Jess Lourey

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Michigan

A Thriller

Killers hiding in plain sight. Small-town secrets. A girl who knows too much. From the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Unspeakable Things and Bloodline comes a nerve-twisting novel inspired by a shocking true crime.

Minnesota, 1977. For the teens of one close-knit community, summer means late-night swimming parties at the quarry, the county fair, and venturing into the tunnels beneath the city. But for two best friends, it's not all fun and games.

Heather and Brenda have a secret. Something they saw in the dark. Something they can't forget. They've decided to never tell a soul. But their vow is tested when their friend disappears--the second girl to vanish in a week. And yet the authorities are reluctant to investigate.

Heather is terrified that the missing girls are connected to what she and Brenda stumbled upon that night. Desperately searching for answers on her own, she learns that no one in her community is who they seem to be. Not the police, not the boys she met at the quarry, not even her parents. But she can't stop digging because she knows those girls are in danger.

She also knows she's next.

The Quarry Girls

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Massachusetts

Inspired by a terrifying true story, a heart-pounding novel of suspense about a small Minnesota town where nothing is as quiet--or as safe--as it seems. Cassie McDowell's life in 1980s Minnesota seems perfectly wholesome. She lives on a farm, loves school, and has a crush on the nicest boy in class. Yes, there are her parents' strange parties and their parade of deviant guests, but she's grown accustomed to them. All that changes when someone comes hunting in Lilydale. One by one, local boys go missing. One by one, they return changed--violent, moody, and withdrawn. What happened to them becomes the stuff of shocking rumors. The accusations of who's responsible grow just as wild, and dangerous town secrets start to surface. Then Cassie's own sister undergoes the dark change. If she is to survive, Cassie must find her way in an adult world where every sin is justified, and only the truth is unforgivable.

Unspeakable Things

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California

Perfect town. Perfect homes. Perfect families. It's enough to drive some women mad... In a tale inspired by real events, pregnant journalist Joan Harken is cautiously excited to follow her fiancé back to his Minnesota hometown. After spending a childhood on the move and chasing the screams and swirls of news-rich city life, she's eager to settle down. Lilydale's motto, "Come Home Forever," couldn't be more inviting. And yet, something is off in the picture-perfect village. The friendliness borders on intrusive. Joan can't shake the feeling that every move she makes is being tracked. An archaic organization still seems to hold the town in thrall. So does the sinister secret of a little boy who vanished decades ago. And unless Joan is imagining things, a frighteningly familiar figure from her past is on watch in the shadows. Her fiancé tells her she's being paranoid. He might be right. Then again, she might have moved to the deadliest small town on earth.

Bloodline

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Heavy Paperback (2 to 4 lbs)

A Novel

Two girls vanished. A woman buried alive. Between two crimes lie decades of secrets yet to be unearthed in a pulse-pounding novel by the Edgar Award-nominated author of Unspeakable Things. Summer 1980: Despite the local superstition that the Bendy Man haunts the woods, three girls go into a Minnesota forest. Only one comes out. Dead silent. Memory gone. No trace of her friends. The mystery of the Taken Ones captures the nation. Summer 2022: Cold case detective Van Reed and forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck are assigned a disturbing homicide--a woman buried alive, clutching a heart charm necklace belonging to one of the vanished girls. Van follows her gut. Harry trusts in facts. Their common ground is the need to catch a killer before he kills again. They have something else in common: each has ties to the original case in ways they're reluctant to share. As Van and Harry connect the crimes of the past and the present, Van struggles with memories of her own nightmarish childhood--and the fear that uncovering the truth of the Taken Ones will lead her down a path from which she, too, may never return.

