I really enjoyed this book by Jess Lourey and plan to catch up with the first 11 books in the series! Mira is someone I'd like to be friends with, and I wish I had a Ms. Berns in my life! I also wish I had a girls' club like theirs when I was a teenager. I think it is good to shine a light on human trafficking (happens right under people's noses) and I can't wait to read more books from this author!


(also posting reviews to Goodreads and Amazon)

I didn't realise that this was the last book in a twelve part series...my bad.

April Fool's by Jess Lourey is a somewhat try-hard light-hearted mystery that follows small town librarian Mira James after she discovers a curious note linked to her deceased father. It felt a little too predictable and unrealistic but most cozy mysteries are.

The main character has discovered a dead body every month ever since she moved to the small town of Battle Creek. How she keeps happening upon these dead bodies without being the murderer is a mystery.


It felt a little too typical and removed for me to enjoy.

April Fools by Jess Lourey
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

So first of all, when I requested this book from Netgalley, I didn’t realize that it was book #12 of a series. With that said, reading this book makes me want to go back and read all of the other ones! It was such an entertaining read! Mira James and Mrs Berns are a force to be reckoned with! They are one heck of a team together and I absolutely adore Mrs Berns.

Mira James is living in a small town in Minnesota working as a librarian and is the star of the show. She is an aspiring private investigator and in the past 11 months, she’s come across 11 dead bodies. Her partner in crime is Mrs Berns. Mrs Berns is a no nonsense, tae kwon do butt kicking (although she says it’s toe can do LOL) 80+ year old woman who is sharper than tac! They have decided that the month of April will be free of dead bodies and will be smooth sailing! Except it’s not. Of course, sh*t’s gotta go down. It involves a mysterious note, a break-in at the library, a politician, possible Big Foot sightings, unveiling of past secrets, trafficking, and murder. DUN DUN DUNNNN....

If the rest of Jess Lourey’s series is as good as this book, I’ll definitely be going back and reading 1-11. April Fools is a quick, cozy, fun mystery book and Lourey does a really good job developing characters. There are plot twists in the book that are not completely predictable and they are also not coming at the readers out of the blue. And although I haven’t read the other books and want to go back to get more background story and really see the stories and characters develop, Lourey does a lovely job adding tidbits from past books into this one and providing short recaps so readers can catch up or remember what happened in previous books. This book was a quick read and I definitely enjoyed it!

Thank you Toadhouse Books and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Wonderful and Intricate Mystery
I love this book! This is the 12th in a series and stands alone well. There is a bit to much sex for a 'cozy' mystery, but the story is great! It is not too gritty or violent, just not 'cozy' subject matter. There is lots of humor to offset the dark subject matter. There is humor and wit throughout the book that will keep a smile on your face for most of the book. The reader is not exactly sure what is going on until the big reveal at the end of the book. I want to read more of this author's books in general and this series in particular. I received this ARC for free from Net Galley. This is my honest review.

A fun mystery set primarily in a library= a total winner! I was not familiar with this series prior to reading April Fools, but I will be going back and reading the first books. Not reading in order did not hurt my experience, as Jess Lourey does a wonderful job of adding just enough detail to catch you up without spoiling the other books,

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you Toadhouse Books and Netgalley for allowing me to find my new favorite cozy mystery book series! I came across this book after wondering if there was a cozy mystery series that had a month/holiday theme, and I didn't realize this was the last book of the series. Not to spoil too much, but I have definitely put 2 of the other 11 books on hold at the library! 

CW: Murder, Sex Trafficking 

Synopsis 
Mira James has come across a murdered body every month for the last 11 months. It has cost her one of her best friends, and it might cost her town their "Best Small Town" status. And she is willing to break the streak....until she finds a note in a library book that is literally asking for help. 

Characters
Mira James - our amateur detective main character. She is a librarian and a journalist with a troubled background and a knack for finding dead bodies. 

Mrs. Berns - our plucky side kick. An 80+ year old bad ass who takes tae kwon do, has the best quips, and also has her own troubled past. 

Rants, Raves, and Thoughts 
THIS IS THE COZY MYSTERY SERIES I HAVE BEEN MISSING. I mean, I love cozy mysteries, but I don't...expect much from them. They are great palette cleansers, and I do genuinely enjoy them! To the point that I go through waves on netgalley requesting some or through Overdrive looking for some. But I don't necessarily LOVE any of them.  

