This book is getting a new release, which is how I picked this up to read. From the blurb, I thought it may be a cosy mystery, at least the type of cosy mystery I'm used to reading. I'd label this as a general mystery, because of much of the content. And I think this more aligns with books such as the Stephanie Plum series, written by Janet Evanovich.

My thoughts on this are mixed. I liked the way the book started to setup the character and the new small town setting of Battle Lake. The character lands a job in a library, which was another bonus, and is house sitting with two pets and starting a small vegetable garden. Two more ticks. But then Mira starts becoming man hungry, and that's definitely developed into a main characteristic in the book. So much so that she meets a guy in the library and it turns into insta-love, an element I'm not a fan of in books. And this is where the book veers away from cosy mystery territory to me.

What I did like is the clever way the author ties in Mira writing an article for the local newspaper about the murder, giving her some cover to investigate. Of course, the investigation becomes bigger than just nosing around and asking questions, and it's the investigation side that felt more cosy to me, but not all the time. So mixed feelings on that as well.

But overall it's a good mystery that may be a little simple in construct, but entertaining in execution. I like many elements of the small town setting. We have a cast of characters that are stereotypes, but they are fun and interesting. Mira, as a protagonist, is a little too volatile at times for a cosy, but I can see room for development in the series

Link to video review will be added soon.

**This review is for the 2024 edition**

"I swung my light toward the corner and caught a lumpy shape. I felt the now-familiar icy rush of terror. I’d discovered another body. It had happened once; it could happen again."

Oh Mira, you sweet summer child, you have no clue how right you are.

May Day kicks off Jess Lourey's Murder by Month series as Mira James, perpetually down on her luck, strikes gold when she housesits for a friend in Battle Lake, Minnesota. There she discovers a new job, new friends and yes, a dead body.

Ms. Lourey cultivates a cast of characters that you'll be glad you have 11 more books to get to know. The spitfire octogenarian, Mrs. Berns; town Mayor Kennie Rogers; police chief Gary Whont; town hottie Johnny Leeson and many more

May Day was a book I was pretty excited to read — a murder mystery, small town setting and funny/lighthearted narration? Count me in.

I finished a bit over half the book, and the more I progressed, the more I dreaded even opening it. While I really enjoyed the first quarter or so, I couldn’t connect enough to most of the characters (with the only exception being Mira), and especially not to Jeff. Therefore, I didn’t really care about his death, or who caused it, or whatever.

At some points, the book is also quite slow paced and drags a bit. Maybe I’ll give this book another try someday, or read another of the author’s books (since I do quite enjoy the writing style), but I’ll leave this one for now.

Good mystery!

Mira James wasn’t excited about leaving the city for a house-sitting job in Battle Lake, Minnesota, but with a cheating ex-boyfriend, and no job, there was no reason not to relocate. A job at the library and meeting the man of her dreams goes a long way toward making it a better decision until she finds him dead between the reference stacks. What did he uncover in his research on the town that would make someone murder him? Curious minds want to know and Mira is grieving, AND curious.

This is an intricate riveting mystery. It pulled me along page after page to the conclusion. I definitely want to read more of this series!

Light and fun -- a kind of romcom / cozy mystery starring .. .a librarian! An easy, enjoyable read.

This is a great start to a series and cannot wait to read the next one! I love Jess Lourey!

This follows Mira James a thirty something cosmo girl who thinks nothing in her life goes right. Well her friend Sunny offers her a job Dog/House sitting and she thinks a change a pace would be good. When she settles in she meets Jeff and just falls head over heels for him. Then tragedy strikes and Mira sets out to find out what is going on in Minnesota where she is at.

It starts off as a slow burn but defiantly gets better and the build was very well written.

This is a series but doesnt have to be read as a series. Great writing, plot and i just loved the plot.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

I didn’t realize this book is a book from 2006 that is being republished. I’m loving the new covers. Thanks so much to netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book! It is a cozy mystery that follows a young woman who is down on her luck. She loses her job and catches her boyfriend cheating. She goes to a small town to house sit and gets a job at the library. When she meets someone, she thinks her luck has changed. That is until she finds a dead body in the library.

I liked the characters, the setting, and the mystery. I love a small town, especially with a library. I thought the mystery was a bit obvious, but I still liked it.

I would recommend this one to anyone looking for a cozy mystery! I can’t wait to read the next one in the series.

May Day, book 1 of the Murder by Month Mystery was definitely a surprise for me. I loved the quirky little town and the main character, Mira. And a murder mystery in a library - sign me up! Although this was not as intense as I typically like my thrillers/murder mysteries to be, I still really enjoyed this book & will definitely continue the series.

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

When things in the big city don't go Mira's way, she agrees to move to a small town to house-sit for her friend. She gets a job at the small local library and, only a week after working there, finds the dead body of the guy she just started dating. She makes it her mission to find out what happened.

This cozy mystery was a quick and easy read. It had a few unexpected twists and turns and some humor. I wish it had more character development. Whenever secondary characters were introduced, they were gone before you could connect with them.

This is an edited edition of this book, being re-released in April.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC of May Day ( Murder by month mysteries ) by Jess Lourey .

