Jess Lourey (St. Cloud, MN) teaches English and Sociology full-time. She just released Knee High by the Fourth of July, the fourth title in her Murder by Month mysteries. Look for August Moon, due out summer 2008. When she isn’t gardening, reading, or navigating the niceties of small-town life, she spends time with her kids, Zoe and Xander, and their black cat named Zoso. She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, The Loft, and Lake Superior Writers. See http://www.jesslourey.com/ for more on Jess and her books.

Here’s a short blurb about Knee High by the Fourth of July:

What’s so wrong with admiring from a distance? Mira’s quirky puppy love for Chief Wenonga, a well-muscled fiberglass statue in her Minnesota small town, might be a safer love pursuit than online dating. But when the 23-foot Chief goes missing from his cement base, Mira’s not the only citizen to be crushed. The town of Battle Lake is celebrating their statue’s 25th anniversary and no amount of blue, sugar-soaked popcorn balls at Wenonga Days can uplift their gloomy mood. But when Mira runs into a dead body, the town has more pressing issues. Mira’s second biggest crush, organic gardening god and dead ringer for Brad Pitt—Johnny Leeson—has disappeared. Her luck with men is running out, and a killer might be moving in. With something of her own to hide, Mira hopes she can avoid the police long enough to track down the object of her mega-crush—but is Mira trailing a statue-thief, a kidnapper, or a murderer?