Until now. 

This books has shown me that Lourey has taken a well known genre and updated it. There are drug references, her father is quite possibly a terrible person, there is diversity in characters and sexuality, and at least for this book, it isn't explicitly JUST a murder! In fact I hit 50% on my Kindle and realized there hadn't been a murder yet, but I wasn't put off by this? So much was going on showing everything that Mira had gone through, especially after losing one of her best friends six weeks before. The story is also very "of its time" - it in part is a #metoo thought piece. But it also serves to bring awareness to something I personally hadn't realize: it isn't just the states that border the ocean that have a sex trafficking issue. Minnesota is actually on the top 10 list of states with the highest sex trafficking problems. That is not something I had ever thought possible, and the book does a great job of showing how it can be something overlooked. 

Lourey can build characters too. I may not remember all of the small town cast, but I can tell you that Mrs. Berns comes across as more three dimensional than most "side kicks." She's also exactly who I want to be when I am 80 years old. The men are written a little two dimensional, but I am chalking that up to not having full knowledge of the entire series. Plus, the love stories and triangles of cozy mysteries aren't what I read them for. I am genuinely shocked with how it turns out (again, no other book to have me swaying either way). And honestly? Lourey had me crying over a character that I had never met who died two books ago. 

She even had me putting non-comic books on hold at the library. What is that? 

Finally, the portrayal of the teenage girls. So many adults (myself included oh god) want to help prepare the next generation for what they need to look out for. How to look out for gross dudes. How to stand up for themselves. But the actuality is, they know already. They are still going to make the stupidest decisions, but they're more aware than we give them credit. And these teenage girls are written realistically. Yes they love their cell phones and yes they aren't quite ready to tell you the whole truth. But they aren't vapid and airheads. And they will fight for what they believe to be right. 

Also, I am 100% on board if the next series is all about Maisy and Peaches: Teenage Detectives. 

[Quote]She was wearing a ripped pair of Levi's with a Led Zeppelin t-shirt knotted at her tummy and black Cons on her feet. [...]

My heart swelled so big it almost cracked. "May I ask what the four of you are dressed up as?" 

"Superheroes," Angelina said, grinning. [Quote]

Final Moments
Honestly, I cannot wait for the other books to come in. If I like one more, I'll buy the entire series for when I need a good cozy mystery. I mean, how many of them have multiple scenes of an 80 year old woman getting high on edibles? 

[Quote] Plus, Mrs. Berns legitimately stopped to full-on hug four different trees.

A cozy mystery set in western Minnesota, really close to where I live, so that was fun. Overall I enjoyed this one, and especially liked her 80+ buddy Mrs. Bern. Mira is the town librarian, who keeps finding dead bodies. This is my first by this author, but will not be my last. Only couple of things I found slow was the romance issues, plus I didn't like the girls being kidnapped for the sex trade. Just found that a little creepy. Would still highly recommend this book and author.

I just finished April Fools by Jess Lourey. Mira James and Mrs. Berns are always entertaining. All the other characters are charming, too. I love the mix of humor and mystery. I can't wait for the next installment!

I absolutely love that this book is set in a small town in my home state of Minnesota. Mira James is the small town's librarian. One day she finds a disturbing not in a returned library book which sets her off doing some detective work. Next, the town is shocked by the disappearance of a high school girl and Mira goes about finding the girl. Aided by the notorious Mrs Berns and others, Mira is determined to find out was is going on in her small town.

The plot is at times serious but the darker aspects are balanced out by humour throughout the book. The book has a satisfying end which is both heartwarming and satisfying for fans of the series. This book is number 12 in the series (and the final book) but you don't need to have read the previous books to understand and enjoy this book. It is however recommended!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

I did not enjoy this book. It felt too predictable from start to finish and highly unlikely to happen in real life. I rolled my eyes through out the entire book. It jobbed around several different topic. The pacing was inconsistent.

All in all, this book was not for me.

After 11 months of finding dead bodies, Battle Lake librarian and PI in training Mira James hopes that April will be a quiet one. The mayor and town residents are in an uproar when they learn that Battle Lake may be in the running for the worst small town to visit in America. This type of publicity would devastate the tourism draw to Battle Lake. An inspector from the magazine is coming to check things out.

