This is my favorite of the series so far, mainly because it tied up some loose ends that I didn’t even realized I needed tied up! This installment in the series has the same lovable characters but it has a little more heft than the usual cozies with the way the crimes are portrayed – not gory or overly descriptive but no one is getting murdered for stealing an award-winning recipe – and I find that I like the amateur sleuth investigating in more substantial crimes. Are there a few TSTL moments? Maybe, but Mira fights her way out of them well rather than waiting for someone to come save her. I highly recommend this series but start at the beginning to get the backstory and all of Mrs. Berns and Kennie Rogers’ hijinks.

⭐️ 5/5
First person POV, single narrative
FMC: Mira James
Linear timeline
Mystery with humor
Setting: Battle Lake, Minnesota

I can’t believe I only just discovered this series and I’m a Minnesotan! I sped through March of Crimes and now this one and will have to go back and read the previous 10 in the series. I really hope Jess Lourey continues to give us Mira and Mrs Berens stories, writing about their shenanigans and investigations! I also see some potential with Jess giving us some steamier, romance with Johnny too! I loved the mystery, suspense, thrill, humor, and complexity, as well as character growth and relationship building.

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

this book is a sharp and twisty mystery with humour (my favourite pairing), heart, and a dash of danger. i really enjoyed reading the small-town secrets, and i was happily rooting for out fmc.

"April Fools" is the last one in the Murder by Month mystery series.

The whole series were rereleased with amazing new covers, April Fools being the twelfth book. While the end is open, so nothing is written in stone.. I will miss Mira and Mrs. Berns.

Whilst in all the previous months Mira finds a dead body and tries to uncover what happened and the ultimate whodunit.. This month is a but different. This month is more about finding missing girls and uncovering a very big sex trafficking ring.

Mira is struggling with her relationship with Johnny and there seems to be a lot of tension there. This really is a Mira novel we've come to love. With a lot of banter and humor.. But also cosy and loveable.
After dropping a returned book and picking it back up, Mira finds a note on the ground.. Must've slipped from the book. On the note are 4 male names, including one she knows very well.. Her dad! Wh.. What?! At the end of the note is a single word written.. HELP!

Her mind is in overdrive, who was the last one that lent the book? Who wrote that note? The story begins.. Mira and Mrs. Berns start investigating. What they uncover is nothing but chilling and the one responsible.. Pfew.. It's no small feet. Let's just keep it at that.

It's a solid 4 stars for me. I don't want to say goodbye to Mira and Mrs Berns yet as I've come to love a cosy and humorous murder mystery that hasn't been written childishly. Seems like I have to find something as similar as this.

I have not read any of the other murder by month books, so this was new to me. I was still able to enjoy this fun story line with likable characters.

Thank you to netgalley for an advanced copy. My opinions are my own.

I went in already feeling so sad this is the last in the series. This town has quickly become like family. Mira once again finds herself in the thick of things, as she stumbles upon a sex trafficking ring in her small town. Emotions run wild in this one, as Mira learns new things about her dead father, as she continues to miss and feel guilty about Jed, and putting herself in situations to help some teenage girls. This series has hooked me so much that I'm so not ready to have a new one to read next month. I highly recommend the entire series. It was the best series I've read in years.

When Mira checks in a new book at the library, she finds a note hidden inside. She is determined to solve the mystery of it and why her dad’s name is listed, especially after someone takes the book. At the same time, a girl goes missing: could the two events be tied? Mrs. Berns might be the funniest partner ever. I started with the last book in the series, but I did not feel like I was missing anything; I am ready to go back and read them in order.

This was a fun quick read. I really liked Mira and I giggled throughout the book. The mystery aspect wasn’t as suspenseful as a mystery but it was perfect for this series! I found I was more drawn to the romantic aspect and who she chooses at the end. Overall, this is a great romcom mystery for a lazy day!

Admittedly, I hadn't heard of the Murder by Month Mysteries, but now I have to go back and read Mira's descent into finding a dead body- and mystery a month. Her arrival to town has created a lot of excitement.

This book begins with Mira finding a note for help hidden in a library book, which leads to a dead body, then there are the two missing girls. She is trying to earn her PI license, and decides to use her time trying to determine who wrote, and hid, the note- and if it is real, what she can do to help.

I have recommended this book to friends and told them if they read the first few to let me know what they think. It "could" be a stand alone, but the deaths in previous months are mentioned more than once. I think it may be better to read them as part of the series.

I can't wait to read the previous segments, and see what happens!

I was given the opportunity to read this title by NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

First off, Mrs. Berns MAKES this book. She had me laughing out loud from start to finish, and I want to be her friend in real life. This quirky set of small-town characters was so fun and what kept me reading.

This is part 12 in a 12-book series. However, it does say this can be read as a standalone. I would say yes, it *can* be, but should it be? No. There was so much backstory I felt I was missing, so a lot of characters felt very underdeveloped. I would recommend reading this as part of the series.

This is not a gripping story with unpredictable twists and turns, but it was very entertaining.

