Mira James is at it again — getting all wrapped up in the shenanigans in Battle Creek and this time it involves a theft of a huge fiberglass Native American statue. How, may you ask, does a giant statue simply up and disappear? The answer may surprise you.

Jess Lourey’s updated Murder by Month series is pure fun. Witty, well written and just the perfect read when real life gets too serious. Knee High by Fourth of July will certainly entertain the reader.

Life is short—- read the fun books while you can and enjoy the superb writing of my favorite Minnesota author.

Knee High By The Fourth of July is a cozy mystery with a quirky sleuth. Mira and the small town of Battle Lake, Minnesota have great charm and will have you invested into the whole series.

I would like to thank Thomas and Mercer publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

These are the perfect rom-coms for the summer. I read the first book in this series before this one and I'm glad I did. It made the story more relatable and fun to follow along. I like the slow burn romances and how confident (albeit awkward Mira is). This small town is so fun to jump into and the mysteries in these are silly but a blast. It took me a minute to really like Mira and root for her, but once I got into the world I flew through these stories and can't wait for more!

When Fourth of July weekend coincides with Wenonga Days—the annual celebration of a locally famous Ojibwe leader—the town of Battle Lake double-dips on the tourist trade. This year the hullabaloo hasn’t even started and there’s already a story for reporter Mira James.
The Chief Wenonga statue has disappeared, leaving behind drops of human blood and a big question for Mira: How and why would anyone steal a twenty-three-foot monument? Things go from curious to worse when a local man is kidnapped. And from worse to downright gruesome when a corpse is found in the lakeside cabin of a horticultural hottie Mira’s been crushing on from afar.
Mira has no choice but to trail a statue thief, find a missing person, and clear an earthy dreamboat’s name from a murder charge. Not to mention risk her own life to unmask a cold-blooded killer.

The disappearance of Chief Wenonga, a statue in Battle Lake, has Mira James town librarian on the hunt. When a dead body shows up things get heated. Filled with secrets like any small town where everybody minds everyone else's business. A fun quick read! Thanks #Netgalley and #Thomas&Mercer for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

Mira is back, and in love with Chief Wenonga. A 23 foot statue of him, anyway. This made me giggle and kick my feet like a high schooler, just how infatuated Mira was with this damned statue.

Jess Lourey continues to show that she can write cozy mysteries that are laugh out loud funny.

A great summer read with great pacing, great dialog, and laughter galore.

When a small town's big statute goes missing, all chaos ensues. Mira James, town librarian - reporter - wannabe detective, loves her towns large scale statue of Chief Wenonga. So much so, that when it goes missing she vows to get to the bottom of it. But can she find out who stole her beloved statue and why a dead body shows up at the town hottie's cabin, before it's too late?

I enjoyed the small town hi-jinks of this entertaining mystery. The characters are over the top & all know each other's business. They keep the story going and the twists and turns fun. It's a fast read, the mystery is fun and definitely leaves the reader wanting to find out what happens in August!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the digital copy, all opinions are my own.

The Chief is missing!

Chief Wenonga is twenty years old and Battle Lake is going to celebrate his birthday in their own unique style. Not everyone is on board with the idea and some are very passionate about their feelings. When Mira drives into town, she realizes the statue is missing and there is something on the bolts that used to hold it that looks suspicious. How can the celebration take place without the guest of honor? Besides that, Mira has a story to write and an innocent man to free.

This series keeps getting better. Mrs. Berns’ antics had me laughing out loud! I can’t wait to read the next book.

Jess is always a fave. I love these monthly stories she has. They are such quick and fun reads and captivate me. I can’t put them down and am able to sit and read them in one sitting.

This one was a cute read.

Not sure if I need a bit of a break from the series or not, because I felt like maybe I wasn't enjoying it as much as I thought I would? For that reason it is a 3 star book, but I went in thinking it would be a 4 star.

Overall, Mira needs to catch a break, so many people keep dying in this small town (yes I know that is the premise of the book series, but how many people are left in this town?).

I didn't like that this one left a cliff hanger, because the other ones didn't leave a cliff hanger. I get that you want me to come back and read more, but I liked that the first two could be stand alone (because you get a back story in the beginning of book 2).

I did like how within the first few chapters the mystery starts, versus character/world building like in the previous books. I like how this one is also about the missing statue, it is a nice breather book in a way.

Thank you NetGalley for my E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

While I loved May Day & June Bug in this series, Knee High by the Fourth of July is my favorite! Such a great series & I love Lourey’s writing style. I’m anxiously awaiting another Murder by Month installment- I love these books!

Thank you NetGalley & Thomas & Mercer for the ARC copy of this book.

Mira is a fun character! This book gave me cozy mystery/romcom vibes, and once I picked it up, I didn't stop! I would say that the book felt short (in a non-probematic way!) as I mentally compared it to other books with the themes like Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum) and Sue Grafton (Alphabet Series/Kinsey Millhone). However, I definitely appreciated the cozy mystery versus a mystery thriller (as I'd classify the other two series I mentioned). I do plan on reading the rest of the books - they are easy to dive into and keep track of what's all going on in the small town of Battle Lake!

A gripping read from start to finish. Also, this has to be one of my favorite type of writing styles as a reader. Definitely looking to read more from the author.

Clever red herrings lead the reader on a merry dance as a very unusual mystery unfolds. Somehow, the ridiculousness of stolen giant fibreglass statues makes complete sense and I found myself thoroughly invested in their recovery. Poor Mira finds herself in the thick of intrigue and drama, with her community of hilarious characters adding even more colour to another fabulous addition to this series.

This is a pretty good mystery, love the setting and definitely liked this book. Would recommend

Thank you to Jess Lourey, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc of this book.

I didn't realize this was a re-release of her Mira James Mystery series from 2006. Still just as good of a read as it was back then. Book 3

This is the third in a series of monthly mysteries penned by Jess Lourey, and will be enjoyed by readers who enjoy cosy(ish) mysteries.

We catch up with the protagonist of the previous two books in this series, Mira James.

After the local celebration of Wenonga Days comes at the same time as the Fourth of July holiday weekend, the expected surge in the tourist influx has the townspeople in tiny Battle Lake all wound up in excitement. But not NEARLY as riled up as they are about to get when the statue of the Ojibwe Chief Wenonga disappears in the midst of all the excitement...

While the storytelling in this series is unlike Lourey's novels which tend to be dramatic and hard hitting, her skill in creating entertaining characters is once again on display. The story is funny and an easy read.

This cozy mystery is book 3 in the Murder by Month Romcom Mystery series. As most cozy mysteries, this was a cute and easy read!