira decides to leave the eccentric residents of Battle Lake behind and return to Minneapolis for a more peaceful existence as a cat-collecting English professor.

Before she leaves, Mira needs to hire and train a new librarian—given that Mrs. Berns is set on scaring the applicants off with her cap guns, this may be problematic.  And unfortunately, Mira will follow the police cars to another dead body—one of  someone dear to her.  She resolves to solve this murder before she moves on and her instincts tell her that the new Church in town is involved . . . .

I love Mira James!  Fellow librarians will appreciate her love of storytimes and her stance on the freedom to read freely.  Mira is witty, warm and vulnerable—let’s hope that she gives Battle Lake another chance!

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Knee High by the Fourth of July by Jess Lourey

May 11, 2010 · Filed under Book Reviews · Tagged , , , ,

The small town of Battle Lake, Minnesota loves its festivals.   Chief Wenonga Days are just around the corner but there’s a problem:  the large statue of the Chief is missing.  There’s also the fact that the main evidence left behind includes a partial scalp and a full set of Mira James’ fingerprints.

While Mira is tracking down clues around town, hoping to find the culprits before Head of Police Gary Wohnt finds her, she discovers a dead body.  As if her new talent for finding dead bodies isn’t bad enough, this time she suspects that she was led to the body by someone wanting to set her up for the crime.  Someone tall, blond and dreamy.

Knee High by the Fourth of July is a fun read.  Mira’s settling into her librarianship role—I particularly like the quip about Janet Evanovich readalikes!  Kennie Rogers and Mrs. Berns are up to their usual antics: one wonders what would happen if they ever met up with Lula and Grandma Mazur.  Looking forward to August Moon!

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June Bug by Jess Lourey

May 1, 2010 · Filed under Book Reviews · Tagged , , , ,

Back in the days of Prohibition, the wealthy Addams family had a lovely lodge built on the shoreline of Whiskey Lake.  One summer, a guest reportedly lost a diamond necklace while swimming in the lake.  The necklace was never found.

The current owners of the property think that reviving the lost-necklace story is great publicity for their resort and soon a newspaper contest brings treasure seekers to Mira James’ adopted town of Battle Lake.  Mira herself is intrigued and dives in search of the necklace; unfortunately, she finds a weighted-down body instead.  A fake shooting and a real kidnapping later, Mira pieces together the connections between the old and new mysteries.  Unfortunately, Mira’s knack for figuring out the clues is thwarted by the fact that the bad guy is too close for comfort and he’s quite comfortable with violence.

I enjoyed this mystery very much—it feels like the series is finding its footing.   I love Mira’s wry observations on life, her addiction to Nut Goodies, her continued paranoia of birds plotting against her, and her attachment to her pets.  I’m looking forward to the development of her new love interest.  All that said, I do wonder why Mira didn’t consider changing the locks on her trailer in addition to her other precautions.  The Jason-Sunny storyline also bothered me.

Looking forward to Knee High by the Fourth of July!!!

For more information about the author or the books, please visit http://www.jesslourey.com/

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May Day by Jess Lourey

May 1, 2010 · Filed under Book Reviews · Tagged , , , ,

Mira James has had issues with small towns in the past but when she’s fired from her job, flashed by a guy hawking guitar pedals AND finds her boyfriend in bed with the neighbor (all in the same day), the small town of Battle Lake  suddenly looks more promising than Minneapolis.  With her English major background, Mira’s able to secure an Assistant Librarian position and a part-time reporter job.  When archaeologist Jeff Wilson strolls through the library doors, it seems that fate is finally smiling upon her.  Unfortunately, she finds him dead between the reference stacks a few days later.

While the police conduct their investigation, Mira looks for her own answers.  Was Jeff murdered because of his work with a developer planning to build a tourist attraction in Battle Lake?  Was he murdered because of something that happened in high school?  As Mira uncovers some of the small town’s dirty secrets, someone watches and waits, knowing that the librarian will eventually have to be shushed.

May Day is the first entry in the Murder by Month series and, while enjoyable, it felt a bit uneven.  The beginning of the book was jarring: the story begins with the discovery of Jeff’s body and then restarts, flashing back to Mira’s life pre-Battle Lake.  I found it difficult to connect with Mira right away—some of the slang she uses seems out of place, she’s aimless and reckless, and she can be a bit crude.  There’s also the fact that “the one job she truly enjoys at the library is putting away the books”.  I expect that as the series develops, she will lose her aimlessness; I hope that she also gains a better appreciation of librarianship.  *I know, it’s a mystery series and the focus is on sleuthing but if Mira is going to be a librarian, I’d like her to be a librarian.  One characterization that I do like is the fact that Mira feeds the birds out of a paranoid compulsion to “keep them pacified”.  She is funny.

The mystery is solid and the setting is interesting.  The characters are quirky but perhaps too deviant for some readers.  The publisher’s description terms this a cozy—I disagree, there are too many sexual situations for that label.
May Day is reminiscent of Stephanie Plum without being an obvious copycat—I’ll give the second book a try.

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