The Taken Ones

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The Amazon Charts bestselling author of Unspeakable Things and Bloodline explores the darkness at the heart of the rural Midwest in a novel inspired by a chilling true crime. In the summer of '84, fourteen-year-old Frankie Jubilee is shuttled off to Litani, Minnesota, to live with her estranged mother, a county prosecutor she barely knows. From the start, Frankie senses something uneasy going on in the small town. The locals whisper about The Game, and her mother warns her to stay out of the woods and away from adults. When a bullying gang of girls invites Frankie to The Game, she accepts, determined to find out what's really going on in Litani. She's not the only one becoming paranoid. Hysteria burns through the community. Dark secrets emerge. And Frankie fears that, even in the bright light of day, she might be living among monsters.

Litani

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Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

By-the-book forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck and rogue BCA agent Van Reed must catch a cold-case killer who's returned to abduct a small town's children one by one in this heart-stopping novel from the Edgar Award-nominated author of Unspeakable Things. In 1998 an Alku, Minnesota, family of five was brutally murdered in their sleep. The event shook the insulated community but, without any solid leads, was relegated to the cold case files, where it moldered for twenty-five years. Until today. Agent Harry Steinbeck hoped never to return to the northland, a place that holds terrible memories of his sister's abduction. But when a recent homicide is connected to Alku's unsolved mass murder, he and cold case agent Evangeline Reed have no choice but to investigate. The case grows impossibly darker as, one by one, the children of Alku begin disappearing. And Harry and Van can't shake the sensation that someone is watching every move they make. As an elusive killer's trail leads to a truth more sinister than either imagined, Harry knows there's only one way to crack this case: he must finally face the secrets of his own past--even if doing so will cost him everything.

The Reaping

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Signed copy! Smoke free & pet friendly home. 

A waitress turned librarian just wants a new life. What she ends up with is a killer change of pace in a funny, snappy, and suspenseful mystery by Edgar Award-nominated author Jess Lourey. With a cheating boyfriend, a thankless career in waitressing, and her BA in English going to waste, Mira James jumps at the chance for a fresh start in rural Battle Lake, Minnesota. Right away she lands a job as a librarian, snags another as an on-call reporter for the weekly newspaper, and is swept off her feet by Jeff Wilson, a handsome archaeologist unearthing the town's storied history. Moving here might be the best decision Mira's ever made. Until she finds Jeff's body between the library's reference stacks. It seems Mira didn't really know her drop-dead gorgeous new lover at all. But someone in Otter Tail County surely did. Behind this quirky town's polite exterior are decades-old grudges still unsettled, and murderous secrets best kept hidden. Whatever dangers are buried in Battle Lake's past, now it's Mira's turn to start digging. Revised edition: This edition of May Day includes editorial revisions.

May Day SIGNED

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May Day

#mystery #minnesota #midwest #series #smalltown

Minnesota

A Murder-By-Murder Mystery

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.

Praise:

"Jess Lourey writes about a small-town assistant librarian, but this is no genteel traditional mystery. Mira James likes guys in a big way, likes booze, and isn't afraid of motorcycles. She flees a deadend job and a deadend boyfriend in Minneapolis and lands up in Battle Lake, a little town with plenty of dirty secrets. The first person narrative in May Dayis fresh, the characters quirky. Minnesota has many fine crime writers, and Jess Lourey has just entered their ranks!"--Ellen Hart, Lamda Award-winning author of Jane Lawless & Sophie Greenway Series

