3.5 out of 5 stars
In 2020 I jumped into this series at book 7 (November Hunt). I was charmed and read on to the series’ end. I always thought that I would return to the earlier volumes and enjoy getting to know Mira, Mrs. Berns, and the whole cast of Battle Lake characters. Finally, I've got around to it.
I'm glad that I didn't begin here actually, as Lourey hadn't really found her groove yet. Mira is fairly well defined—I recognize her despite her potential alcohol problems and her non-vegetarian menus. I was thrilled when Mrs. Berns showed up in the first pages (more stewing hen than spring chicken), but she and Mira haven't connected yet. I'll be interested to see which book sees them becoming friends and co-conspirators.
I may be mistaken, but this is the earliest book I could find by Lourey, but I can already see a lot of the things that make me like her work. Her female characters are realistic, not a Mary Sue among them. They've got problems, they've got secrets, they've got questionable judgment, plus they are curious as cats. I also love the Minnesota setting, a place I've never visited but feel like I know because of Lourey's novels. Battle Lake seems like the Minnesotan version of Agatha Christie's St. Mary Mead, a small community where it's possible to recognize everyone and to have an opinion about them. Plus, Lourey is really good at thinking up really creepy situations for her characters, even in this cozy mystery.
I wouldn't do the amount of lock picking that Mira does, which is the one thing that I didn't care for here, but this is a common feature of cozy mysteries, much to my chagrin. I hate it but I can't avoid it. And it makes me wonder how many people would feel justified doing a bit of B&E to find out a bit of information? Despite this bugbear of mine, I enjoy Mira and this series and I plan to continue on reading them.
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