Jess Lpurey continues the Mira Grant series with this sharp and witty installment full of hijinks and of course, murder. The dolls in the book added a creepy element that was a great touch.

Lourey is a phenomenal writer and this series installment made me laugh out loud several times.

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

March of Crimes By Jess Lourey
Publication Date: February 25, 2025
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you so much to @jesslourey and @amazonpublishing for the invitation to be a part of this Murder By Month Laugh In book tour, the fun treats, and the #gifted book!

📚MY REVIEW:

This was my second read in Jess Lourey's Murder By Month Mysteries series, and once again, I was reminded of how entertaining these books are! March of Crimes was a laugh-out-loud cozy mystery that had me cracking up as I turned the pages!

What I love about this series is that the books can be fantastic standalones, or read in any order really, as they're each their own mystery and story. Though you'll understand some of the subplots better if you read them all in order, I don't think it's absolutely necessary to be able to enjoy these books.

Again, the most heartwarming and hilarious parts of the books involved the friendship between the story's female main character, Mira, and Mrs. Berns, who is never lacking when it comes to witty one-liners and raucous comments. Here's a few that had me nearly spitting out my coffee:

"Men who spy on women are a bunch of wieners, not a ball between them." 🤣

"While she was chewing, she dropped some crumbs on her chin, and a hermit crab darted out of a hair patch on her cheek to grab 'em." 🤣

"You smell like a brothel left out in the sun. Forget showering before you get in the pool. You should do one of those prison hose-downs." 🤣

I absolutely recommend any one of the books in this series to fans of cozy mysteries, quick reads, and people who could use a good laugh. And who doesn't need a little more laughter in their life right now?! Most books in this series are out now -- and the final Murder By Month Mysteries installment publishes TOMORROW, March 25th!!

#MarchOfCrimes #JessLourey #MurderByMonthMystery #LoureyLiterati #LaughWithMurderByMonth #CozyMysteryLaughs #RomcomEscape #LaughterRevolution #LaughIn #ThomasandMercer #amazonpublishing #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #ARC #cozymysteries #thrillerlover #thrilleraddict #booklover #bookreviews #bookrecs #bookrecommendations

⭐️ 5/5
First person POV
Single narrative: FMC- Mira
Linear timeline
Comedic Mystery, Amateur Sleuth
Setting: Battle Lake, Minnesota
A Murder by Month Mystery, #11 in the Series: Can read as standalone

I have not read any previous books in the series but after doing some research learned that I could still read this as a standalone. The author does a great job at recapping any previous backstory of the characters and setting so that you don’t feel like you’re missing something when you first start reading.

The protagonist, Mira James, finds herself entangled in a confusing murder investigation, involving creepy lifelike dolls made by a local senior citizen. Mira is such a fun character to follow along with and I enjoyed her internal dialogue and personal growth. The fact that her best friend, Mrs Berens, is in her 90s also cracks me up. The entertaining characters of Mrs. Berens, Kennie, and Gary also add depth and hilarity to the narrative. Their relationships with Mira are hilarious and quick witted. I love a good of cozy mystery and appreciated the witty dialogue as well as the authentic portrayal of Minnesota culture. Seeing as I’m a Minnesotan, I definitely related to a lot of that storyline and had quite a few laugh-out-loud moments.

I dislike when a mystery is obvious from the very start and this far from the case here. It’s evident in this book that Jess Lourey has a talent for crafting unpredictable plots; The mystery was clever and written really well. I definitely didn’t piece it together and was kept guessing until the very end.
This was a delightful read and Jess Lourey does a fantastic job blending humor, mystery, and quirky small-town charm.
I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series!

Thank you Thomas & Mercer for providing me this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

This book hit all the feels at all the right times! By far my favorite of the series. Mrs. Berns had some great lines, Mira and Kennie were hilarious with Kennie's newest scheme. There was excitement, sadness in many different ways, and potential life changes in the future. Mira is spooked by a lifesize doll in a local restaurant. Turns out, she was right in her feelings, as there was a dead woman inside of the costume. She tries not to get involved, but circumstances force her to find the killer, as another person is murdered and she finds herself and a new friend in the hot seat. I finished this one with a sad heart, but hope for what the next book holds. This was an unforgettable read.

I’ve enjoyed the Murder by Month Mystery series by Jess Lourey but March of Crimes has been a huge disappointment. I really do expect cozy mysteries to be a bit unbelievable and even ludicrous at times, with plot and characters taken to the extreme. But everything in this book, from the plot (over the top and silly), the characters, and the on-again off-again relationship between Mira and Johnny, was just a little too much. I especially disliked the middle-school behavior that Mira displayed with Johnny.

