Minneapolitan Mira James has been taking it easy since college graduation—too easy. Due to a dead-end job and a cheating boyfriend, the Twin Cities have lost their charm, and Mira decides to begin a new life in rural Battle Lake. Right away she is offered jobs as an assistant librarian and part-time reporter, and falls into an unexpected romance with a guy who seems to be the perfect man until he turns up dead between the reference stacks her tenth day on the job. Anxious to learn more about the man who had briefly stolen her heart, Mira delves into the hidden mysteries of Battle Lake, including a old land deed with ancient Ojibwe secrets, an obscure octogenarian crowd with freaky social lives, and a handful of thirtysomething high school buddies who hold bitter, decades-old grudges. Mira soon discovers that unknown dangers are concealed under the polite exterior of this quirky small town, and revenge is a tator-tot hotdish best served cold. A hip, humorous, and gripping account of small-town murder, this novel is the first in a series of cozies featuring Mira James, an urban woman with rural Minnesota roots.

Mira James never imagined life after college would be a doublewide trailer outside Battle Lake, Minnesota. Then again, maybe the North Country has more to offer than mosquitoes and broasted chicken. Local legend claims that a diamond necklace was lost nearly a century ago in Whiskey Lake, not far from the present day Shangri-La resort. Mira, a part-time reporter, goes fishing for the story behind the legend, but her dives turn up more than missing jewelry. Buoyed by frozen Nut Goodies and a diminutive circus performer, the exhilarating search leads to a new mystery to unravel, and puts her face to face with the surfacing of a menacing foe from her past.

What's so wrong with admiring from a distance? Mira's quirky puppy love for Chief Wenonga, a well-muscled fiberglass statue in her Minnesota small town, might be a safer love pursuit than online dating. But when the 23-foot Chief goes missing from his cement base, Mira's not the only citizen to be crushed. The town of Battle Lake is celebrating their statue's 25th anniversary and no amount of blue, sugar-soaked popcorn balls at Wenonga Days can uplift their gloomy mood. But when Mira runs into a dead body, the town has more pressing issues. Mira's second biggest crush, organic gardening god and dead ringer for Brad Pitt-Johnny Leeson-has disappeared. Her luck with men is running out, and a killer might be moving in. With something of her own to hide, Mira hopes she can avoid the police long enough to track down the object of her mega-crush-but is Mira trailing a statue-thief, a kidnapper, or a murderer?

Maybe it's time for me to leave this crazy town, hightail it back to Minneapolis, and become a cat-collecting, fist-shaking, asexual English professor... Furious after being stood up by local hottie Johnny Leeson, Mira decides to abandon Battle Lake, Minnesota, where the women are churchgoers, the men like to hunt, and the body count is above average. But when a cheerleader bites the dust, Mira loiters long enough to snoop. Mira is highly suspicious of the New Millennium Bible Camp, a disturbing place with a Stepford Wives meets Hee Haw vibe. Before ditching Battle Lake, Mira is hell-bent on confronting her own demons and catching a killer.

The Minnesota State Fair - the beloved home of 4H exhibits, Midway rides, and everything on a stick. The festival fun is riding high until the recently crowned Milkfed Mary, Queen of the Dairy, a Battle Lake native, is brutally murdered while her regal likeness is carved in butter. Can Mira James, covering the fair for the Battle Lake Recall, expose a deadly State Fair secret and win a blue ribbon for caging a killer? You bet your last deep-fried Nut Goodie!

Beer and polka music reign supreme at Octoberfest, Battle Lake's premier fall festival. To kick off the celebrations, the town hosts a public debate between the two congressional candidates: straight-laced Arnold Swydecker, and slippery incumbent, Sarah Glokkmann. As a reporter for the Battle Lake Recall, Mira James is roped into writing up the word war. But the festive mood sours when a well-known Glokkmann-bashing blogger is found dead . . . and the congresswoman herself meets a gruesome fate. To keep the heat off her best friend's fiancé—an ex-con reporter—Mira wades through the candidates' dirty laundry, their unsavory secrets, and some murderous mudslinging to expose the killer.

November in Battle Lake, Minnesota, is cold enough to freeze the balls off a pool table. lt's also deer hunting season. When Tom Kicker is killed in a hunting accident, Mira James is hired to investigate—a job that brings her closer to a P.I. license. Braving subzero temps and shrieking blizzards, Mira uncovers a decades-old scandal that has never quite died, unlike the cold stiffs who are piling up in the town morgue. As she pieces together the clues, Mira discovers that Battle Lake's good-old boys have been up to some bad business. But with threats and enemies around every icy corner, she may not live long enough to expose the truth.

