Jess Lourey crafts narratives that delve into the heart of secrets and hidden truths. Across a range of genres, from crime fiction to magical realism, her work consistently explores the undercurrents of human psychology. Lourey is a master of weaving intricate plots that reveal the hidden motivations and connections driving her characters. Her writing invites readers into a world where the unspoken plays as crucial a role as the spoken.
The deluxe limited edition offers a unique and visually striking presentation that enhances the reading experience. This special release is available for preorder, making it a sought-after item for collectors and fans alike. Supplies are limited, ensuring that this exclusive edition will be a prized possession for those who secure it.
Independence Day comes with fireworks, a budding romance, and hometown murder in this sharp and witty mystery by Edgar Award-nominated author Jess Lourey. When Fourth of July weekend coincides with Wenonga Days--the annual celebration of a locally famous Ojibwe leader--the town of Battle Lake double-dips on the tourist trade. This year the hullabaloo hasn't even started and there's already a story for reporter Mira James. The Chief Wenonga statue has disappeared, leaving behind drops of human blood and a big question for Mira: How and why would anyone steal a twenty-three-foot monument? Things go from curious to worse when a local man is kidnapped. And from worse to downright gruesome when a corpse is found in the lakeside cabin of a horticultural hottie Mira's been crushing on from afar. Mira has no choice but to trail a statue thief, find a missing person, and clear an earthy dreamboat's name from a murder charge. Not to mention risk her own life to unmask a cold-blooded killer. Revised edition: This edition of Knee High by the Fourth of July includes editorial revisions.
Revised edition: This edition of August Moon includes editorial revisions.
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.
A summertime treasure hunt in rural Minnesota leads to murder in this delightful gem of a rom-com mystery by Edgar Award-nominated author Jess Lourey. Summer in Battle Lake kicks off with fireworks and festivities, but it's a local treasure hunt that's amping up the tourist trade. It certainly piques the interest of part-time reporter Mira James--both as fodder for a column and because she could use the five grand in prize money. The treasure? A faux diamond hidden at the bottom of Whiskey Lake. When Mira takes a deep dive in search of it, rather than finding the planted jewel, she uncovers a legendary puzzle reaching back nearly seventy years. But fishing for answers puts her face-to-face with a suspicious new arrival: a creeper from her past up to his old menacing ways. When murder turns a hot June night into a scorcher, Mira realizes there are more mysteries hidden in this town than fake gems, and to solve them, she has to stay alive. Revised edition: This edition of June Bug includes editorial revisions.
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.
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.
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.
Starring Claudette, a Dragon with Control Issues
A controlling dragon navigates the challenges of change, offering a humorous and heartwarming tale that resonates with young readers. This story gently addresses the anxieties children face during transitions, making it an ideal read for those experiencing significant life changes.
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.