October Fest delivers exactly what you’d expect from a cozy mystery—small-town charm, quirky characters, and a festive setting. Jess Lourey does a great job of bringing the fall atmosphere to life, making Battle Lake feel like a place you’d want to visit (minus the murders, of course). The humor and lighthearted tone make for an easy read, and fans of the Murder-by-Month series will likely enjoy another outing with Mira James.

That said, the mystery itself feels a bit predictable, and the pacing drags in places. Some of the humor lands well, but other moments feel forced, taking away from the suspense. Mira remains an entertaining protagonist, but the side characters don’t always feel as fleshed out as they could be.

Overall, October Fest is a decent cozy mystery with a great seasonal setting, but it doesn’t do much to stand out from others in the genre. It’s fun, but not particularly memorable. Three stars.

I’m sorry to say but these books are just too repetitive for me and it is hard to get into them. I understand what the purpose is and it could be interesting but when every book is the almost same I get bored.

I love a good cozy crime book as a palette cleanser between more serious reads and Jess Lourey's Murder by Month series always delivers on that. "October Fest" is giving all of the cozy fall vibes you want for this time of year. The banter between the characters is as delightful as ever. The mystery is nothing groundbreaking but still a solid crime story.

Another great addition to the murder by month series by Jess Lourey. This series is a quick read, but should be read in order in my opinion despite the author saying otherwise.

I'm loving this series!!! yes Jess yes!! I love Mira and her sense of humor. I love the supporting characters and the way the mystery unfolds. Looking forward to finishing the series.

‘October Fest’ is the sixth instalment in Jess Lourey’s Murder by Month Mystery series and we’re treated to the usual high-jinks as before, although I’m not sure the central theme of this one really carried the action as well as previous instalments.
It’s October and it’s Election Season in Battle Lake, with Mira cast into early action covering a debate between two candidates she knows nothing about and has even less interest in. We’re fed a few morsels of gossip through some of the attending journalists / bloggers but Mira has bigger fish to fry – her budding relationship with Johnny Leeson.
From there, the ‘murder-du-jour’ arises, and Mira, although jaded by the whole process, reluctantly agrees to investigate it, at the behest of Mrs Berns who is up to some of her usual tricks, though with a little more at stake in this outing.
The things that are good about these books are still good – Mira’s cutting turn of phrase, Mrs Berns’ zaniness, Kennie’s outlandishness, and I was also delighted to see the return of Wohnt and Sid and Nancy.
Where this one falls down a bit is that the mystery is just not as interesting, or maybe it’s because I’ve read a few of these now in quick succession. The major problem, for me, was that after September took us out of Battle Lake, I felt like October didn’t do the best job of bringing us back in there. The festival and events of the town, which act as centre points in so many of the previous books, are kind of glossed over here.
I also felt that our characters weren’t really fleshed out much, with some of the new additions not delved into at all; in previous offerings, the new characters have clicked into the main narrative but that was less so here.
All in all, it was still a quick and amusing read, but probably the weakest of the series so far.

My thanks to Thomas & Mercer for an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This one was hilarious! Is that okay to say about a Murder Mystery Novel?? but the mystery was there and this was a great addition to the series. I will say I wish there was more "Halloween" or some sort of spooky aspect tot he story but still a great read and would recommend.

Thank you NetGalley

Fun great read. Likeable characters with a suspenseful plotline. Overall an enjoyable book. I highly recommend to all mystery fans out there.

October Fest, Jess Lourey 📚

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Yup — I’m still slowly but surely working my way through this series 😂

Honestly, this one was a bit better than the previous ones. Buttttttt — I went into this completely blind and I was thinking it was going to be themed about the festival. However, it was themed around congressional candidates & after recently getting through the presidential election in real life — well, this just wasn’t the best read 😂 Or maybe just not at the best time.

Once I commit to a series, I’m pretty much in it until the end. Im going to keep powering through, but I really hope one of these is a 4-star read for me eventually!

Do you stick it out with a book or series you’re not super into? Or do you DNF? Let me know!

Thank you to Jess Lourey, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for the ARC!

💭: “Cue the accordions: Battle Lake, Minnesota, is kicking off October Fest with polka, sausage, and cold suds. The big inaugural event? A debate between two congressional hopefuls. One, stultifyingly sincere. The other, a foot-in-mouth tippler.

Reporter Mira James is roped into covering their fighting words...and then a murder, when a relentless pit bull of a blogger is found dead at a motor lodge filled to capacity with fellow pundits, campaign entourages, and tourists—all of whom have just become suspects.

Mired to her neck in deadly mudslinging, it’s up to Mira to sort through a pile of the candidates’ dirty laundry and expose a killer who’s giving her the pre-Halloween jitters, all while managing mixed messages from local hottie Johnny Leeson. Who knew the political season could be so scary?”

Somehow this book was a little bit curious. It was a murder mistery but I didn’t like it as much. Some of the characters were a little bit annoying.

