May Day

Murder by Month Mystery, Book 1

By: Jess Lourey

Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya

A waitress turned librarian just wants a new life. What she ends up with is a killer change of pace in a funny, snappy, and suspenseful mystery by Edgar Award-nominated author Jess Lourey.

With a cheating boyfriend, a thankless career in waitressing, and her BA in English going to waste, Mira James jumps at the chance for a fresh start in rural Battle Lake, Minnesota.

Right away she lands a job as a librarian, snags another as an on-call reporter for the weekly newspaper, and is swept off her feet by Jeff Wilson, a handsome archaeologist unearthing the town’s storied history. Moving here might be the best decision Mira’s ever made. Until she finds Jeff’s body between the library’s reference stacks. It seems Mira didn’t really know her drop-dead gorgeous new lover at all. But someone in Otter Tail County surely did.

Behind this quirky town’s polite exterior are decades-old grudges still unsettled, and murderous secrets best kept hidden. Whatever dangers are buried in Battle Lake’s past, now it’s Mira’s turn to start digging.

Revised edition: This edition of May Day includes editorial revisions.

©2006, 2018, 2024 Jess Lourey (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Lots of twists & turns!

Nothing too deep but entertaining! Easy summer read! I enjoyed the characters & their quirky personalities.

4 stars

May Day is an entertaining book with engaging characters. Although the pace is a bit slow, it's worth listening until the end. I look forward to the next book.

Good Start to a New to Me Series

I just finished Salem’s Cipher duology from Ms Lourey, so I instantly picked up another story from her. I love that she writes across genres. This one is a cozy mystery with a touch of romance. The story holds up too. The original publication date was 2006… 18 years ago. That is so crazy to me! Anyway, Mira’s first case was her murdered rebound. Let’s see how book two goes.
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Connective story

This book was really well written. A mystery that offered twists and turns that kept my interest in unraveling the story. Just enough detail for a wonderful visualization of the town, the people and journey. Nice performance of the audio as well. Thanks Jess for sharing your brilliant writing with the world!

Cozy Mystery with Zest

Mira is sweet, smart, and a little bit quirky. She's wasting her English degree working as a waitress; ever the plight of the underachiever. Through a series of events, she finds herself in Battle Lake, Michigan- a tiny, sleepy town. Until she gets there. Now there's a killer on the loose and things are getting crazier by the day.

I love the off-beat humor of this light and funny mystery. It's a great way to plug in and unwind for a bit. Well-written and with enough intrigue to keep the reader listening/reading, "May Day" is a perfect small-town cozy mystery with heart, humor, and a touch of heat.

Great Story

Interesting story about a very layered small town. Interesting characters and story line. Good read.

Fun listen

I thoroughly enjoyed this listen! I’m excited to move on with the series. Beware “closed minds and open mouths”

Ok story but just not for me. :(

It really isn't a cozy mystery as it falls on the PG13 side... which doesn't bother me, but it felt like a story looking for an identity.

The gotcha humor was a bit too much although I know that many people enjoy it. If you like Lifetime Movies with a silly side, you will like this story.