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Wisconsin

A troubled codebreaker faces an epic plot reaching back through centuries of America’s secret history Salem Wiley is a genius cryptanalyst, courted by the world’s top security agencies ever since making a breakthrough discovery in her field of quantum computing. She’s also an agoraphobe, shackled to a narrow routine by her fear of public places. When her mother’s disappearance is linked to a plot to assassinate the country’s first viable female presidential candidate, Salem finds herself both target and detective in a modern-day witch hunt. Drawn into a labyrinth of messages encrypted by Emily Dickinson and centuries-old codes tucked inside the Beale Cipher, Salem begins to uncover the truth: an ancient and ruthless group is hell-bent on ruling the world, and only a select group of women stands in its way. Praise: "A fast-paced, sometimes brutal thriller reminiscent of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code." —Booklist (starred review) "Complex protagonists who overcome many obstacles take adventurous readers on a hair-raising thrill ride."—Library Journal (starred review) “The fascinating historical information combined with a storyline ripped from the headlines will hook conspiracy theorists and action addicts alike.”—Kirkus Reviews "Salem's Cipher is the best kind of fun. A witchy romp with plenty of adventure, intrigue, thrills, friendship, and heart."—Chelsea Cain, New York Times bestselling author "Salem's Cipher is a bona fide page-turner—packed with wonderfully complex characters, surprising twists and thrilling action. Troubled, razor-sharp Salem is truly a heroine to cheer for. I'd follow her anywhere."—Alison Gaylin, USA Today bestselling author

Salem's Cipher

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Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

Missouri

"An immersive voice, an intriguing story, a wonderful character--highly recommended!"--Lee Child, #1 New York Timesbestselling author

What if everything you thought you knew about Stonehenge was wrong?

When agoraphobic genius Salem Wiley lands her dream job as an FBI cryptanalyst, she vows never to return to the witch hunt underworld, where ancient secrets encrypted by hunted women have the power to rewrite history. Her resolve disappears when sweet Mercy Mayfair, the child she is pledged to protect, is kidnapped. With the help of the enigmatic Agent Lucan Stone, Salem is forced to code hunt in Ireland, England, and Scotland to keep the girl alive. As the clock ticks, she must face the terrible truth that there is only one way to free Mercy: crack the unbreakable code of Stonehenge.

Praise:

"The conspiracy-theory vibe is strong here and will propel theDa Vinci Code crowd through to the end...Purchase wherever conspiracy theorists huddle in the stacks."--Booklist

"Both a sweeping adventure and race-against-time thriller, Mercy's Chaseis fascinating, fierce, and brimming with heart--just like its heroine, Salem Wiley."--Meg Gardiner, author of Into the Black Nowhere

"A strong woman-focused storyline."--Reviewing the Evidence

Mercy's Chase

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Four Full-Length Romcom Mysteries in One

From acclaimed author Jess Lourey comes a bundle of four full-length, hot and hilarious mysteries, including:May DayJune Bug Knee High by the Fourth of JulyAugust MoonJoin fish-out-of-water Mira James and her quirky Battle Lake, Minnesota, crew as they navigate clumsy romance, hidden mysteries, and a dead body a month."What a romp this is! I found myself laughing out loud..." -Crimespree Magazine"[The] humor transcends both genders and makes for a delightful romp."-Fergus Falls Journal"Lourey's rollicking good cozy planted me in the heat of a Minnesota summer for a laugh-out-loud mystery ride."-New York Times bestselling author Leann Sweeney

The Murder by Month Romcom Mysteries, Books 1-4

William Kent Krueger

Ellen Hart

David Housewright

Scott Pearson

Thirteen Tales of Mystery by Minnesota's Premier Writers

Anthology of mystery stories set in a Minnesota resort and written by Minnesota authors.

Resort to Murder

Three Full-Length Romcom Mystery Novels in One

"Snappy jokes...edgy dialog...and a classic romance setup 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) ?????From Amazon Charts bestselling author Jess Lourey comes a compilation of three full-length, romcom mysteries that will leave you guessing?and laughing?until the very end!September MournOctober FestNovember HuntRide along with fish-out-of-water Mira James and her quirky Battle Lake crew as they navigate hilarious romance, hidden mysteries, and a dead body a month. Three laugh-out-loud page-turners in one convenient bundle!Download all three bundles today:Mira James Summer Bundle (May, June, July, and August)Mira James Fall Bundle (September, October, November)Mira James Winter Bundle (December, January, February)"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) ?????*Jess Lourey named to BookRiot's "10 Funny Mystery Authors Like Janet Evanovich" list! ?????