I really enjoy this series, particularly the lovely descriptions of gardening and the fun characters. Mira has wonderful character growth through the whole series. I wouldn't recommend jumping into the series with this book, because one character's transformation is meaningless without the full back story, besides, every one of these books is a winner. I'm so glad Mira and Jess Lourey are back and can't wait for the next book

Through no fault of the author, I was way too burned out on politics to enjoy this to the fullest. Or maybe my excitement with the series was flagging. And without giving anything away, the final reveal employed a specific trope/outdated stereotype that got under my skin.

But I loved this month's focus on Mrs. Berns! That was a great subplot, and I'm still totally hooked on the series. Let's see who bites the dust next month...!

Two thumbs up for this quirky murder mystery. 6th in the series but can be read as a standalone.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer publishing for the revised edition of this book.

From what I can tell, these books are being republished and I for one am glad for it. The original is from 2011 but it does not feel as if this book is already 13 years old and taking place in another decade. Mira is one of the quirkiest characters I've read. And plainly put, all the character in this story are quirky. I'm more for the mystery and didn't pay attention to the rom-com part of the description but didn't mind it. It's where all the quirky came in. I had set the bar low for this one. I'm not sure if it's because of the title or maybe it was the description that made me think it wasn't something I would like. But I took the chance and from the first paragraph I was hooked. It is quirky and zany, bizarre at times, eccentric, comedic and mysterious and I could see it as a TV series. The first book I have read in the series and can definitely be read as a standalone. Is it over the top? Yes and no. The murders kept it grounded but there was definitely a lot of off-beat situations and probably a few that felt absurd but to be honest, has probably happened to a few people in real life. If you're a straight up mystery reader who doesn't want any comedy, I can't guarantee you'll like this. If you like a little mystery with your rom com, you'll love this. I'm going to continue with the series.

#OctoberFestMurderbyMonthMysteryBook6 #NetGalley #Thomas&Mercerpublishing

I am late to the party, as this was my first of Ms. Lourey's series featuring part-time librarian Mira James and local spirtfire Mrs. Burns, but I immediately got Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series vibes (and I love that series, so it was good vibes!) The imperfect, almost bumbling heroine that always seems to be in the middle of the mess and her feisty elderly cohort tackle a murder in a small town where everyone knows everyone. You know from the first few chapters that you are going to laugh your way all the way to finding out "whodunnit"!

There were three different main plotlines to follow...our girl Mira had a lot to juggle in her life in this one! Several local politicians and the press that comes with them are in town for October Fest...and big surprise, someone ends up dead! Mira seems to be a dead body magnet and she is thrown into the fray when she stumbles onto the dead blogger. Meanwhile Mrs. Burns is throwing things further into chaos by announcing she is getting married to a much younger guy that she just met! Hilarity ensues as Mira tried to get to the bottom of it all. I'm not sure that the amount of time spent with Mira deciding whether or not to chase the boy who likes her was necessary (the third plotline), but I suppose it is meant to make her more down-to-earth and likable. Again, as this was my first book in the series, there may have been some back story that I had missed, but it seemed totally readable on its own.

I appreciated that this was a "cozy" type mystery with a little bit of sass and that the author did throw out some red herrings so that the plot wasn't totally predictable. It was an easy read and I'm a huge fan of Mrs. Burns already and can't wait to see what other trouble she will get into in future books.

i love jess lourey so much!! her writing is SO good. easy to follow, captivating and it makes you feel. i've lost count of how many times i cried reading her books.

this was a fun fall cozy mystery. small town? check! fun characters?? Big check!!

This book was a bit hard to follow - I love the idea of reimagining mysteries into the 21st century but I found it a bit jumbled at times.

I really didn’t connect with the characters and felt myself not caring about what was going on. I also didn’t love the way she bashed conservative viewpoints.

Another irreverent and whimsical murder mystery of the month by Jess Lourey! I love how Minnesota Nice is transformed into Minnesota Weird in the persona and through the eyes of Mira, the protagonist. What I like most is how this goes against the grain of most murder mystery/thrillers and makes for a refreshing take on the genre.

I'm looking forward to see where November takes us next!

The theme was quite ideal for the timing, and overall I found the writing style pleasant.
However, the plot ended up not drawing me in. I found myself completely uninterested by it, which is a pity.
I'm hoping to click with the next installment!

October Fest is one of the books in the Murder by Month series by Jess Lourey (the first book in the series is May Day). It’s October in Battle Lake, Minnesota and that means fall festivals, colorful foliage, crisp days, and politicians meeting and greeting in hopes of snaring a few more votes. What’s unexpected is the murder that also occurs.

This is an enjoyable mystery with a good plot and setting. I enjoyed the time I spent with Mira, the town’s librarian, and, especially, feisty Mrs Berns who is one of my favorite characters in all of Battle Lake. I’m looking forward to reading more. NetGalley provided an advance reader copy.