Mira, Jed, and Mrs. Berns go on an adventure via Ameritrain when Johnny takes a once in a lifetime internship in Oregon. Mrs. Berns surprised a broken hearted Mira with an all expense paid trip on the Valentines train from Minnesota to Portland to attend a P.I. conference, and of course see Johnny. As luck would have it, Mira can't get away from dead bodies, A lady in the sleeper car beside her is found dead, her husband and small daughter are missing. The train Conductor enlists Mira, two other private detectives, and Mira's "assistants" to help solve the case. Mrs. Berns and Jed had some pretty funny moments when they weren't busy with trip activities or investigating. Mira finds herself in another life and death situation, and she suffers great loss. Throughout the trip, she is reminded of her childhood friend who was abducted in front of her and never found. She must come to terms with past trauma, and new trauma. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It had me internet searching train trips, different type of train cars, and planning my own adventure on a train with a group of friends. Not many books have inspired me in such a way!

First book that I've read by this author and I wasn't disappointed. I like settings on trains, this was an adventure. Fast paced, funny at times, even a little sad. I'm glad I chose to read it. I would recommend.

I love a quick Mira James adventure!

Mira and Mrs. Berns end up on a cross country adventure on a Valentines train to Portland. Wherever Mira goes, bodies shall follow, so now they are trapped on a murder train that is snowed in somewhere between Montana and Idaho.

This one a little different than the others, one Mira in seeing a little girl on the train because haunted by a memory of her past that really give you insight to her character and second the ending was so sad and unexpected.

This overall was a little less lighthearted than the others Murder by Month series, but I loved the fast paced cozy mystery just the same.

Jess Lourey’s February Fever is a cozy mystery that throws romance, humor, and murder onto a snowbound train, making it sound like a dream getaway—until people start dropping dead.

The premise? A murder on a train, a missing family, and a protagonist who really just wanted to attend a PI conference and meet up with her boyfriend.

Classic case of “plans gone horribly wrong.”

Mira James finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery when a woman turns up dead on her train, her husband and child vanish, and rumors of an escaped convict spread.

With the train stranded in the Rockies, Mira has to unravel the mystery before she becomes the next casualty.

Lourey blends humor with mystery, but the comedic tone sometimes undercuts the suspense. Mira is witty and likable, but some side characters feel underdeveloped.

The pacing is uneven—strong start, sluggish middle, decent ending. The "Murder on the Orient Express" vibes are fun, but don’t expect groundbreaking twists.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5) – A light, entertaining read—more cozy than thrilling.
Great for casual mystery fans!

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer publishing house for this book, the latest installment in the Mira James mystery series.

What a unique setting for a cozy mystery. I love the departure, pun intended, from the standard cozy mystery settings. Mira. And the gang really had me guessing right along with them up to the end.

This is well written, with a well planned mystery filled with red herrings and lovable character characters. A refreshing to have a departure in setting and I can’t wait to read more in this series.

I love how unique these are! Yet they all flow so nicely into the next book. This was like a locked door mystery on a train. So good.

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay in posting, I had several familial health challenges to contend with in the past months.

I didn't realize this was part of a series until I started and while it can be read as a standalone, there are obviously some gaps if you aren't familiar with the backstory. Our female main character is a librarian taking classes to become a PI because - in her small town, natch - she has found a dead body and solved the accompanying murder mystery every single month for who knows how long. On her way to a PI conference by train, she of course encounters - what else - a dead body on the snowed-in train. It's a fast read and mildly amusing, but I found the characters (each in their own way) almost a caricature of themselves. That wore on me after a while.

The book was the tenth in a cozy murder mysteries series and it is as great as all the other ones...

Thank you NetGalley! This has to be my favorite installment of the Murder by the month series. I can’t wait to continue reading the rest while following Mira James

I adored this book!! I love books that take place during a snowstorm, so that was a huge plus. They’re also on a train, which I also love that. This book is the perfect blend of humor and mystery. All of those things made the perfect blend, oh and it’s a Valentine’s Day themed book as well. So cozy and cute, I would definitely recommend. Also, I have read the rest of the series, and all of the books are really good. I can’t wait to read more from this series.

I didn’t realize this was a series until I started. It was still fairly easy to pick up and was a fun read. Mira James is a PI in her small town, not by choice. But because every month since she’s moved here she has found a dead body. Other than being the police chief’s number one suspect, she runs the local library and investigates the body’s she finds. With her boyfriend unexpectedly moving to Portland, her best friend books them tickets on a train that ends with a visit to him. Mira thinks this could be the perfect vacation from murder, but when someone ends up dead in the room next to hers on the train, a vacation becomes the last thing on her mind.

