Murder by the Month # 4 (re-release)
August Moon is the fourth installment in Jess Lourey’s twelve installment Murder by the Month series, recently re-issued. Librarian Mira James feels that she has outgrown the small town of Battle Lake, Minnesota. The catalyst for this: her latest attempt at romance has gone bust. Feeling like there isn’t any future for her in the small town, Mira plans to return to the Twin Cities to go to school. She has become a rather beloved figure in town and plenty, especially her employees, do not want to see her go, including her eccentric and highly entertaining, if not cantankerous, employee Mrs. Berns. While receiving books is her primary job, Mrs. Berns also sees it as her job to help Mira navigate social situations and stay on track at the library. Staying on track does not include Mira leaving, so finding a replacement becomes an adventure on its own. However, all of Mira’s plans get put on hold when her library assistant is murdered. Lucy Lebowski was a well-loved member of the community and Mira can’t stand to think that whoever killed her might get away.
Around the same time the New Millennium Bible Camp moves into town. The members are more than a little unsettling as they are looking for reasons to start yelling at folks for not being members of their congregation. Moving into town near the time of the annual August Moon Festival seems to give them plenty of ammo. Unfortunately for Mira, they also seem to be set on trying to censure her library, especially her fantastic banned book display. Luckily Mira isn’t about to let someone dictate what literature her library provides, and she does her best to relay that as nicely as possible. However, some people take anything but compliance as an argument and the New Millennium Bible Camp pastor and his family are quick to start a petition against the library. Facing persecution and a murderer keeps Mira’s hands full, but she refuses to back down from either, especially since local police chief Gary Wohnut seems to be a little distracted and a little less inclined to listen to Mira’s findings and clues. Regardless of his help, Mira is determined to get justice for Lucy and is more than willing to poke around any and everywhere to find her killer.
I found Jess Lourey’s writing style compelling and was unable to put the book down. I will admit that while Mira is the main character, Mrs. Berns had me literally laughing out loud with her antics. I could not wait to see what nonsense she was going to get up to next, and how everyone around her would react. This was my first Murder by Month Mystery book, and I recommend the series to readers looking for a fast-paced cozy with some provocative topics and lots of self-discovery on the main character’s part. I appreciate any book that tackles the issue of censorship being shoved at libraries and always love to see the library continue to provide access to any and all forms of literature. Knowing if Mira would stick to her guns about her banned book display or not had me anxious to reach the end. Characters are introduced effectively, as is the setting, so new readers will not be lost or confused if August Moon is the first book they decide to try. Those who have enjoyed the series thus far are sure to be pleased with this fourth addition and will be left looking forward to the next. – Carla Schantz