Great cozy mystery installment in a series. Enjoyed the setting and cast of characters. Would recommend the series.

Shadow in the Glass is the second book of a new cozy series featuring a librarian by M.E. Hilliard. Released 5th April 2022 by Crooked Lane, it's 336 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback out in 1st quarter 2023. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a promising second book from a new author who has worked as a librarian and seems to have a similar background in high-end retail fashion as protagonist Greer. The librarian-dog-cozy-murder-smalltown-mystery sub-subgenre is always fun and this is a nice addition to the promising start in book 1. The murders are off-scene and mostly bloodless, there's no graphic content, the language is fairly clean, the characters are (mostly) likeable and intelligent and there are a plethora of suspects and lots of red herrings. I got a slight Agatha Raisin vibe. She's smart and fashion conscious and sophisticated as well as vulnerable and not so perfect that she becomes insufferable.

Since it's a librarian cozy, there are of course book tie-ins and title name-dropping. One of my favorite features of librarian cozies is the suggestions for titles, series, and authors with which I was previously unfamiliar. I found a couple of good ones in this book to follow up on as a nice bonus. I suspect most of the titles and series mentioned will be familiar to most readers. The Mary Roberts Rinehart mention was especially nice, and I've been revisiting her oeuvre because of the mention, especially since she was a local author for me, albeit departed before my time.

The climax and denouement are well done. It's a fun, slightly melancholy cozy and full of the things which we all love about small-town cozies. Sadly in this installment landlord Henri barely gets a look-in, and Pierre, the adorable French bulldog is entirely absent. I hope they figure more prominently in the next book.

Four stars. Highly recommended to fans of the genre.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

I love this series featuring librarian Greer Hogan. In this latest, she's on the hunt for clues in her husband's murder, relying on her in-depth knowledge of fictional detectives as well as her own senses. A great, engaging read!

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books for access to a digital ARC via NetGalley.

Greer travels to eastern New York to attend her friend's wedding. She was there to support Sarah but secretly wanted to find out more information about her husband's murder by talking with the guests that knew her husband well. Instead, she ends up helping to solve the murder of one of the wedding guests.

I really enjoyed reading this book! The book had a great plot with lots of characters keeping secrets and the perfect motive for murder. It kept the reader on their toes because the killer could have been anyone. The only thing I didn't like about it was at the end the reader never really knew what happened to Brittney or Frank. I would have liked a little more closure about both their stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed the first book in this series by M.E. Hilliard and was happy to have the opportunity to find out what was happening for the protagonist and her community in this second book in the series.

Librarian Greer is one of those people who finds herself embroiled in situations. There are also issues from her past that were not resolved in the last book here around Greer’s husband’s death. This is a major concern for her and the reader.

In this book, Greer is going to a wedding. She has an ulterior motive. What does she hope to learn at Sarah Whitaker’s wedding? How will a murder impact Greer’s quest and the lives of the other characters in this novel?

This is a reliably good, if at times a bit slow, read. I enjoyed the setting, characters and plots. Now it is time to wait for the next in the series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

I can’t resist a mystery with a reference librarian as the detective! A solid story with just enough twists and turns to keep in interesting. Will definitely continue to follow this series.

I found Shadow in the Glass a very complicated book to define. Yes, it is a cozy mystery. Yes, it is a part of the series (2nd). But... Maybe because the series should be read in order and not as a stand-alone novel. I am not sure.

Geer Hogan comes to Andoracks for her friend's wedding... with ulterior motives. She wants to find out information about her husband and his murder. However, Geer ends up entangled in the murder at the wedding, and her sleuthing helps her to uncover the guilty party. And she mostly forgets about her husband's murder.

Shadow in the glass has too many characters, too many houses, and too many details on the houses: inside and outside. It has too many sub-plots and stories that take away your attention from the main plot.

I found this book tiresome in places.

