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Jess Lourey

Goodreads Author

Born

in Tacoma, WA, The United States

Website

http://jessicalourey.com/

Twitter

jesslourey

Genre

Mystery & Thrillers, Young Adult, Horror

Member Since

August 2016

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/jesslourey

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While I write across genres, there's one universal connecting all my books: secrets. I grew up in a house choking with them, and I remain fascinated by the thoughts and actions we hide from the world.

My beginnings as an author were pretty grim, something I speak about in my TEDx Talk (https://youtu.be/a5vSLh3oPXI). I've come a long way since that first book, and I'm proud to call myself an Amazon Charts bestselling, twice Edgar-nominated, twice Goodreads Readers Choice Awards shortlisted, ITW Thriller and Minnesota Book Award and Anthony Award-winning author of nonfiction, children's books, young adult, book club fiction, and crime fiction. I've reached over a million readers since 2020. I also love to teach creative writing in internationa ...more

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Combine Editions
Jess Lourey’s books

Average rating: 3.95 · 351,839 ratings · 24,065 reviews · 47 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Quarry Girls 4.02 avg rating — 124,213 ratings — published 2022 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Unspeakable Things 3.78 avg rating — 88,895 ratings — published 2020	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Taken Ones (Steinbeck and Reed, #1) 4.21 avg rating — 29,944 ratings — published 2023 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bloodline 3.88 avg rating — 32,375 ratings — published 2021 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Reaping (Steinbeck and Reed, #2) 4.09 avg rating — 12,678 ratings — published 2024 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Litani 3.97 avg rating — 9,446 ratings — published 2021 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	May Day (Murder by Month Romcom Mystery, #1) by Jess Lourey (Goodreads Author) 3.54 avg rating — 8,566 ratings — published 2006 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Catch Her in a Lie (Steinbeck and Reed, #0,5) 3.72 avg rating — 6,349 ratings — published 2022 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Laughing Dead (Steinbeck and Reed, #3) 4.40 avg rating — 5,212 ratings — published 2025 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	June Bug (Murder by Month, #2) by Jess Lourey (Goodreads Author) 3.81 avg rating — 3,942 ratings — published 2007 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Jess Lourey…

43 posts
Jess Lourey's Blog

YA Cover Reveal!

Ahhhhhh LOOKIT at The Verdant Cage! Isn't it gorgeous? This is my young adult dystopian thriller that's been three years in the works and is finally...FINALLY ready for the world! It releases April 7, 2026, and People.com did the official cover reveal here! 😍

This book's been a labor of love. It's a dystopian thriller about a seventeen-year-old girl born into a walled community that she believes is

Series by Jess Lourey

Murder by Month Mystery (13 books)
by

Jess Lourey (Goodreads Author)

3.89 avg rating — 37,071 ratings

A Salem's Cipher Mystery (2 books)
by

Jess Lourey (Goodreads Author)

4.03 avg rating — 4,356 ratings

The Catalain Book of Secrets (1 book)
by

Jess Lourey (Goodreads Author),

Tony Van Den Einde (Illustrator)

3.89 avg rating — 766 ratings

The Toadhouse Trilogy (1 book)
by

Jess Lourey (Goodreads Author)

3.83 avg rating — 88 ratings

Kellye Garrett’s crime fiction novels have been featured on The Today Show, won numerous awards, and named to Time magazine’s 100 Best...

Jess is Currently Reading

Jess Lourey is currently reading

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls

by Grady Hendrix (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Sep 26, 2025 01:46AM

Jess Lourey is currently reading

The Guilty Dead (Monkeewrench, #9)

by P.J. Tracy (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Mar 26, 2022 04:42AM

Jess Lourey is currently reading

The Apprentice (Rizzoli & Isles, #2)

by Tess Gerritsen (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Mar 22, 2022 07:47PM

