This is the first book of the series that I have read by this author. It was a fun cozy mystery - though it lacked a lot of depth. It was a little too easy to solve and a little far fetched on how it all came about. I like the main character, Mira, but her other connections to the characters in the novel were stretched thin and didn't make a lot of sense.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

As we're not even close to Halloween yet, I thought I'd read a book set in December around the Christmas period with a villain called the Candy Cane Killer, because...why not?

As this was the first book I've read in the Murder By Month series, there were some references to previous books and characters that meant nothing to me ( but that's kind of my fault for jumping in at book 8 of a series) but those references were fairly infrequent and didn't really effect my reading experience.

December Dread is a "cozy" murder mystery and does what it needs to within that genre. Although it seems a bit formulaic at times, it does have some quirkier, more unique aspects. I personally enjoyed the friendship between Mira and her elderly-but-feisty best friend Mrs. Berns, which added a lot of entertainment value to the book as a whole, and there were enough potential suspects to keep me guessing until the end.

One thing that I wasn't too keen on was the way that Jess Lourey writes news reports. I enjoyed her writing style when from the perspective of Mira and the dialogue between characters, but whenever a news report came onto the TV, it felt like they stopped speaking like real people and the dialogue felt false and forced, like it was an afterthought as an exposition dump, or like Jess just doesn't enjoy writing as news reporters and wanted to get those sections over with as soon as possible. I don't mean it as an overall slight to Jess, because the rest of the book sounds fine, it's just specifically the news reports that gave that impression.

Overall, December Dread is an enjoyable read, and I'll probably read some of the other Murder By Month books in future. It didn't exactly set my world alight, but it does what it needs to do, and provides some fun along the way. I'd recommend it to fans of cozy mysteries, and especially to people who have already enjoyed books in the same series, but if you're after more of a gritty thriller, you'll probably want to give this one a miss.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with digital access in return for my honest review.

***.5
Three and a half stars out of five (rounded up because it doesn't allow half stars and it's closer to a 4 than a 3 for me)

Tis the season! Mira and her trusty cohort, Mrs. Berns, are invited to spend the holidays with her mom back in her hometown of Paynesville and having a serial killer on the loose just adds to the festivities! These Murder-by-Month books are supposed to be lighthearted and cozy mysteries that are heavy on the comics, but I don't mind one bit that they seem to be getting darker and more dangerous. Other readers may not approve, so heed my warning. This book, the eighth in the series, could be somewhat classified as part psychological thriller. I loved that there were chapters from the POV of the killer. The atmosphere and creepiness of the killer were kind of scary. I also loved that Luna had some major parts in the story other than just being a normal dog. And I was so happy with the ending of this book. Can we just all say, FINALLY! I thought I'd be waiting forever for this to happen!! Love this series! Love the characters! If you haven't read these yet, I highly recommend that you start now. So good!

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for granting me digital access via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

Read ARC on Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

This is a decent mystery that has a decent plot.

This book is for you if you want to vanish into a story for a few days to forget about everything in your life.

Mira James is back home due to a funding cut at her library (thanks to the fiscal "conservatives"). At that same time a serial killer is active who surprise surprise kills people who looks like her. She is at home for Christmas as is Mrs Berns and is it weird that I wished Mrs Berns were the primary character!

Mira is trying to find who is the killer. The most relatable moment is having to visit your hometown and see the people you went to highschool with. Mira had built it up high in her head and was surprised that the mean girl was jealous of her.

I've read from Jess Lourey before, but not a book within this series, and I'll admit I prefer her other books.
This one was a little too 'cozy' for my taste and even the writing felt different from the other books I've read by this author. So...yeah, that was a little disappointing.
I guess I can recommend this book to readers who have a book by the series before, and/or enjoy cozy mysteries during Christmas time.

This was a fun read! I particularly loved the friendship between Mira and Mrs. Berns. This next feedback point is likely my own fault for starting with book 8 of a 12-book series, but I felt like I was missing context in terms of time period and Mira's background (including getting shot at?). However, despite that, I enjoyed reading December Dread and how the author kept adding little kernels to keep the reader guessing as to the killer's identity until the end!

Mira James is a very relatable character. Small town fears, struggling to find her way, and survive (in more than one way). The book moved at a good pace, I found myself more invested as the book went on. I do wish it was a bit longer to give the characters a little more development.

Also, around page 200 the author writes “sneaked up.” It felt awful saying it. Maybe it should be snuck up?

December Dread, an action-packed, holiday mystery, brings Battle Lake librarian/newspaper reporter Mira James home to Paynesville, where she's forced to face a difficult relationship with her mother, a past she'd rather forget, and the terror of a serial killer who uses candy canes to terrorize his victims. Laid off during the library's slow season, Mira moves into her childhood bedroom and takes a community ed class to become a certified P.I. While she's attending classes–and taking a self-defense course with the effervescent Mrs. Berns, there are signs that the serial killer is stalking his next victim, and Mira finds herself squarely in the middle of the hunt. In this book, Jess Lourey alternates between POVs, which adds a deeper element of suspense to the story.. Mira gets more interesting with each book in the Murder by Month series, and her interactions with Mr.s Berns and the full cast of Battle Lake characters make this an entertaining page-turner.