This was my first book that I read in the series. Ironically, it’s the last book. I was hooked by the ease at which you get immersed in the Battle Lake world. The author provided just enough background on the previous books that you could step in and start at any point in the series. As for the book itself, it was funny and had just enough tension to keep the plot moving forward. I would definitely read from this series again if I want a quick mystery read that isn’t too heavy.

I thoroughly enjoy this book series! It’s great to have a book to look forward to every month. I thought Battle Lake being one of the worst towns in America was so funny. Of course the girls will have to prove that isn’t the case. Then, of course they run into nothing but bad things. Such a fun read! I recommend this book and then entire series.

I will preface this by saying I had no idea this book was the 12th in a series! I think that if you love this series, you should definitely read this, but if you're like me and just picking it up, it may not be exactly what you are expecting.

It's a very cute mystery series but knowing nothing about the characters, fell flat for me. It was a bit too cheesy in dialogue and plot. I was hoping for more warmth and lovable quirkiness from the characters.

2.5 stars for me this time around.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC. This title will be published on March 25, 2025.

I've loved all of these hoping this isn't the last of them! Mira uncovers more of her past and once again helps solve a few mysteries.

April Fools is the sixth book in Jess Lourey’s Murder by Month series, following journalist-turned-sleuth Mira James as she dives into yet another small-town Minnesota mystery. This time, a missing person case spirals into something much bigger—and more dangerous—than she expected.

Mira is a fantastic lead—funny, relatable, and someone you’d totally want to grab coffee with. The small-town charm and humor mixed with suspense made for an entertaining read, and while some twists were predictable, the story kept me engaged.

That said, the pacing lagged a bit in the middle, some parts felt repetitive, and the mystery wasn’t as gripping as I’d hoped. A few side characters could have been fleshed out more, which made it harder to connect with them.

Overall, this is a fun, light mystery with a quirky protagonist and a good dose of humor. It’s not mind-blowing, but if you enjoy cozy mysteries with a little snark, it’s worth a read!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm so sad to see that this is the last book for this series. I have enjoyed this series so much. The quirkiness as well as the mystery that each book carries has been so fun. This is a great mix of the two and this time finding out about how long this mystery has been going on was just so good. I can't imagine being in her shoes but so glad she has answers. The ending was perfect.

I don’t know what I’m going to do without Mira James in my life! I have absolutely loved and adored this series since I started reading it back in December. April Fools marks the final installment, and I’m feeling all kinds of emotions about saying goodbye.

First, I’d like to thank NetGalley, Jess Lourey, and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Mira James is back with another action-packed adventure, and this time, the story takes quite a darker turn. She’s juggling her love life, work, and personal growth, and I love how everything comes full circle for her. Seeing her meet Johnny where he’s at was such a satisfying moment.

Of course, I will forever love Mrs. Berns—who wouldn’t want a friend like her?—and even Kennie, believe it or not. And let’s talk about that beloved character’s return… I was so happy!

I 100% recommend April Fools, but honestly, this recommendation extends to the entire series. If you haven’t yet met Mira James, now is the time to dive in!

Mira James and her 90-year-old sidekick Mrs. Berns are back for another adventure in Battle Lake, MN. It's still winter and snowy but that doesn't stop trouble from finding Mira. She and Mrs. Berns have to keep the library running while trying to present a cheerful front to an inspector who's arrived in town due to all of the recent murders that have happened. It looks like Battle Lake is going to be named one of the worst towns in America, so the ladies are doing all they can to show that the town isn't really so bad. One day Mira finds a disturbing note in a returned library book. It has the names of four men on it (one of them being her deceased father's) and the word HELP. She begins to work to find the connection between the men and who is asking for help. This leads her down a dark path to terrible crimes and missing girls. It's hard enough to keep things together when she's also facing relationship problems and a serious Nut Goodie addiction without all of the added stress of solving the town's crimes.

This is the last in the 12 Murder by Month mysteries and it didn't seem to have the humor or lightheartedness that some of the earlier books had. It did deal with heavy topics, so maybe that was part of the problem, or it could have just been the fact that the series was coming to a close. I still enjoyed the story, but Mrs. Berns didn't get nearly enough time in this book to cause trouble! I hope there might be some more adventures from this series in the future.

This was a nice way to wrap up the series for Mira James. Not quite a "lived happily ever after", but our interprid, budding PI looks like she's on the right track for success. While of course there's a murder mystery here to solve, we rest easy knowing that despite all the trials and tribulations, as well as foibles and insecurities of a young woman, she'll prevail when all is said and done.

One nitpick - I know this series was originally written some years ago, with recent revisions from the author, but a couple of dates revealed in this volume don't quite add up for someone nitpicky like me. I won't get into the details and see if the next reader figures out what I'm talking about.

With that said, I'm sorry to see this enjoyable, irreverent series come to an end. I started previewing these through NetGalley with the September edition, and now that I just purchased May through August, I'm looking forward to circle back and see how it all started.

All in all, this was a nice break from all the very serious thrillers dominating the landscape these days. Thumbs up!

I may not be the best person to review the book as this is my first read of the series. And this very book happens to be the last one of the series.

Anyway thanks to netgalley for providing me with an arc.