The Murder by Month Romcom Mysteries, Books 5-7

The Ice Man Succumbeth

Private-eye-in-training Mira James loves Minnesota's crisp January days, as long as she can spend them in the arms of hunky Johnny Leeson. But when Mrs. Berns's erratic Zamboni driving uncovers an icebound dead man, Mira's cold-weather tranquility threatens to melt away.

With a frozen body in the lake and a freak January thaw descending on town, neither Johnny nor generous portions of high-octane comfort food are enough to ease Mira's frazzled nerves. There's big trouble brewing in Battle Lake. And if Mira can't figure out who's behind it, the next time she feels sub-zero temperatures, she may be sporting a toe tag in the town morgue.

Praise:

"Those looking for an engaging, multigenerational small-town mystery that tackles contemporary issues can't miss with this entry."--Library Journal 

"Fans of smalltown mysteries will be charmed."--Publishers Weekly 

"Who can resist a mystery that includes a daredevil octogenarian sidekick; a flashy, plant-whispering may∨ some really bad villains; and a little girl ghost?"--Booklist 

January Thaw

All books are in excellent condition and from a non-smoking home.

Texas

Everybody's got to have a hobby. But some pastimes hide murder in a delightfully crafty rom-com mystery by Amazon Charts bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author Jess Lourey. A charitable senior finds her calling making creepily authentic life-size dolls. Call it recreation. But when Mira finds a dead body encased under that painted porcelain, it's more like murder. It gets even stranger when Mira's investigation lands her just where the Battle Lake police chief wants her: in jail. Luckily, Team Mira is on the case. They're a fierce, if unlikely, force to be reckoned with: one flashy lady mayor and Mira's scrappy nonagenarian best friend. They plan to bust Mira out and clear her name. Bad news, though: a bizarrely motivated killer is still on the loose and can't wait to see Mira all dolled up--to death. Revised edition: This edition of March of Crimes includes editorial revisions.

March of Crimes

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Louisiana

A Murder By Month Mystery

A festive fairground becomes an unexpected backdrop for a grade A murder in a deliciously funny mystery by Edgar Award-nominated author Jess Lourey. The Minnesota State Fair wows again with 4-H exhibits, rides, a Neil Diamond concert, and deep-fried everything on a stick. Covering it is a breezy assignment as fluffy as cotton candy for reporter Mira James, until the main attraction becomes murder. Ashley Pederson, crowned Milkfed Mary, Queen of the Dairy, is getting her all-American likeness carved in a block of unsalted butter when she drops dead, her face as red as a stoplight. Cause: malicious poisoning. Despite Ashley's creamy good looks, her reputation was pretty rancid. Still, who'd want to take out the soon-to-be college freshman and Battle Lake resident? Mira's made a vow to the dairy darling's grieving mother to find out. Amid queenly competitors, rumors of sordid love affairs and embezzlement scandals, small-town secrets, and big business cover-ups, can Mira find the murderer on the Midway? You bet your corn dog she can. Revised edition: This edition of September Mourn includes editorial revisions.

September Mourn

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Mira James has had it up to here with Battle Lake, Minnesota. After her latest romantic prospects go bust, she's ready to move back to the Twin Cities and get a lapful of cats. Funny how murder can stall the best-laid plans.

Days before the August Moon Festival, high school cheerleader Lucy Lebowski, Mira's library assistant and an all-around sweetheart, is murdered. Mira's investigation begins with the (not so) blessed flock of the New Millennium Bible Camp, its creepy pastor, his secretly wayward daughter, and the congregation of glassy-eyed Stepford wives. They all certainly have it in for Mira and her damnable books. But Lucy, too?

If there's one thing Mira's learned, it's that Battle Lake is full of secrets and grudges that somehow always end with a bang. Before she ditches this town for good, Mira is hell-bent on finding justice for Lucy--heaven help her.

*Sold as is. Never read. Hand signed by author. Damage to book corners. Please see pictures.*

South Carolina

Revised edition: This edition of August Moon includes editorial revisions.