About Shadow in the Glass
From the publisher:
Librarian Greer Hogan is on hand to celebrate her old friend Sarah Whitaker’s nuptials at the Whitaker summer home on beautiful Mirror Lake, just outside the upstate New York village of Lake Placid. But Greer has an ulterior motive—to gather information that could reopen the investigation into her husband’s murder, a crime for which she believes an innocent man went to prison. Her plans come to a shuddering halt when a wedding guest goes missing and turns up dead in the lake. The guest, Brittany Miles, was an employee of the Whitaker family whom Sarah had long suspected was up to no good at work.

The police have no leads, but Greer—an avid reader of crime fiction who possesses an uncanny knack for deduction—begins her own investigation. She learns that the victim was seen with a mystery man right before she disappeared. Then the autopsy reveals that she didn’t drown in the lake after all, but in the reflecting pool in the Whitaker garden.

The suspect list is as long as the guest list itself, with no apparent motive. Now, Greer must rely on the wisdom of her favorite fictional detectives to tease out truth from lies—and keep herself out of the killer’s sights.


My Recommendation
I haven’t read The Unkindness of Ravens, the first book in the series, but I didn’t feel lost reading Shadow in the Glass. I wasn’t drawn into the book; I felt detached from the characters. It’s a slow-moving book for the most part because there is a lot of description. The mystery wasn’t easy to solve though and that is always a plus.
The writing style isn’t for me, but it may be for you, so that is why I’m going to recommend this book.
Three Can Keep a Secret is the third book in the series.

Thanks to #netgalley for providing a copy of #shadowintheglass

This series has the potential for becoming a very interesting one.
This book was entertaining but some less details would have helped.
I liked Greer, the mystery is solid and kept me guessing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book might lose readers early on since M. E. Hillard takes a slow meander through the people attending Sarah’s wedding and the secrets they keep. It isn’t until the end of Shadow in the Glass, literally the last two chapters, before the reader needs to brace themselves, break out the murder board and red string, and follow her convoluted plotting.

Where will Greer’s future lead -- no one knows for sure -- but if Shadow in the Glass held any clues, she will plunge headlong into the secrets surrounding her husband’s murder, which was touched upon in book one, The Unkindness of Ravens, and will hopefully answer the questions for both Greer and her readers.

For the most part, I quite enjoyed reading the book. But sadly, I found myself losing interest in the plot due to too many insignificant details. I kept hoping to reach the ending, so as to “get on with it” and find the murderer. And I guess that is the opposite of what would be ideal.

Also... It can really irritate me, that NetGalley does not let me know that this book is part 2 of something... had I known beforehand, I would have read part 1 to be ready...

Greer Hogan, “girl detective”, is attending her best friend Sarah’s wedding, and looking for clues amongst the people she knew years earlier that might help explain her husband Dan’s murder.

The wedding is busy: Greer helps Sarah’s mother Jane with some of the arrangements, as Jane is up to here with unexpected guests, a renovation and a week (rather than just a day) of get together and festivities. The marriage week also gives Greer a chance to spend time with Sarah, and to reconnect with the man she shared a kiss with the night of Dan’s murder.

It figures that Greer stumbles into a murder investigation here, after one of Sarah’s family business’ executives is found dead under suspicious circumstances.

There are lots of clues and conflicting sightings of the woman prior to her drowning death, but thanks to Greer’s heroes of Agatha Christie and other classic mystery writers and fictional detectives, and her work as a reference librarian, Greer figures things out.

I love all the references to both fictional amateur sleuths and detectives. Greer has a sense of humour and a nicely nosy attitude to everyone around her, and it comes in handy as she has lots to figure out within a week or so. Though I saw some clues before she did, Greer is fun to spend time with again.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Right from the very beginning, I was gripped by this enthralling cozy mystery by M. E. Hilliard. After her husband’s death, librarian Greer Hogan decided she needed a fresh start and left New York City taking a job in Raven Hill, a lovely little village. In Shadow in the Glass Greer's old friend, Sarah Whitaker is getting married at the Whitaker summer home on Mirror Lake, just outside the upstate New York village of Lake Placid. But a wedding guest goes missing and turns up dead in the lake. Greer has other reasons for attending the wedding but still gets involved in the investigation, aided by her friends. The list of suspects is virtually the entire guest list and Greer is a likeable, confident, intelligent, mature and down to earth heroine. I’m looking forward to meeting up with her again in book three. All in all, a fantastic, highly entertaining mystery.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

EXCERPT: Jennie Webber was right - the how was more important than the why.

