“I laughed, gasped, and cried (all out loud).” -Catriona McPherson, author of Scot and SodaLibrarian and aspiring PI Mira James has discovered one corpse a month for each of the eleven months she’s lived in Battle Lake, Minnesota. She’d give her left foot to break that streak this April.But when she stumbles across a disturbing note, and a Battle Lake girl vanishes, she has no choice except to … vanishes, she has no choice except to get involved.
She follows the note’s trail and is horrified to discover that it leads to her father, who died 13 years earlier. It’s a race against the clock to crack the secret he carried to his grave in time to save the girl. Meanwhile, chiseled police chief Gary Wohnt is scrutinizing her every move, aching to finally put her behind bars, and Johnny, her sexy boyfriend, is planning a surprise for her. Problem is, she doesn’t know if it’s a marriage proposal or an intervention.
As Mrs. Berns and Mira take on their final case together, Mira discovers it’s more personal than she could have imagined, and that she holds not only the life of the vanished girl but the fate of all Battle Lake in her hands.
*Jess Lourey named to BookRiot’s 4/8/20 “10 Funny Mystery Authors Like Janet Evanovich” list!
April Fools is the twelfth in an ongoing series featuring Mira James, an urban woman with rural Minnesota roots. The books can be read in any order; each novel stands alone. Get all the Mira James mysteries today!
May Day
June Bug
Knee High by the Fourth of July
August Moon
September Mourn
October Fest
November Hunt
December Dread
January Thaw
February Fever
March of Crimes
April Fools
Or, if you love to sink into a satisfying binge read, check out the smart-priced bundles!
Mira James Mysteries Summer Bundle, Books 1-4 (May, June, July, and August)
Mira James Mysteries Fall Bundle, Books 5-7 (September, October, November)
Mira James Mysteries Winter Bundle, Books 8-10 (December, January, February)
PRAISE FOR APRIL FOOLS
“I read this out of order. It made no difference and I absolutely loved it…What sets this book apart that it is both lighthearted and edgy! It doesn’t feel like your average vanilla, ‘the librarian is the sleuth’ mystery…this is a fast-paced page turner.” ―Jane B. (NetGalley)
“What a fun, cheeky, cleverly-plotted book! This is well-constructed and kept me interested throughout. I’m not the typical ‘mystery reader’ but the cover drew me in and I was very glad I gave it a chance. Recommend!” ―Jenna H. (NetGalley)
“Deeply satisfying, funny, moving, as tightly plotted as ever. The end of Mira’s adventure gives us exactly what we want and yet still leaves us thinking.” ―Catriona McPherson, award-winning author of Scot and Soda
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I did not need the prior books in the series to enjoy this story. It was awesome as a stand-alone but now I want to read the others because the characters and story are so enjoyable.
I enjoyed reading this mystery. Sorry it was her last in the series.
It was a good story. I had a little trouble relating to the characters, but this was book 12 in the series and I feel like if I had read the other books first and in order, I would probably have liked this one better.
This was a fun book, if a bit overly silly at times. But it was endearing and all about women supporting and caring for each other and learning to understand each other (and themselves) better. It was a heavy topic but overall an enjoyable book. Although I wanted to vomit at the head cheese description….
It’s fun to read one of these books. They always keep my interest and I enjoy ready books in a series.
Wonderful happy ending to a wonderful series.
A delightful read. Loved both Mrs. Berns and Mira; the situations, the way Mira’s mind works and the ending. I haven’t read any other of her books, but will be looking for another after school ends.
I read this series and enjoyed each book. The main character is very believable and the stories are so entertaining. You can not go wrong with this author.
Characters were fun. Enjoyed the story.
This was a hoot from page 1. I was telling my friends about it as I read and they loved it too.
Thank you for recommending this wonderful book!
Absolutely loved this book and the characters. This is the first book I’ve read by the author. I will definitely go back and read the series.
A wonderful wrap up of a great series. The character growth was a thing of beauty. The friendship and community warmed my heart. Well done!
While not any kind of great literature, this book, and probably the whole series, can be really fun, easy-to-read, and escapist in general. The writing kept surprising me, in a good way.
Update: The latter part of the book takes a rather dark turn that I didn’t really see coming, early on. I would revise my review a bit and say that this book is kind of strange. Definitely some things I liked in there — especially Mrs. Berns — but not a favorite.
Enjoyed
Loved this book! Don’t start reading at bedtime, because you won’t want to put it down. Truly one of the best books I’ve read recently. This book is skillfully written with a tight plot and great characters. There are multiple story lines within this cozy mystery, all tied up at the end. I received this book free and chose to make a voluntary, unbiased review.
Mira James, a librarian in a small Minnesota town, finds a disturbing note in a returned library book and can’t keep from doing a little sleuthing. Soon the town is rocked by the disappearance of a high school girl. Mira sets out to find the girl and determine what is going on, aided and abetted by an amusing group that of course includes the notorious Mrs. Berns.
I really enjoyed April Fools and am sorry this book may be the last in the series! The plot is serious and timely. Darker aspects are offset by humor in other parts of the book, and without giving anything away I will say the plot is wrapped up in the end. There are some surprises that readers of the series will love. And a seriously awesome woman power theme runs throughout.
The ending was heartwarming and satisfying, both for this book and potentially for the series. But the ending does set up a fun jumping off point if the author writes another book in the series.
If you enjoy mysteries I recommend April Fools! You do not have to have read the rest of the series to enjoy this book but I would recommend starting at the beginning.
I read an ARC copy. The opinions in this review are honest and my own.
I have enjoyed this whole series, but the last book had some continuity problems. It does not mention the library being rebuilt bigger than it was as mentioned at the end of the last book.
Wasn’t sure what to expect but sure wasn’t this. A great fun unpredictable read. Loved all the characters. Now I need to read all the books before this one and remember the author!
Seemed to be going in a great direction, and then suddenly we’re mixed up in unnecessarily explicit sex scenes. Too explicit sex, too explicit violence, and unnecessary swearing (and, let’s face it — it’s all unnecessary) ruins a good story for me. I like it clean and not over-morbid. This author doesn’t need to be crude to get people’s attention — she’s very good — but she turns crude in spots anyway. As for me, I did not get very far into it before deciding that other authors may not be quite as good, but at least I don’t feel like I have to pray for cleansing when I’m done reading.
Funny so far. Hope it continues that way.