August Moon

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Believing herself to be a regular teenager in 1930s Alabama, Aine's world is destroyed when she discovers that she's been living inside a book for the past five years and must flee with her blind brother from the pages of the novel she's called home, one step ahead of a blue-eyed monster named Biblos.

The Toadhouse Trilogy: Book One (Signed)

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The Toadhouse Trilogy: Book One

A brilliant code breaker shatters a centuries-old conspiracy and unravels her own family secrets in an addictive and heart-pounding thriller by Edgar Award-nominated author Jess Lourey. Salem Wiley is a genius cryptanalyst. She's also a loner who prefers a safe and familiar path. Until her mother disappears in the wake of a brutal murder, leaving behind a cryptic warning of threats to come. Forced out of her safe zone, Salem embarks with her best friend, Bel, on a dangerous quest that reaches back centuries into America's hidden history. Drawn into a labyrinth of messages encrypted by Emily Dickinson and hidden in the legendary Beale Cipher, Salem discovers her mother's double life--and the truth. An ancient and ruthless society is hell-bent on ruling the world, and only a select group of hunted women stands in its way. Now Salem must follow a cross-country trail of clues in a desperate bid to unravel the conspiracy, which threatens not only the present but the very course of history. Revised edition: This edition of Salem's Cipher includes editorial revisions.

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New York

A Book Club Pick!

Faith Falls is a snug little Minnesota town constructed over a mystery, a place where the most impressive building is a gorgeous Queen Anne with turrets, cantilevered gables, and a wraparound porch. In a concealed room beneath the twisting stairs of the Queen Anne lies the Catalain Book of Secrets, the repository of the wisdom the Catalain women have gathered since the beginning of time. Ursula Catalain, current keeper of the Book of Secrets, is content to concoct spells in her garden cottage until the ghost of the man she murdered when she was 12 appears at her door in a new form. His return pulls Jasmine, Ursula's daughter, back into the fold. Once believed to be the most powerful of the Catalains, she foreswore her gift years before to bury a shameful secret. The ghost of the murdered man also calls home Katrine, Jasmine's sister, who has been banished for fourteen years. Finally able to return to Faith Falls and the beloved Queen Anne, Katrine must claim her true Catalain power to save her mother and sister from the dark family curse.

The Catalain Book of Secrets

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All aboard. It's murder on the Valentine Train in a heart-racing mystery from Amazon Charts bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author Jess Lourey. Mira James is heading to Oregon by rail with two of her best friends to attend a PI conference. Even better, she'll see Johnny, the love of her life, who's in Portland for an internship. It'll be scenic, swift, and safe. Until it isn't. When a winter storm brings the train to a dead stop in the Rockies, Mira discovers that a woman in the next cabin has been murdered, and her husband and child have vanished. Rumors of an escaped convict do nothing to ease the passengers' frazzled nerves. To Mira, every one of them is a suspect. Trapped in a snowbound train with only two people she can trust, Mira has to solve a baffling disappearance and track down a killer--if she isn't derailed herself. Permanently. Revised edition: This edition of February Fever includes editorial revisions.

February Fever

Revised edition: This edition of December Dread includes editorial revisions.

Browse by categories

Jess Lourey

The Quarry Girls

Jess Lourey

Unspeakable Things

Jess Lourey

Bloodline

Jess Lourey

The Taken Ones

Jess Lourey

Litani

Jess Lourey

The Reaping

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May Day

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May Day

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Salem's Cipher

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Mercy's Chase

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The Murder by Month Romcom Mysteries, Books 1-4

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Resort to Murder

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The Murder by Month Romcom Mysteries, Books 5-7

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January Thaw

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March of Crimes

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September Mourn

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August Moon

Jess Lourey

The Toadhouse Trilogy: Book One

Jess Lourey

Salem's Cipher

Jess Lourey

The Catalain Book of Secrets

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February Fever

Jess Lourey

December Dread