I normally save holiday mysteries and romances for around Thanksgiving but this year is ending on such a horrible note that I decided 'ah screw it! LET'S DO IT!'. Hence my reading of DECEMBER DREAD a bit earlier than I may have. This was a cute mystery that takes place in a Minnesota town with a librarian amateur detective. I enjoyed the MN references, the mystery itself was fine, and Mira James is an engaging protagonist. It didn't really blow me out of the water, but it was an enjoyable holiday themed cozy mystery that may be a good fit for the upcoming season. Note, this is part of a series (I didn't realize this) so you may want to have more of the Mira James mysteries under your belt earlier in the series before reading this one.

Love these books. If you are a fan of the Stephanie Plum series then this is a series for you. I had so many laugh out loud moments while reading. 5 huge stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of ths book.

hometown, former-classmates, private-investigators, Minnesota, small-town, small-business, librarian, journalist, local-history, local-gossip, local-law-enforcement, FBI, witty, laugh-out-loud, situational-humor, verbal-humor, senior-citizens, suspense, investigations, serial-murder****

This series is laugh city, especially if you are from a small town. Women of a certain physical type are being murdered in three states by a psycho who leaves a particular "calling card". This time Mira's hometown is being targeted and she actually fits the victim profile. This journalist librarian nearly has her PI license and is on the case!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected proof from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley. Thanks for the fun!
#DecemberDread by @jesslourey #MurderByMonthMysteryBk8 #NetGalley #ThomasandMercer #Minnesota #HumorousSuspense #RomcomMystery

This is the third book I read in the series, and although there is nothing wrong with the style or overall plot, I never managed to get invested in the story. It happens. Hopefully, many others will enjoy it!

I somehow did not realize that this book is part of a series starring the character Mira James. I enjoyed this book on it's own so I think it is fine to jump in. This was a fun mystery with a great holiday feel. Mira is a great character, pursuing her private investigator license and trying to track down a serial killer. The character of Mrs. Burns is really the highlight of the story and her relationship as Mira's sidekick is so funny. The overall plot was a bit formulaic to me but I enjoyed it for what it was, a cozy holiday mystery and I think other mystery readers will feel the same. I do want to check out the rest of the series! Thanks to Jess Lourey, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is my favorite so far in the Mira James series. There's murder. There's mystery. There's real-life issues being faced. There's fear. There's Christmas. There's love. I can't wait to begin reading the next in the series!

Skip this absolutely awful book. The writing and plot are both horrible, the dialogue is dismal and the characters are one dimensional.

Finally, a Christmas book that has had me intrigued and thinking, "What is going on and what's going to happen next?" This book is part of Jess Lourey's Murder by the Month series, which I had no clue it was part of a series, and I had no issues with reading this novel.
Our main character is in Paynesville, Minnesota, and it's right before Christmas. This set the perfect Christmas setting for me. There is a serial killer on the loose nicknamed The Candy Cane Killer. Mira finds out her high-school friend was the latest victim and sets out to use her PI skills. In. In the midst of getting leads and investigating, Mira realizes that she just might be the Candy Cane Killers' next target.

I kept thinking that I had this book figured out up until the end, only to be proven wrong each time. December Dread was a breath of fresh air as my last few Christmas reads have been mediocre. I plan on reading some more of this series. A big thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love a good departure from the typical, sweet holiday read!

Mira James returns home for the holidays, while simultaneously taking classes to become a private investigator. With a serial killer known as the Candy Cane Killer on the loose and with one of the victims being one of her high school classmates, Mira finds herself wrapped up in the case in more ways than one. Time is of the essence, as the killer only strikes during the holiday season.

While I found parts of the story a little silly, for the most part, I was eager to follow along on the journey to catch the killer. It settles somewhere between a mystery/thriller and a cozy mystery thanks to Mira’s sidekick, Mrs. Berns. She is a riot in the best way, sprinkling humor throughout the story.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley for the opportunity to read this holiday story. These opinions are entirely my own. If you are looking for a seasonal read that delivers some crime and mystery, grab a candy cane and read December Dread by Jess Lourey.

I was not anticipating this book to put the thrill in Christmas triller like it did. This is the 8th book in the series & unfortunately it was my first. I would recommend reading the other books first because I was very lost at times. It was very confusing keeping up with all the traveling & place they went to in this story.