The end was unexpectedly emotional and I’m upset I started with this book and not earlier into the series. The death of character I had just gotten to know and hope for was so unexpected. It was unexpectedly gut wrenching for myself, but it adds even more intrigue for me. I am even more interested in how the series started, how Mira started happening upon dead bodies and becoming a PI in the first place. This was a cozy light mystery read. I would suggest this series to anyone who enjoy the quirky small town dynamics of Schitt’s Creek.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. Thank you to Jess Lourey for writing such a compelling story that was entertaining and the right amounts of emotional.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

This murder mystery takes place in a train and trundles along at a cozy pace. I haven’t read any of the precious books in the series and I would have benefitted from doing so prior to reading this.

The book was a cozy-mystery with a good amount of romance thrown in. It had some parts that made me laugh and some sadder bits thrown in.
An enjoyable read for lovers of cozy mystery books.

I liked everything about this book but I was sad about the ending. Unfortunately, I haven't read all the books before this one so it's kind of spoiled for me. That said, I especially liked that it took place on a train! I like stories that are not the same ol' same ol and this did not disappoint. It felt a little like a buddy comedy which was fun!

This book was adorable...if murder mysteries could be adorable. I loved the friends dynamic and how much they all cared about each other. I loved the humor and the banter. It made me laugh, it made me cry and it had me a little stressed occasionally. Some parts seemed to drag a little but overall I really enjoyed it. Will definitely read more from this author!

What a great Valentine themed mystery 💗
Pretty much everything takes place on a snowed-in train so it’s a super cozy read! A ton of funny parts! Mrs. Berns is hilarious 😅

Can’t wait to continue this month to month series 🫶🏻

This was a new edition of an older book by Jess Lourey from 2018.
I usually like lighthearted murder mysteries, but I struggled to connect to the characters in this book.
I also found it a bit too rom com-my at times. After reading the description, I should have been more prepared for that. Anyway, didn’t hate this one but also didn’t love it.

I’m pretty sure there’s a law that says every mystery series must have an installment that takes place on a train, and here’s the Mira James version!

This was fun and one of the best structured mysteries of the series, and I loved all the train travel detail and humor.

I didn’t love the sad note to the ending, which felt out of step with the tone of the series and unnecessary to the story, but otherwise this was an excellent installment of a very enjoyable series that has been consistently clever, funny, and populated by a lovable cast of characters.

I came into February Fever wanting a fun, cheeky murder mystery. What I got was in fact a murder mystery akin to Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. Mira is a librarian taking classes to become a private investigator because she, well, has found a dead body every single month. Makes sense for a murder mystery series. When Mira's boyfriend is offered a spot in a PhD program in Portland, Maine, Mira doesn't know what she'll do. That is, until her assistant gets them train tickets to go to Portland to visit the boyfriend AND attend a P.I. conference. Mira goes in the hope that her string of bad luck and dead bodies will cease. However, when a dead body is found on the train, Mira is forced to put her burgeoning detective skills to use.

This book is a fast read. My critiques. come from the fact that the author Jess Lourey throws in SO many cliché phrases that do not sound natural whatsoever. Every character speaks as if they are a caricature of themselves. Perhaps that is what she was aiming for and is her style. If so, brava. My other critique is that I thought this would have romance. Unfortunately, most of the book takes place without the romantic interest. If you think the boyfriend is absent because there is going to be a new love interest introduced, you're wrong. Stop waiting.

Overall, a kitschy read for Valentine's Day.

Reading a book that is partway through a series is always a little odd. This book mostly functions as a standalone novel but I felt like I was missing some context and background that would've been helpful.

Mira is lovably awkward while capable and I love Mrs. Berns. A murder mystery on a train that is somewhat present day felt fun and unusual. I don't know that I'd categorize it as a cozy mystery, but it's cozy-adjacent.

suspense, investigations, witty, private-investigators, verbal-humor, situational-humor, friends, friendship, library, librarian, laugh-riot, multigenerational, small-town, local-law-enforcement, trains, murders, missing-persons, senior-citizens, cozy-crime, thriller, mystery-fiction, contemporary, snow-season, blizzards, gossip, rumor-mill, dad-jokes, attempted-murder****

Mira leaves familiar small town Minnesota to go on a train to Oregon with her head librarian, octogenarian Mrs. Berns, to attend a conference for private investigators. Nice long, boring train ride across the country in a roomette. No reason to think that it will bring another murdered body for her to investigate. True. There were more to come! Once again, I laughed my sox off!

I requested and received a temporary uncorrected proof from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley. Thanks for the fun!
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