Then Mira finds a disturbing note in a returned library book about her late father Mark. She is determined to find the truth about his death 13 years ago. Mira's sleuthing leads to several shocking discoveries, one of which is that Mark had been a private investigator. Mira' also learns that her father and 3 other men on the note had met once at a convention. But what she does not expect is to stumble upon one of Minnesota’s biggest crime syndicates involving missing teenaged girls and a secret web site. Mira unwittingly puts her life in danger to save some missing teenaged girls.

This is the final book in the hilarious Murder-by-the-month mystery series. Mira's boyfriend Johnny has a surprise for Mira and her friend Mrs. Berns that makes a fitting end.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and Toadhouse Books with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

And the adventures of Mira James and the denizens of Battle Lake continue for another month! And am I glad they have. If you haven’t read the previous books in the series shame on you. Do it. Read them now. You won’t be sorry and you will undoubtedly develop a fondness for murder and Minnesota Hot Dish casseroles. I love this series. Every one has been a delight and this one is no exception. This book was fun, had a clever mystery and even some great recipes as a bonus. The only downside is I am hoping this isn’t going to be the last in the series. I want many more stories involving the entertaining, crime solving Mira James. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

What are the odds that I would read the first and last book in the series? I could have used some background from the in between ones to make the characters more familiar on a personal level. Fast paced, light and humorous all leading to an enjoyable read that's a page turner!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book. This is the first novel by Jess Lourey I have read and funnily enough, it's #12 of the series. If I had read some previous books in the series I would've been more familiar with the characters in the story. Having said that, this still kept me up late into the night, the fast paced mystery keeping me on the edge of my seat. I was quite worried that some of my favourite characters were going to get hurt, or worse.
The witty dialogue and refreshing way of viewing things made this book very easy to read. It's always satisfying when the bad guys get what's coming to them.

My first foray into a Mira James mystery, and most definitely will not be my last! Jess Lourey spins a fabulous lighthearted but substantial mystery into something both humorous and fun. She has a magical way of making even the most serious of subjects, kidnapping and sex trafficking into an enjoyable read. Especially if the bad guys do get it in the end.

Mira James lives in the small town of Battle Lake, Minnesota. She moved there unexpectedly when her personal world fell apart. More like escaped there, as the story goes. Mira has a special gift that she has bestowed upon the residents of Battle Lake. She finds dead bodies. And not just any dead bodies, but those related to crime. As such, Mira has developed a nose for private investigation. Only Mira isn’t licensed to do it, and sometimes she jumps in without a plan. That’s where her cohorts come in.

This time around Mira finds a note hidden inside a book that was recently returned to the library where she works. There are four men’s names on the note, with some kind of cryptic numbering, and scrawled at the bottom of the note is the word “help.” Mira’s nose for trouble sniffs out a crime here, and off she goes in search of the note writer. At the same time, there is news about a teenage girl missing from a nearby town. Could the two be related?

Books like this always put a smile on my face. When I need something not quite so serious, with a little bit of everything - good storytelling, fascinating characters, some romance (but not too much,) and a dab of mystery to keep it interesting - finding a series of books like this makes me smile. It’s the perfect book to throw in your bag, read before bed, or in-between chores. Since finding #12, I’m off to pick up 1-11 too.


This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com close to publication date.

Just finished this great read! I read this out of order. It made no difference and I absolutely loved it. I’ll have to go back for the entire series now.

What sets this book apart for me is that it is both light hearted and edgy! It doesn’t feel like your average vanilla, “the librarian is the sleuth” mystery. The charachters are rich and diverse. They have sex! Drink too much, have complex relationships with their parents and each other, aren’t always nice, and almost always just plain weird.

Beyond that, this is a fast paced page turner. The plot centers on a small town, with small town complexities. The librarian is the sleuth, but also a part-time reporter and recipe writer, solving a crime (murder!) every month for 12 months running.

Yummy recipes for head cheese and other odd midwestern things included. Yes, that’s sarcasm on the last bit. .
.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-copy in exchange for an honest opinion.
Very sweet, funny and enjoyable. I would recommend this book for APRIL 1. You'd be a fool not too.