May Day

by Jess Lourey

  Acknowledgments

  Big love and thanks to Holly Hassel, who is a fantastic teacher, editor, friend, and wordsmith. Her encouragement and faith kept me on track and have earned her a place in a future Battle Lake mystery. Mom, I literally couldn’t have done it without you; my kids and I are forever grateful for the time you take out of your life to make our lives better. Thank you also to Mom, Suzanna, and Rondi, whose feedback to early drafts was energizing. Andrea, Christine, Kellie, and Jenny, your confidence in me is worth a lot. Grandma, I’m sad you aren’t here to thank in person, but I’m doing it on paper and in my heart—you would have been first in line for this book (I know because you told me so), and I miss you.

  Many thanks to my agent, Kristin Lindstrom, for choosing not to be the 294th person to reject me. Thank you also to Barbara Moore, first for thinking it would be a good idea for Llewellyn to branch out into mysteries, and second for deciding I was worth a shot. Lisa, Alison, Wade, Brian, and Jennifer, thank you for your hard work on May Day, and Jed, thanks for being a great web designer. Laine Cunningham and Jessica Morrell, thank you for your help.

  Finally, thank you to my kids. They make it really hard to write, and frankly, they can be a lot of work, but what’s the point without them? Zoë and Xander, you’re fabulous and perfect.

  About the Author

  Jess Lourey teaches English and sociology full time. When she isn’t gardening, reading, or navigating the niceties of small-town life, she spends time with her kids, Zoë and Xander, and their black cat, named Zoso.

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Dedication

  Title_Page

  Copyright

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Acknowledgments

  About_the_Author