The book showed some potential with its humor and that’s its saving grace. The addition of the newest business scheme by Kennie Rogers is gratuitous at best, while the behavior of the police chief is just obnoxious. Although I have to say Mira’s interference could try the patience of a saint. Meanwhile, for much of the book the mystery seems to take a backseat.

This series has become a silly and irritating rom-com with a mystery tossed in just for good measure. Earlier books were so much better and it’s surprising to me how much the series has crumbled. NetGalley provided an advance reader copy.

I was excited to dive into this one, as I have been thoroughly enjoying this series.

However, this one was a bit of a miss for me. The plot was a bit slower moving than the other books I have read, and I had to force myself to finish.

I will definitely keep reading this series, even though this book wasn't my favourite.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review.

Book #11 in the Murder by Month Mystery series. Oh creepy life like dolls! Okay yes just thinking made me shiver! When a body is found inside the painted doll, murder raises its head. Its up to Mira and her friends to find the killer before the Battle Lake police throw her into lockup! Thanks #Netgalley and #ThomasandMercer for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

This was a great addition to the Murder by Month series. I love this series so much, and am so sad it’s close to the end! Once again, Mira finds herself in a murder investigation. I would’ve been out of this town the second month this happened! My favorite part of this book was Mrs Berns and Kennie breaking Mira out of jail. Mrs Berns is who I aspire to be when I’m older! I’m sad about Johnny and Mira, but hoping they can be resolved in the next book.

I want to be Mrs. Berns when I am 90!

This was the funniest Murder by Month book of the bunch! I laughed out loud so many times! Mira James is back to her amateur sleuthing when she happens upon yet another dead body, at Turtle Stew cafe of all places!

The antics that she, Mrs. Berns and Mayor Kennie Rogers get themselves into make for so much fun! I have to say the Minnesota Sex Hotline called Hotdish and the scripts kept me in stitches!

The book was very good it is part of a series but it can also be rid of the stand alone but I highly recommend starting from the beginning

Thank you NetGalley! As always, a great read following Mira James in small town Minnesota. I’ve been able to read each of these in month order now and have enjoyed them

March of Crimes by Jess Lourey was a fun and humorous cozy mystery.
A riveting mystery with an intriguing plot, packed with witty storytelling and characters you’ll instantly fall in love with.
Another great mystery and I love how the characters are developing over the series.

Mira James has enough to worry about with her financial and romantic problems, so it's beyond annoying when the life-sized doll sitting next to her in the local diner suddenly falls off to reveal a dead body under the mask. One of the nursing home residents has taken to crafting and leaving the enormous dolls all over town, so no one paid too much attention to the one in the diner before it was discovered to be a dead body. In the months that Mira has been in the small town of Battle Lake, she's come across quite a few dead bodies. So many that the local sheriff is not really believing that she has nothing to do with the sudden surplus of corpses in town. As the head librarian and part-time newspaper reporter, Mira knows quite a bit about what's going on in town. She and her 90-year-old friend and co-worker, Mrs. Berns are kept busy attending local events for newspaper articles, keeping the library running, investigating the murders, and being roped in on the latest "business opportunities" proposed by Battle Lake's mayor Kennie Rogers.

I really enjoyed the adventures of Mira and Mrs. Berns as they question suspects and try out new activities, all in a quest to keep Battle Lake safe and informed. There are plenty of laugh out loud moments, mostly courtesy of Mrs. Berns. I see that this is #11 in a 12 book series about Mira, so I'm looking forward to catching up on the rest of her adventures!

A great cozy series!
If you’re looking for your next cozy, this is it! If you’re looking for a series that you can read throughout the year…this is it! With an entry named for each month of the year, this is a great way to achieve your reading goals as well.

I’ve red two entries in the series so far and each one has been a good read. You don’t need to start in January, but you sure will want to go back and read the first two once you finish this one!

Okay first off Mira has the worst luck. How are all these people ending up the way they do since she moved to town. This crime is one I think I would have lost my mind over. It's creepy. I love how Mira is able to work with her friends in order to figure out what is happening as well as who did it. This was definitely a good one and I loved reading it. Can't wait to see what happens next for Mira.