I did ultimately end up enjoying this book. The actual killer was very obvious from the start so there so not a really big twist there. My favorite character by far was Mrs. Berns. I loved her & Mira’s banter the whole time.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ACR in exchange for an honest review.

With Christmas fast approaching, "The December Murders" plunges readers into a holiday season marked not by cheerful jingles or festive cheer, but by a chilling mystery that keeps you hooked until the last page. Protagonist Mira James is a relatable, witty investigator whose life is far from merry as she uncovers clues linking a series of grisly murders, each marked by a candy cane. With Battle Lake’s festive lights casting eerie shadows, Mira races against time to catch the killer who’s targeting women with her own features—thirty-something brunettes just like her.

Mira’s journey through dangerous twists and perilous encounters feels real and immediate, thanks to her partnership with the lovable Mrs. Berns, whose quirky charm brings light to the novel’s dark undertones. Their interactions provide both comic relief and emotional depth, amplifying the tension and stakes as the killer closes in. "The December Murders" artfully balances suspense and wit, making it a must-read for anyone seeking a holiday mystery with a sinister twist.

I've really enjoyed this quirky series with Mira not only finding ways to solve murders she happens to be exposed to monthly, but also her journey as an insecure, young worman finding her way in the world. In this edition, after some encouraging, she finally decides to get serious about becoming a private investigator since she has the knack for it. A forced work furlough finds her confronting her past by going back home to her mother's house for three weeks near the Christmas holiday.

I won't reveal more about the plot, but this volume finds her not only being the one to figure out who the serial murder culprit was, but also an endearing look at her overcoming her fears and getting her act together through the lessons learned.

Given all that, this was my favorite month in the series of those I've read so far. Go Mira!

As you can see, there are apparently other books before this and typically I'd have to read all of them first or my brain would go haywire but I decided to jump in on this since romcom is not my comfort zone anyway. It was a fun little mild murder mystery if that phrase is acceptable even though fun and mild typically don't go with murder and mystery. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review - this originally published in December 2018

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

WOW!!! What a great book!! This one had me hooked from page 1! This was a first for me from this author and I will not be my last! This one was a win for me!

The holidays are here and Mira finds herself temporarily out of work for budget cuts. She heads home to spend some time with her Mom and take a PI class. Of course, there ends up being a serial killer to catch. This was one of my favorite installments so far. She gets to catch a killer, spend some quality time with her Mom and Mrs Burns for the holiday. Lots of mystery, laughs, and growing up for Mira. And my last two words are - ABOUT TIME!

*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

I enjoyed this one more than the previous two books I read in the series, Oktober Fest and November Hunt. I also felt like this one had less political viewpoints, which was something I hated about the last two books. I loved the friendship between Mira and Mrs. Berns!

I've been enjoying this series but in the last couple of books I was starting to feel worn down a bit by Mira's unrelenting negativity about herself. This book slogged along in the beginning frankly, and I wasn't sure if I was going to finish it or continue with the series - until the reappearance of Mrs Berns, who is, without a doubt, the highlight of this series for me. She is just so sassy and such a wonderful counterfoil for Mira. When she was firmly ensconced in a significant place in the plot line, where she belongs, things definitely picked up.

I enjoyed the storyline about going back home again and the high school bits were fun and thoughtful and very relatable. All together this was not my favorite plot line, although it did grow on me and while I figured out who the bad guy was long before Mira did, I still enjoyed the way things wrapped up. The last handful of pages, covering Mira's relationship with her father and with Johnny, hinted that the tone of the next few books may shift in ways that make things even more interesting... Thanks to the ending, this one shifted up to four stars.

Mira is consistently one of my favorite book characters. This book is another amazing five star story in a great series!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!!

I loved this book, it was so festive and fun.

I will definitely check out more books from this author.

Mira returns home for the holidays, but a killer is on the loose! Part of Mira's time is taken up by a course to become an official PI, and the other part is attempting to solve the case of the Candy Cane Killer. With twists and turns throughout, sometimes Mira has to take a step back into her past before she can move forward with the case.

I thought this was a nice mystery that didn't require intense focus and a cast of characters I had to keep track of to try to solve the mystery myself (there's a time and place for that, and this was not that day for me). I've appreciated the other Murder by Month mystery I've read, and I think I'll have to complete my backlist reading!