This was another strong entry in the Murder By Month series it had that feel that I wanted from this type of book and from the previous entries. It uses the mystery concept and was glad everything had that suspenseful atmosphere. Jess Lourey wrote this strongly and am glad I was able to continue this series.

I liked this mystery!

This was cute and cozy except, some connections were weird. I think the mystery was a bit weak, the way the main character, Mira, went about her sleuthing was a stretch (imo). It didn't make sense how she suddenly had this inkling to get this major breakthrough.

Additionally, I believe the beginning part of the story had unnecessary detail that distracted from the mystery - I understand the reader needed to know that Mira had a complicated relationship with her mom, but the entire bit about the library losing funding and someone paying for a PI course was a bit odd. I was also a little .. under an influence when I was introduced to Mrs Berns so the connection felt weak there as well. but Mrs Berns had some good zingers so I'll allow it.

This is a good story if you're just looking for a mid30s (ish) woman who is trying to find her way in the world and then also there is a mystery.. but would not recommend it if you are in search of just a mystery.

S/O to NetGalley for the ARC of this re-release with updated content from the original!

This is a great thriller that really kept me guessing. Mira is home for the holidays and when a serial murderer makes her his next target, Mira needs to think quick if she wants to survive.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the eARC.
Another delightful book in this series sees Mira going home to her mother's for Christmas. She's dreading it because she doesn't have many happy memories of her youth.
There's a serial killer on the loose who's killed an.old friend of hers and when Mrs. Berns comes to visit, they can't help but scheme to find the killer.
They end up having several very scary moments, but the ending is so sweet and made Mira so much more real in my mind. Great read!

In this 8th book of the Murder by Month series, newly aspiring PI Mira James is shocked to learn that an old school friend has become the latest victim of a serial killer. The killer only strikes in December. Before killing his chosen victim, the murderer leaves a candy cane somewhere on their property. This gives him the name the Candy Cane Killer. Although Mira has a difficult relationship with her mother, due to her mother's enabling of her alcoholic father throughout her life, Mira goes home to attend PI classes and also attend the funeral of her old friend. Before long, Mira's best friend, 90-year-old Mrs. Berns also arrives in town. Naturally, the two of them can't help but to start investigating the murders and identifying possible suspects. Although the FBI agent on the case repeatedly warns them off, Mira soon finds herself in the position of catching the killer's eye.

I have only read one other book in this charming series and I really enjoy catching up with Mira and Mrs. Berns. The only slightly odd thing was that I was under the impression that these were new books. In this one, Mira is forever stopping at convenience stores to look up people in phone books and make calls using the pay phone. Later, she mentions she was in "the class of 1988" and she's in her late 20s, so apparently the books are set in the 1990s. I enjoyed the humor and even the slightly gruesome aspects of this book, which were surprising in an otherwise cozy mystery!

This was a fast-paced enjoyable whodunit mystery!

I'm definitely a fan of this author and always head into her novels expecting an atmospheric read that hooks my attention from start to finish and always keeps me guessing.

I thought the plot, pacing and characters in this storyline were really well done and I loved that this Mystery had a Christmas theme too it.

I'd definitely check this book out if you like a good whodunit thriller and as always I look forward to reading more from here in the future!

Thank you Jess Lourey, Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Fino a questo momento non avrei mai creduto che il genere Comedy e Mistery potessero fondersi così bene.
.
La storia è ambientata nel periodo poco prima di Natale. Nella posta Mira James trova un biglietto con sopra una promozione su delle caramelle ("dodici bastoncini di zucchero gratis, se ti iscrivi a un anno di vacanze salutari"). Subito lo scarta, come farebbe chiunque. Mentre sta andando in biblioteca incontra una sua vecchia amica, anche lei ha ricevuto quel biglietto. Due giorni prima anche altre donne lo avevano ricevuto e una di loro era stata uccisa insieme al suo cane il giorno seguente. Oltre a lei altre donne sono state uccise in altre città.
Il Candy Cane Killer colpirà di nuovo, riuscirà Mira James a fermarlo?
.
Questo libro mi ha molto sorpresa, non mi aspettavo che mi sarebbe piaciuto così tanto.
Lo humor della protagonista è perfetto e molto affine al mio. La scrittura è scorrevole e i capitoli sono mediamente brevi. Non sono riuscita ad indovinare il colpevole!
È una lettura perfetta da fare nel periodo invernale con una buona tazza di cioccolata calda tra le mani.

#DecemberDreadMurderbyMonthMystery #NetGalley

I don’t want this series to end. This instalment takes us away from Battle Lake but, thank goodness, not from delightful regulars such as Mrs Berns. It’s a great mystery with the usual humour, but there is also a bit more depth and personal growth in respect of the main character, Mira. We see more of her back story and watch as she struggles with the past and faces some long held fears. This adds up to a deeply touching ending.

Another great mystery in a fun series! Loved the humorous dialogue and characters.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.