If Brittany was killed after Jeremy saw her walk into the garden, anyone could have done it.

If Brittany was killed when I thought she was, no one could have.

That left only one possibility - someone was lying.

ABOUT 'SHADOW IN THE GLASS': Librarian Greer Hogan is on hand to celebrate her old friend Sarah Whitaker’s nuptials at the Whitaker summer home on beautiful Mirror Lake, just outside the upstate New York village of Lake Placid. But Greer has an ulterior motive—to gather information that could reopen the investigation into her husband’s murder, a crime for which she believes an innocent man went to prison. Her plans come to a shuddering halt when a wedding guest goes missing and turns up dead in the lake. The guest, Brittany Miles, was an employee of the Whitaker family whom Sarah had long suspected was up to no good at work.

The police have no leads, but Greer—an avid reader of crime fiction who possesses an uncanny knack for deduction—begins her own investigation. She learns that the victim was seen with a mystery man right before she disappeared. Then the autopsy reveals that she didn’t drown in the lake after all, but in the reflecting pool in the Whitaker garden.

The suspect list is as long as the guest list itself, with no apparent motive. Now, Greer must rely on the wisdom of her favorite fictional detectives to tease out truth from lies—and keep herself out of the killer’s sights.

MY THOUGHTS: I enjoyed this cosy mystery centred around the activities of librarian Greer Hogan. It's a light easy and interesting read, which I galloped through, big on the mystery of who dunnit and, believe me, there are plenty of possibilities.

Greer is a confident smart woman who uses her powers of reason and deduction to solve this crime. The characters are a wonderful mix of family members from elderly aunts, one with a history of mental issues, to the younger generation, one of whom is getting married. There are a number of possible motives ranging from love to jealousy to business.

I loved that I didn't have to suspend belief at any point during my reading. The progression of the plot is logical, ordered, but never dull. It did become a tad confusing when Greer was trying to work out the timelines of where everyone was and when, but that is my only and minor criticism. It all became clear in the end.

Shadow in the Glass is an entertaining and intriguing read, with an appealing main character who is easy to believe in. I haven't read #1 in this series, The Unkindness of Ravens, but this in no way disadvantaged me. This is a series that I will definitely be following.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.1

#ShadowintheGlass #NetGalley

I: @mehilliardauthor @crookedlanebooks

T: @crookedlanebks

#contemporaryfiction #cosymystery #murdermystery

THE AUTHOR: M.E. is currently a librarian who started out in retail merchandising. Her first job was as an assistant buyer at Lord & Taylor, where her glamour job involved office space in the basement of the Fifth Avenue store. After twelve years of mergers, consolidations, and moves around the country, she went to graduate school and got a Master of Library Science degree. She has been in the information business ever since, working for public libraries small and large. Originally from the Connecticut shoreline, she has never lost her love of quaint small towns, big cities, and fashion, so she indulges that in her writing. A life-long lover of mystery fiction, M.E. completed her first novel while taking some time off to care for an elderly relative. She currently lives and works in Florida, where she has acquired a houseful of misfit pets and a violent palm tree allergy.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Crooked Lane Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Shadow in the Glass by M.E. Hilliard for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

hA satisfying mystery with plenty of twists to keep the reader interested to the very end. Greer, the main character, is already on a road trip in this second story in the series, to a wedding. She hopes to find out some answers about her husband’s murder three years before. Of course, things don’t go as planned. A guest disappears and is later found murdered. Greer is determined to find the real culprit, even if the local police do not want her help.

Greer is not your typical librarian/amateur sleuth in cozy series with a light-hearted approach to life. She is by no means a depressing character but her past gives her more facets that most. She once was a high-powered executive in New York City then her husband was murdered which changed everything. Not only did she leave New York City for a small town but changed careers as well. Greer also believes there is more to her husband’s death than just a burglary gone wrong which the police have put forward as the motive behind the crime.

One draw back to this story is that there are a lot of character to keep track of. I got mixed up several times in the story, even near the end. There are also some details about the murder that weren’t completely explained either.

