October Fest

By Jess Lourey

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.

Praise:

"With snappy jokes and edgy dialog, Lourey brings a Gen-X tone to a traditional mystery. The classic romance setup and her effective handling of eldercare issues enhance a clever plot. More spunky than sweet; get started on this Lefty-nominated series if you've previously missed it."—Library Journal (starred review)

"Lourey has cleverly created an entertaining murder mystery with the most unlikely murder accomplice ever. Her latest is loaded with humor, and many of the descriptions are downright poetic."—Booklist (starred review)

"The story is funny, ribald and brimming with small-town eccentrics."—Kirkus Reviews

"I loved Lourey's quirky, appealing sleuth and her wry yet affectionate look at small town life. No gimmicks, just an intriguing plot with oddball characters. I hope Mira's misfortune of stumbling over a dead body every month lasts for many years!"—Donna Andrews, New York Times bestselling author of Stork Raving Mad

• Language: English
• Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
• Release date: May 8, 2011
• ISBN: 9780738729169

Jess Lourey

Jess Lourey is the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Unspeakable Things, The Catalain Book of Secrets, the Salem’s Cipher thrillers, and the Mira James mysteries, among many other works, including young adult, short stories, and nonfiction. An Agatha, Anthony, and Lefty Award nominee, Jess is a tenured professor of creative writing and sociology and a leader of writing retreats. She is also a recipient of The Loft’s Excellence in Teaching fellowship, a Psychology Today blogger, and a TEDx presenter. Check out her TEDx Talk for the inspiration behind her first published novel. When she’s not leading writing workshops, reading, or spending time with her friends and family, you can find her working on her next story. Discover more at www.jessicalourey.com.

Reviews for October Fest

[ashleywintters · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Maria James is an investigator—okay so she is a part time journalist and part time librarian, but she has investigated her fair share of mysteries. She is in her home town of Battle Lakes for October Fest but she’s mainly there to cover the debate between two congressional candidates. Sarah Glokkman is the incumbent and her opponent, Arnold Swydecker seems to have more support.Maria meets a blogger that is very much against Glokkman and writes a critical blog about her. The next day, he’s dead! Maria just happens to be staying in the same hotel as the blogger and her interest is piqued. She begins to investigate and suddenly there are more suspects than she can keep up with.While all this is going on, Maria is dealing with her best friend’s—an older lady, Mrs. Berns’—love life. Mrs. Berns is getting married and Maria doesn’t like the man one bit, not to mention he is a suspect in all of this!Quirky and entertaining to the last page, this book is a fun cozy mystery.Reviewed by Ashley Wintters for Suspense Magazine