May Day

Jess Lourey's debut mystery swirled with humor and horror. It was fun with a briskly moving plot.The story is well told and the lead character is believable and endearing in a mildly gritty sort of way. The only hang-up I had with May Day was Mira's cat, Tiger Pop. He's not mentioned frequently in the story. However, one reference, "...there was no motion from the calico ball on my bed", bothered me. Calico cats are almost always female. A male is extremely rare. I was annoyed by this one small inattention to detail. It must be the cat lover in me. Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot and have eagerly devoured the next two in the series. There's a witty intelligence to these light reads that make them well worth the money.

I think this is a great mystery, and it's filled with more substance and better writing than most books in this genre. The book is short on dialogue, which annoyed me, but that's just a personal preference. One thing that really bothered me was the character of Keenie. She was supposed to have a Southern accent, but the author got it all wrong. I could barely discern what she was saying at times. By the way, y'all is not a 2nd person, singular pronoun. It's used in the plural sense, but I think the author may have been a bit confused on that matter. Alas, the book is set in MN, so what can I say? But this is really a great mystery slash chick lit book, and I'm sure I'll read the second in the series.

I found myself giggling aloud as I read this book before bed each night. I finally had to hide under the covers, so I wouldn't wake my husband. What a refreshing, fun, new voice amid lots of tired, old, formulaic mysteries. I really enjoyed the absolute authenticity of this young, single, smart, witty woman (Mira James). Candace Bushnell/Carrie Bradshaw couldn't have done it better! I also enjoyed the humanity and sexuality of those we so blandly call "the elderly." Kudos, Jess Lourey! I can't wait until _June Bug_!

I read an advance copy of this new mystery writer from Minnesota and loved it. She's a blend of Evanovich and Hillerman.Her characters are quirky, the local color is fun, the mystery is engrossing--an all-around good read. I understand she has another mystery in the pipeline--I can't wait.

Lourey's debut novel is zany and nonstop hilarity without being silly or unbelievable. The protagonist, Mira James, a disenchanted English graduate student, moves to Battle Lake to housesit for a friend and infiltrates small-town life through her job as an erstwhile columnist for the local paper and a part-time librarian. High jinks ensue after a romantic tryst turned relationship ends tragically. James turns her considerable research and social skills toward solving the crime to achieve both justice and pesronal closure. Lourey's strenght is her trenchant wit, cleverness, and hilarious turns of phrase. She clearly knows the small town life and can turn a witty, cynical, and at time poignant eye to the ins and outs of rural mores, local politics, and small-town gossip to paint a lurid picture of the whimsy of the midwestern burg. Readers will revel in the hard-nosed heroine's cynical take on life and delight in Lourey's way with language. If you're looking for a smarter, more capable, and funnier (on purpose) Stephanie Plum, then this is your book. Fabulous!