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Jess’s Recent Updates

Jess Lourey is currently reading Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix (Goodreads Author) Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Horror	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 26, 2025 01:46AM · 11 likes · like
Jess Lourey answered Carly's question: Will you continue the Steinbeck and Reed series past The Laughing Dead?? It felt like it wrapped up but I refuse to accept that its done lol I need more of them. Thanks, Carly! I love Van and Harry and already have the idea for a fourth in the series, but I have some other projects to finish up first. If you're not already subscribed to my newsletter, it's the best way to be the first to hear about upcoming r See Full Answer
Aug 16, 2025 02:23PM · 4 likes · like
Jess Lourey rated a book it was amazing The Laughing Dead (Steinbeck and Reed, #3) by Jess Lourey (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 05, 2025 03:56AM · 28 likes · like
Jess Lourey rated a book it was amazing The Last One (Vallendor, #1) by Rachel Howzell Hall (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 03, 2024 09:12PM · 18 likes · like
Jess Lourey rated a book it was amazing The Last One (Vallendor, #1) by Rachel Howzell Hall (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 28, 2024 12:03AM · 18 likes · like
Jess Lourey made a comment on Make Gloup " Right?? 😊 "
Apr 05, 2024 06:39AM · see blog post
Jess Lourey made a comment on THE REAPING Cover Reveal " Jessica wrote: "OMG LOVE this--so spooky! I've already pre-ordered and can't wait for my copy :)" Yayyy! So glad to hear it, Jessica! ...more "
Feb 28, 2024 02:42AM · see blog post
Jess Lourey made a comment on New MAY DAY Cover! " Aww YAY!!! "
Feb 05, 2024 12:53AM · see blog post

More of Jess's books…

Quotes by Jess Lourey (?)

“And once I opened up all that real estate where before I’d been holding anger and regret, I found a lot of things were simpler than I’d made them.”
― Jess Lourey, January Thaw

12 likes

“You’ll recognize those men, the ones inclined to their dark side, because they’ll expect you to carry their load. They’ll smother your anger with their pain, they’ll make you doubt yourself, and they’ll tell you they love you the whole time. Some do it big, like Ed, but most do it in quiet steps, like your father.”
― Jess Lourey, The Quarry Girls

11 likes

“The law might not recognize it, but fifteen’s a girl and sixteen a woman, and you get no map from one land to the next. They air-drop you in, booting a bag of Kissing Potion lip gloss and off-the-shoulder blouses after you. As you’re plummeting, trying to release your parachute and grab for that bag at the same time, they holler out you’re pretty, like they’re giving you some sort of gift, some vital key, but really, it’s meant to distract you from yanking your cord. Girls who land broken are easy prey.”
― Jess Lourey, The Quarry Girls

8 likes

See all Jess Lourey's quotes »

Polls

Vote for our Jan./Feb. 2025 Deadly Authors of the Month!

Stacy Green

5 votes, 13.9%

Carla Neggers

4 votes, 11.1%

April Wilson

3 votes, 8.3%

J.D. Barker

3 votes, 8.3%

Anne Frasier

2 votes, 5.6%

Jess Lourey

2 votes, 5.6%

Karen Robards

1 vote, 2.8%

Susan Stoker

1 vote, 2.8%

Iris Johansen

1 vote, 2.8%

John Hart

1 vote, 2.8%

Joy Fielding

1 vote, 2.8%

Nancy Bush

1 vote, 2.8%

Jefferson Bass

1 vote, 2.8%

Karen White

1 vote, 2.8%

Mike Omer

1 vote, 2.8%

Sharon Sala

1 vote, 2.8%

Kennedy Layne

1 vote, 2.8%

Catherine Ryan Howard

1 vote, 2.8%

Kerry Greenwood

1 vote, 2.8%

Karen Harper

1 vote, 2.8%

Ann Cleeves

1 vote, 2.8%

Kendra Elliot

1 vote, 2.8%

Melinda Leigh

1 vote, 2.8%

Elizabeth Goddard

0 votes, 0.0%

Rebecca York

0 votes, 0.0%

Cherry Adair

0 votes, 0.0%

Lisa Renee Jones

0 votes, 0.0%

Leah Swann

0 votes, 0.0%

Anna Snoekstra

0 votes, 0.0%

Tonya Burrows

0 votes, 0.0%

Freya Barker

0 votes, 0.0%

Mary Jane Clark

0 votes, 0.0%

Jamie Lee Scott

0 votes, 0.0%

Diana Xarissa

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Walter Mosley

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Jon Land

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Linda Fairstein

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Joanna Schaffhausen

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Kay Hooper

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Paula Munier

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Katie Reus

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Brian Panowich

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Caren Hahn

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Rita Herron

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36 total votes

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