Did not read. Have way too many books on my shelf - need to cut back. Hoping to get to it in the future though.

The Quiet Librarian
by Allen Eskens
Pub Date: Feb 18 2025
Hana is a quiet librarian who keeps to herself in a small town. Then one day she is visited by a police officer who tells her that her best friend has been murdered.
Hana knows this isn't a simple break-in gone wrong. She knows it's because of their past, and she is next.
Hana was a young teen growing up in war-torn Bosnia. She watched from a hiding spot as her family was slaughtered just for being who they are. Hana vowed revenge for her family and joined a militia. Turns out, she was very good at being a soldier and so was her best friend.
Once their job was done, they fled to the US to start new lives with new identities. Now, years later, someone has tracked down her best friend and will discover her soon, if he hasn't already. Hana decides to pull out her wartime skills and take matters into her own hands before she becomes the next victim.
Great historical fiction. You never know who your quiet neighbor (or librarian) might be or what they have been through. 😉
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This one has gotten such strong reviews and I love a good story about a librarian FMC but I just couldn't get into this dark murder mystery. I ended up DFNing for now at around 20%. :Maybe it was just not the vibe I was feeling at the time (it's summer and I want something a little lighter or fast-paced and this was neither). Would still recommend for people who enjoy more noir-ish murder mysteries along the lines of Icelandic or Swedish authors. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

phew made it through. . . this terrible time. . . amazing book, excellent read!

Allen Eskens' The Quiet Librarian is definitely one of my top reads of 2025. It had my constant attention - even through the night. I read and re-read to thoroughly and completely understand what had happened and what hadn't. The author starts with a note about events in the book - ones about which I watched news reports in my adult lifetime (read: during a time I was actually paying attention to the world outside my door) and which exceeded my understanding. Even more astounding to me - a time and place about which I have rarely read.

This is Hana's story, but it is so much more. It is fiction, based on real happening - terrible happenings. So terrible they don't show up in fiction because it is uncomfortable, things we don't like to think about. Yet all terrible things that are hidden away in time are forgotten, then ultimately denied, and disappear from the written and oral records. Still, the echoes of them remain in the culture and social milieu inherited through uncounted generations. We need to face the past of our people, our tribe, our forebears. Allen Eskens offers us this opportunity.

That said, Hana's story has other aspects worth examining - about loyalty, promise keeping, fierce courage, and is allowing change an admission of surrender, failure?

This was an eyes and ears read for me, and I encourage readers to seek out the audiobook for the power of the pronunciation alone to evoke place and otherness. Kudos to the author, and the narrator for that brave gift.

I recommend this with 5+ stars, and a warning - this is not a read that is relaxing or gentle. Find your perch, a damp cloth for your brow, maybe a pillow for your perch and a beverage that keeps you hydrated. And just keep breathing . . . .(I kept holding my breath!)

*A sincere thank you to Allen Eskens, Mulholland Books, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.*

I am a huge fan of Allen Eskens, ever since reading The Life We Bury. I live in the Twin Cities and love the setting of Minnesota in his books.

The Quiet Librarian is so different than any of his other work. The story follows Hana Babic, a middle-aged librarian in Minnesota, who is thrust into a perilous situation when her best friend is murdered. As Hana grapples with the loss, long-buried secrets from her past resurface, forcing her to confront a life she thought she'd left behind. This book blends historical fiction with contemporary suspense.

Eskens masterfully alternates between two timelines: the present-day quietude of Hana's life in Minnesota and the harrowing experiences of Nura Divjak, her former self, during the Bosnian War. This dual narrative not only enriches the story but also provides a profound exploration of identity, trauma, and the enduring impact of war.

The character development is exceptional. Hana/Nura is portrayed with depth and complexity, making her journey both compelling and emotionally resonant. The supporting characters, including Detective David Claypool and young Dylan, Hana's late friend's grandson, add layers of warmth and humanity to the narrative.

Highly recommend!

Allen Eskens has written a career-changing story here. His mystery thriller series are great, but this is a book that book clubs will be group reading and discussing for years. The detail he includes are fabulous. The two storylines merge into a significant plot line of an amazing woman who has certainly held on to some secrets to keep herself and family safe. What an incredible book: A must read!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Mulholland books for the ARC of The Quiet Librarian.

This pains me to say because I have loved all the previous books by Allen Eskens, but this felt like he didn't write it. The alternating between past and present was a bit confusing and the prose, characters, and story itself felt flat. I was in college during the Bosnian War and I remember the news clips so I thought I would be pretty invested but I just couldn't get there. This will by no means waiver my decision is continuing to follow Mr. Eskens. This is the only book so far that I will be rating lower that a 4 or 5.

Pub date 2/18/25
⭐⭐⭐

I enjoyed this book and I’m not usually a huge fans of books that switch back and forth in time. This however was very well written and kept my interest. The only thing that knocked a star off was the ending. Felt like something was missing from it

I couldn’t get into it. I tried but it was boring. I didn’t lie the narrator on the audio version either

Hana leads a quiet life, keeping to herself and her job as a librarian. But when her best friend is murdered, she’s drawn into a mystery that threatens to undo the safety net she’s built for herself. The crime brings to the surface parts of her past life that she’s kept hidden, her childhood in war torn Bosnia bubbling to the surface. And her carefully constructed identity is also at risk. There are people who know what she did all those years ago, crimes that she may have to answer for. This is a gripping piece of historical fiction. It’s told in two timelines taking us back to Hana’s childhood in Bosnia and the tragedies she experienced. An excellent story!