May I ( pun unintended ) start by saying that I haven’t read January- April but I believe these to be standalone books ( with a few central characters ) so will review it as such.


“With a cheating boyfriend, a thankless career in waitressing, and her BA in English going to waste, Mira James jumps at the chance for a fresh start in rural Battle Lake, Minnesota.

Right away she lands a job as a librarian, snags another as an on-call reporter for the weekly newspaper, and is swept off her feet by Jeff Wilson, a handsome archaeologist unearthing the town’s storied history. Moving here might be the best decision Mira’s ever made. Until she finds Jeff’s body between the library’s reference stacks. It seems Mira didn’t really know her drop-dead gorgeous new lover at all. But someone in Otter Tail County surely did.

Behind this quirky town’s polite exterior are decades-old grudges still unsettled, and murderous secrets best kept hidden. Whatever dangers are buried in Battle Lake’s past, now it’s Mira’s turn to start digging.”

The blurb promises to be a whodunnit with fun and humour and the story doesn’t disappoint. I can honestly say that at no point did Jess waste her words, the plot drag or I feel like putting the book down. I loved the protagonist Mira ( and as a bookworm- the plot setting in a library just warms my cockles ) and even though Mira’s love affair goes sadly sideways… the book doesn’t. I loved it and will definitely be buying books January to April to catch up. Love it

This was a cute murder mystery novel. I have never read anything written by Jess Lourey before, but this one was really easy to read, had the perfect amount of characters, not to mention had the right amount of twists and turns. Great who done it book, perfect for any book club, or an easy rainy day read.

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

this is a story of a young woman that is trying to decide what she wants as an adult- in her career, relationships, and future. It has a lot of surprises and interesting characters typical of small town life. A great beach read that will be hard to put down.

I’ve become a huge fan of Jess Lourey’s books since I started my first. It helps as a native Minnesotan to read books containing places that I am family with. I’m always a sucker for a good small town story especially featuring a librarian. I can’t wait to read more of her murder by the month mystery books.

Okay this psychological thriller had a good storyline set in a small town filled with secrets. While the plot had some unexpected twists and turns that kept me wanting to keep reading, I found myself wishing for a bit more depth in character development. Ivy’s journey to uncover the mysteries of her past was intriguing, but at times the pacing felt a bit rushed.

What stood out to me most about this book was its exploration of human relationships and the consequences of buried secrets. The characters, although not fully fleshed out, were relatable enough to keep me invested in their journeys. Overall, while it may not be a standout in the genre, it's a decent read for those looking for a moderately suspenseful story.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC for the rerelease.

My new favourite author - imagine my delight to discover this book is just one of many by Jess Lourey! Her writing style is funny, sharp, descriptive and completely engaging. She has created a town full of characters which rival those of Charlaine Harris. I am really struggling to find anything bad to say about this fun mystery. And the hilarious turn of phrase featured throughout had me chuckling non-stop - “The birds had turned on me, as I knew they would.”

Beware this is a new edition of an older book, but it's not really a big problem. The story is light, funny, entertaining and easy to read. The characters are excellent and the plot is pretty good.

This was literally the perfect little summer thriller! I was hooked from the very first page and finished it in a day!

I approached this one with a bit of trepidation - normally the mysteries I read are anything but cosy! But I found myself quite enjoying this pleasant, funny and quite smart offering. Yes, the storyline, or aspects of it at least, are far from unique but, unlike some other commentators, I found Mira quite likeable and compelling as a hero. I quite liked her self-deprecating humour and there's some really whip-smart writing and dialogue in it.
I felt like the twist worked quite well except for the fact that some elements weren't really breadcrumbed early enough. I won't spoil anything but there was something of an eleventh hour reveal that pretty much glued all the clues together - but it was something Mira tells us that she already knew... Just a little clunky and convenient.
But there's a great cast of characters throughout the book and some truly laugh-out-loud moments; the one that cracked me up was one elederly lady's recommendation on how to remove the smell of rotting fish from a room!

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer, via NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.

I did not like this book but I skimmed it to find out the ending. It had the potential to be great. Not sure who the target audience is. The book was full of strange wording and phrases. Often times there were multiple obscure references in a single sentence making it hard to figure out what was being said. “….Laura Ingalls Wilder meets Carrie Bradshaw in clothes, Ursula from the little mermaid in attitude.”

Then there were long pointless sentences that seem to take up space for fun. “…so after a hot shower and a breakfast of vanilla soy milk over 100 perfect whole-wheat total, the cereal of gods,…”

The chapters felt like they went in circles. There was build up and then by the end you were back to the beginning and the whole thing was about a pair of shoes (looking at you Chapter 15).

I loved the premise of this book but the execution was awful. I love a series — keep me interested in the story line and repeat character across books and I will read alllll of them. That being said I won’t read another from this series. The writing drove me crazy.

This is a mystery set in a small town in Minnesota. Mita has just moved there and is working in the local library when her new boyfriend is found murdered. Of course she has to investigate.
I liked the book o.k. but it didn't really get to me. I often felt like parts of the story were missing and I couldn't relate to Mira's character. Also it was pretty obvious who the murderer was long before the book came to an end.
All in all I felt the book was o.k but I had hoped for more.