But these are small complaints. I was entertained and engaged to the very end. Hilliard is a good story-teller. I also enjoyed her references to a lot of fictional detectives throughout the book. I definitely will be waiting for her next book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Greer Hogan is attending a friends wedding at a very posh mansion in the Adirondacks but it's more than celebrating their nuptials in this three day event. Greer's husband was murdered and just about everyone at the wedding knew him. Because she believes that the wrong person was convicted she wants to find answers. Too bad most of the attendees are keeping lots of secrets. Well, she is a librarian and has a talent for investigating murders so she is ready to ask questions. What she didn't expect was one of the wedding guests being murdered. All the more reason to ask questions.
The list of suspects is pretty much the entire guest list so there are a lot of people to keep track of and plenty of threads to follow. Greer is a good sleuth and knows how to deal with the police. She is helped in her search by her ex-boyfriend, her best friend and others and together they put the pieces together to catch the killer.
I enjoyed spending time with Greer again, the setting was perfect and the mystery kept me entertained to the end. While it can be read as a stand alone I think reading them in order is best, letting the reader get to know Greer. She's a great character.
My thanks to the publisher, Crooked Lane and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Librarian Greer Hogan is on hand to celebrate her old friend Sarah Whitaker’s nuptials at the Whitaker summer home on beautiful Mirror Lake, just outside the upstate New York village of Lake Placid. But Greer has an ulterior motive to gather information that could reopen the investigation into her husband’s murder, a crime for which she believes an innocent man went to prison. Her plans come to a shuddering halt when a wedding guest goes missing and turns up dead in the lake. The guest, Brittany Miles, was an employee of the Whitaker family whom Sarah had long suspected was up to no good at work. The police have no leads, but Greer, an avid reader of crime fiction who possesses an uncanny knack for deduction, begins her own investigation. She learns that the victim was seen with a mystery man right before she disappeared. Then the autopsy reveals that she didn’t drown in the lake after all, but in the reflecting pool in the Whitaker garden.
This is the second outing for Greer who I love, she’s mature & down to earth & is a people watcher. I thoroughly enjoyed the book even though it did begin to drag & some of the chapters could have been edited out without losing anything of the plot. I would have preferred a more satisfying ending but guess I now need to read the next book as I want to find out about Greer’s husband's death & also how her relationship with Ian develops
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I wasn't too sure about this book at the beginning, because it felt like I had started in the middle of a series (this is book 2) and it did not have all the information I needed. But as I kept with it, more information was given and it filled in the gaps that I had felt in the beginning. I would not call this my favorite series, but this entry was enjoyable with some twists, and it's good to see a series with an older character. Greer just wasn't one that I immediately took to, or that I came to love. But for others, that may be their cup of tea so you may want to check out this series.

3.5 stars, rounded up. This book feels like it's playing the long game with the series- while there is a self contained mystery that is pretty solid, it does carry through to do a little to work on Greer's investigation into what really happened to her murdered husband several years prior. Part of what I had really loved about the first book in the series was seeing Greer in her element as a librarian as it was one of the most accurate depictions of library work I'd seen in fiction, and I did miss having that setting in this book- but, as Greer points out towards the end, she does use her very particular skills as a reference librarian in her research (this made me giggle, as a fellow reference librarian with those skills). I wouldn't necessarily recommend this as a standalone, I think Greer's backstory in the first book is important.

Greer is there to celebrate her friend's wedding and to help out in the elaborate arrangements made at
the various events. It is a posh, upscale wedding, no expenses spared and a murder is not what you would
expect.

It casts a pall on the post celebration because we have detectives all over the place and Greer herself
feels that there is more to it than meets the eye, because the entire Whittaker family seems to have secrets
which they have successfully hidden for decades. Whether the wedding was the catalyst for it to all come
breaking down is left to be seen.

This is more or less an amateur detective trying to link clues together with no help from others because
the family themselves want history kept as history. It begins to unravel slowly but this was a slow detective
read not a page turner. The police do not seem to be doing anything at all, and whether it is the influence of
the family or sheer ineptitude I never could find out.