Per usual Eskens is a thrilling genius. This book was absolutely terrifying and very well written. I’ve only read a few of his books so far and this one may have gone to the top of my favorite chart for him. I also felt like I was also being educated throughout with the time line taking place during a war in Bosnia to the current time. I truly love how he can take a fictional stories but still incorporate historical facts/timelines and inform those of tragic events that truly did happen.
What a great book to really connect you back to your feelings in the world. Absolutely will be recommending!

This book has a local angle from a Minnesotan's perspective so as a MN librarian, I have found it quite enjoyable. Eskens writes well-developed characters and plotlines. Highly recommended.

This was my first read by Allen Eskens, but it won’t be my last! It started slow for me but quickly became a page-turner that I couldn’t put down. Hana Babic is living a quiet life as a librarian in Minnesota. After her best friend is murdered, Hana knows the secrets from her past life are now catching up to her, and her life is on the line. As she tries to unravel the mystery of her friend’s death, the story flashes back to Hana’s life in Bosnia, where she was known as Nura Divjak. Nura witnessed the brutal murder of her family and vowed to take revenge against the Serbians who had caused it. She joins the militia fighting against the Serbians before she must flee to the U.S. to keep herself and her friend, Amina, safe. The story about the Bosnian war was something I didn’t know much about until I read this book. While Nura’s story about her past is tragic and painful, she shows incredible strength and resilience. I will definitely be recommending this book to others!
Thanks to Netgalley and Mulholland Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There definitely need to be trigger warnings on this book. This novel follows young Nura Divjak in the 1990s growing up in war-torn Bosnia and Hana Babic in present-day Minnesota. Nura is a teenager when she witnesses unspeakable violence toward her people and the massacre of her entire family. Hana is a middle-aged librarian living her life quietly and peacefully until her best friend is murdered. Hana is forced to revisit her secrets, realizing she too is being hunted by her past. Hana Babic leads a quiet life as a librarian. However, all that changes when her best friend is murdered. Evil in all its forms follows as Hana comes to gripes not only with her friend's murder but with the events of a war she was involved in thirty years ago. Then Hana was known as Nura Divjak, a teenage girl growing up in the mountains of Bosnia. The war is raging against Serbia, but the people in the mountains feel a level of safety. There is some concerns in regards to this book in terms of violence towards women, and refugees in the US. Being the US and then the continued violence that is brought here as well as side stepping the law brings concerns of reasoning of people being against refugees as well as other foreign undocumented people. Solid writing, and a strong story with representation of history that's often overlooked by readers. Thanks to netgalley the author and publisher.

I love Eskens' writing style, but this was my least favorite. I didn't like the war plot. Truly disappointed, but will definitely read more by him. This was just a blip.

Could not put this down - very interesting. I know next to nothing about Serbia/Bosnia, despite it happening in my lifetime, so this was a history lesson as well. Told from the point of view of Hana, present day St. Paul and Nura, Serbia 1995, this is the story of someone who tried to leave their past behind, but it nevertheless catches up with them.

When Hana’s best friend, a fellow Bosnian refugee, is found murdered, Hana is scared that her carefully curated life is going to fall apart - and she is not totally wrong. With the reluctant help of a detective, Hana must discover what really happened to her friend and how it relates to the past she worked so hard to bury.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital ARC of this title!

This was good! I liked the cover and the story. It did drag in some spots but it wasn’t too bad! Would suggest the read

📖 Book Review 📖

📱 "The Quiet Librarian" by Allen Eskens

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
published February 18, 2025

Wow, this is one great survival story that will stay with me.

Hana is a single, forty-seven year old librarian living in Minnesota. She acts and dresses much older than she is and keeps to herself. Amina, her oldest and only friend, has been murdered, and Hana knows it has to do with her past. Some thirty years ago, Hana was Nura Divjak, growing up in the mountains of war-torn Bosnia with her family. When Serbian soldiers arrived, she hid to then watch her entire family be slaughter. They tried to burn her alive but she escaped with only burns. From that horrific moment on Nura was ignited with revenge, joining militia fighters and becoming the deadly Night Mora. Serbian soldiers feared her, mystified her and the final act forced Nura to flee to the US a wanted woman. Amina wouldn’t give up Hana’s secret and now someone is hunting Hana.

A unforgettable, unbelievable strong woman becoming an adult in a war-torn country, making her own family and avenging her old one.

#somanybooks #readsomemore #audiobooks #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #readersofinstagram #readmorebooks #booklover #bookishlove #readersgonnaread #bookishaf

Hana is a quiet, unassuming library assistant in a library outside the Twin Cities. She is hiding a secret from her past. When a friend dies under questionable circumstances, and a handsome detective contacts her about the death, she is afraid her quiet life may be over.

I'm sorry to say that I knew little about the Bosinian/Serbian war before reading this book. I remember hearing about the conflict on the news and about the destruction and deaths in Sarajevo, but knew little about the details. This story fills in some of those details. I love reading historical fiction for this reason. This story alternates between present day Minnesota and 1990s Bosnia. From the beginning, it's clear that Hana's and Amina's pasts are rooted in Bosnia, but the details are revealed slowly with some surprises that kept me turning pages. Although the storyline is often violent and incredibly sad, I really liked this book. I learned a great deal about the war, and I really connected with the characters and their motivations. Although this is really just another story of secrets and lies and revenge, the unusual setting kept me interested throughout the book. The ending is satisfying, if a bit too pat, but overall I good story.

All I can say after reading this one never underestimate a librarian. There's more to them than meets the eye. Sometimes they hide a dark side, like Hanna.