I've really enjoyed reading this whole series month by month, it's so close to the end now that I felt nostalgic reading it, I'm going to miss all these quirky and lovable characters. In March of Crimes, one of the seniors in Battle Lake Michigan starts making life-size creepy dolls. You don't even want to know how these are associated with murder! Mira is still working on her PI license and starts to investigate, much to the chagrin of police chief Gary Wohnt. Luckily Mrs. Berns and Mayor Kenny Rogers are there to bail her out of trouble and find some new age-inappropriate hobbies!

I said last month that February Fever was darker than the previous books in the series, and I think this one was a bit more melancholy, which only makes me more eager to read the final book next month and find out what happens.

I was lucky to have access to both the ebook and audiobook this month, and it was a great story in both formats. Jennifer Jill Araya's narration was fantastic, she really becomes each of the characters and brings the story to another level.

This was one of the fastest books in the series, that I have read. I was so invested in every page. I love that there was a little more mystery in this one; however, I wish it wasn't at the expense of Mira's relationship with Johnny. That truly broke my heart. I am both looking forward to and and not looking forward to reading April's book. It is the last one in the series and I'm just so scared what is going to happen, but I'm not ready to not read any more stories about my favorite literary characters. The series starts with May Day and I highly recommend reading this series. The best way to describe this series is it is rom-com meets mystery/thriller.

I laughed out loud so many times, and I wasn’t even expecting it. It’s always refreshing to have some comedy with a nice mystery with just a hint of romance. And I think we can all agree that life size dolls are creepy enough that we need that comedy.
And if you’ll excuse me I now have a whole new series I need to purchase and read. I read this book having not read the other books in the series but it reads well as a stand-alone.
Just pick up a copy. You’ll love it!
I received an ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

March of Crimes was my first foray into Jess Lourey's Murder by Month Mysteries series and I was not disappointed. Luckily for me, this was absolutely readable as a stand-alone novel. The author manages to write in little callbacks and reminders to give just enough context clues for a new reader to pick Mira's murder-laden adventures up at any point in the series. I didn't dare expect too much but I shouldn't have worried: this novel delivered. An eleventh homicide - yes, you read that right, our rather unfortunate heroine has been handed eleven corpses to deal with so far - in a cosy, small-town setting in picturesque Minnesota where each side character is quirkier than the previous one with a side of rom-com, sign me up!

The Murder by Month Mysteries follow Mira, a young journalist who's barely employed and landed in Battle Lake, MN after a difficult breakup. Little did she know she was about to pick up on unwanted hobby in her new life: every month, somehow, she stumbles upon a dead body. Is it a case of the random bad luck or is something more sinister at hand? You'll have to read the series to find out. The March novel opens with Mira's boss asking - no, demanding! - she write an article that shines a good light on their little town after a neverending series of monthly murders. And so the story begins. Mira's desperate hunt to make the place attractive to tourists again after the sudden spike in homicide rate leads her to, you may have guessed it, yet another dead body!

I must admit I wasn't the biggest fan of the life-sized doll cadaver disguise. It seemed a little over the top (especially in a restaurant setting) and gave away the murderer a little too quickly but I suppose it is a rather unique manner of disposing of a body. In contrast, the crew of Battle Lake residents made for a delightful read. Between the spitfire elderly best friend forever who never shies away from making everyone else uncomfortable (including wearing a far too skimpy bikini) and the Barbie cowgirl boss babe mayor who is looking to hire Mira for her Minnesotan phone sex line (iconic), this story is filled with wonderfully loud women, a breath of fresh air in the often male-dominated crime fiction genre. I chuckled and cheered my way through March of Crimes.

Lourey knows how to write an engaging page-turner: she is quick with the wit, touches of sarcasm and humour in general while navigating a rather somber genre. The formula works and makes for an easy yet memorable read. The characters are anything but forgettable, the setting charming but never overworked or overdetailed (much to my delight), the pace is just right, keeping Mira and the readers on their toes while giving our main character just enough breathing to reflect and feel amid all the action. I found myself wanting to venture back into the series and enjoy the ride from the very beginning. A solid 3.5 stars from an intrigued first-time reader.

"I discovered that corpse like Columbus discovered America."

* Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. *

This was my first chance to read a book from this series- but I don't think I missed a thing. Mira, after finding herself sitting next to a corpse dressed as a doll, also finds herself under suspicion. Like Mira, I found the life size dolls created by Ida, senior with too much time on her hands, creepy. I wasn't a fan of Chief Gary (who would be?!) but I did like that the Mayor and Mrs. Berns helped her out. Loved the small town Minnesota setting (and the sly humor). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm going to look for Lourey again.