'Tis the season for grinning sales-elves on TV and maddeningly jolly muzak. But for Mira James and other Battle Lake-area women, the holidays are marred by something far worse—a serial killer leaving candy canes as his calling card. His target? Thirty-something brunettes who look just like Mira. When a woman from her high school graduating class becomes the latest victim, Mira plows through a case of online dating turned deadly.

Mira James' life is perfect. She's just consummated her relationship with Johnny Leeson, she's a freelance investigator for a local attorney, and she hasn't uncovered a dead body in nearly two weeks. That lucky streak comes to an icy halt when she joins the reopening festivities at the Prospect House, Battle Lake's oldest structure. Mira is covering the event for the Battle Lake Recall when she ice skates over a corpse frozen into the lake in front of the mansion. When Police Chief Gary Wohnt is shot in a seemingly unrelated traffic run. he and Mira must form a reluctant alliance as she becomes his eyes on the ground, uncovering a web of lies and murder that date back over a century.

All Aboard the Murder Express Mira James' hot and heavy relationship with boyfriend Johnny Leeson is definitely warming up her winter. But when Johnny has to go to Portland, Oregon, for a month-longth internship, airplane-averse Mira lets her septuagenarian friend Mrs. Berns talk her into a visit. On the plus side, Mira can make the trip a tax write-off by attending the International Private Investigator Conference. On the down side, Mrs. Berns books them—much to Mira's dismay—on the Valentine Train, a place for singles to meet and mingle. After a few glasses of champagne and Mrs. Berns' encouragement, Mira begins to relax and enjoy herself . . . until a fellow passenger is murdered and a snowstorm traps the train in the Rockies. If Mira can't track down the killer, she may end up derailed—permanently.

A doll walks into a bar... Ida Gilbertson of the Battle Lake Senior Sunset nursing home has a new hobby: crafting life-sized dolls and displaying them around town. Budding PI Mira James finds the homemade mannequins creepy enough on their own, but when she's forced to sit next to one and discovers a human corpse under the hat and wig, it becomes personal. Police Chief Gary Wohnt is all too eager to pin the blame on Mira. When her sleuthing gives him the perfect excuse to lock her up, it's up to Mayor Kennie Rogers and Mrs. Berns to help her out. Racing against the clock, Mira must unmask the murderer before she either becomes a jailbird or the next dolled up victim.

From Book 1: "I found myself laughing out loud..." ―Crimespree Magazine The not-so-proud owner of a dead-end job and a cheating boyfriend, cosmopolitan Mira James jumps at the chance for a fresh start in rural Minnesota. She regrets her move until she crosses paths with Jeff, the ultimate sexy nerd. When their romance heats up, she thinks she has it made. And she does, right up until Jeff turns up dead. Anxious to learn more about the man who briefly stole her heart, Mira delves into Battle Lake's mysteries, including an old land deed obscuring ancient Ojibwe secrets, an octogenarian crowd with freaky social lives, and a handful of thirty-something high school buddies who hold bitter, decades-old grudges. Mira soon discovers that unknown dangers are concealed under the polite exterior of this quirky town, and revenge is a hotdish best served cold. May Day is a laugh-out-loud romantic comic caper mystery, perfect for readers who enjoy the humorous mysteries of Chelsea Field, Gina LaManna, Janet Evanovich, Denise Grover Swank, Jana DeLeon, and Stephanie Bond. If you love to laugh while reading a page-turning mystery, this series is for you! May Day is the first in an ongoing series featuring Mira James, an urban woman with rural Minnesota roots. The books can be read in any order; each novel stands alone. Get all the Mira James mysteries today! May Day June Bug Knee High by the Fourth of July August Moon September Mourn October Fest November Hunt December Dread January Thaw February Fever March of Crimes April Fools Or, if you love to sink into a convenient read, check out these smart-priced bundles! Mira James Mysteries Summer Bundle, Books 1-4 (May, June, July, and August) Mira James Mysteries Fall Bundle, Books 5-7 (September, October, November) Mira James Mysteries Winter Bundle, Books 8-10 (December, January, February) PRAISE FOR MAY DAY "A hilarious and sexy small-town mystery!! Loved it!!" ―Anniereader (Amazon reviewer, five stars) "Tight plot and funny." ―Betti (Amazon reviewer, five stars) "Read this now! I had a hard time putting this one down...Good thing there are more in the series I haven't yet read. I'm looking forward to devouring them!" ―S. Waters (Amazon reviewer, five stars) "This trade paperback packed a punch...I loved it from the get-go!" ―Tulsa World "What a romp this is! I found myself laughing out loud..." ―Crimespree Magazine "Mira is the strength of the book. She has a unique voice, full of irreverent humor...I couldn't help rooting for [her]." ―All about Romance "Meet this witty heroine in Lourey's engaging new series." ―Mystery Scene Magazine "May Day starts the action rolling with a clever mystery and some snappy writing . . .