Shadow In The Glass by M. E. Hilliard

Murder rocks a wedding celebration. Greer Hogan, librarian turned sleuth, could be next on the killer’s guest list.

Excellent book. Well-written. Full of secrets, lies, and past experiences. Many interesting characters. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

Librarian turned sleuth? Yes please! I’m also a big fan of books where one guest on the island is the killer.

While I haven’t read the first book in this series, but had no trouble jumping into the story at this point.

Greer Hogan was immediately the kind of character who won me over. She is a woman who is no longer young, and she is able to use her experience and research skills to mull over the mysteries she discovers around her.

Overall, I think this series is a really fun read that mystery fans will enjoy

Someone really didn't like Brittany but who went so far as to drown her during the three day wedding celebration of Greer's BFF Sarah? Greer has planned to collect more information about the murder of her own husband during the event in Mirror Lake but now she's spending time winnowing out leads in this killing. There are a lot of people who had issues with Brittany and Greer finds herself calling on more than her gut instinct. This is classic cozy territory enlivened by Greer's job as a librarian and penchant for crime novels. It's unfair to Hilliard to compare this to a Louise Penny novel (nowhere near as complicated) but it's a good read. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Will be fine as a standalone.

This is a really great book. It's more complex than the average cozy and keeps the storyline true. I hope to read more by this author.

Greer Hogan is attending, and helping with, the wedding of her good friend Sarah Whitaker. It's a four day event starting with ladies tea and ending with a goodbye breakfast. The celebration is being held at the Whitaker summer home on Mirror Lake near the village of Lake Placid, New York.

Greer has an ulterior motive for being involved in the wedding. She feels the wrong person was sent to jail for her late husband's murder and she is determined to find out who is responsible. The wedding will give her an opportunity to speak with many of the wedding guests that worked with her husband at that time.

Her plans come to a halt when a wedding guest goes missing and turns up dead. The police have no leads so Greer begins her own investigation, with the help of her friends.

Second mystery in a series featuring Greer Hogan searching for the murderer of her husband who was killed in the first book. In this book, Greer is attending the wedding of her best friend at an estate at Lake Placid, and keeping her ear to the gossip for any further clues. But murder follows her here when a guest is found dead in the lake, and Greer can't help but wonder if there is a connection.
The publicity equated the novel with Louise Penny's Gamache series, but there is none of the depth of character here. This is also not a police procedural, but rather a traditional mystery more in the vein of Miss Marple than a mild cozy. While the ending was not obvious, it does seem to take forever to get where we're going with lots of characters to get through. A nice comfortable read for a rainy night.

Greer Hogan is in upstate New York near Lake Placid to help a friend celebrate her marriage. She does have an ulterior motive: many of the guests were acquainted with Greer's murdered husband Danny and she hopes to find information to reopen the investigation of his death. She's convinced that the wrong man was convicted.

Before she can begin her investigation, another case takes center stage. A young woman who might have been having an affair with the bride's father is found dead. Greer and her friends are eager to find out who wanted Brittany dead - but it looks like the murderer was one of the family. So many of the family members are keeping secrets from each other and some of the secrets could have led to Brittany's death.

I liked the way Greer uses her job as a reference librarian and her love of mysteries to help her solve the case. I liked that there were a number of plausible suspects among the family. I also liked learning about the pasts of some of the characters.

This was an engaging and well-plotted mystery.

This was the first exposure to M.E. Hilliard and her A Greer Hogan Mystery series. I was intrigued by the main character who is on a continuing (and apparently slow moving) search to find her husband's killer. I appreciated her thought processes and methodical approach to clues, however her personality was not entirely likeable for me. The little clues that she didn't care for her husband at the time of his death and her dismissal of future relationships was off-putting for me. I like to have the hint of a possible romance that is faithful and not just sex based as was hinted at with Ian. I am invested, however, in more in the the series as I would like to find out about who killed her husband.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Self Proclaimed sleuth, Greer a librarian finds herself at a wedding where a mystery then later a murder occurs. This book has all the whodunnit feels as the author takes us on a journey with enchanting details that sets the tone of the atmospheric, location and setting. With compelling characters and many twists the reader is on a journey to find the murderer, Greer has developed sleuth skills setting up a timeline, and examines motives and potential killers. I enjoyed this book which is number two in a series.


Thank you to Crooked lane books and #Netgalley for this digital copy.

Greer Hogan is back and on the case! Greer is on a much needed break from Raven Hill and her job at the local library to attend her old friend's wedding. She is also still trying to solve her husband's mysterious murder. When a wedding guest is murdered, it's up to her to investigate. Using her library skills and resources, and with a little help from her favorite literary sleuths, Greer Hogan is on a mission. Can she find out what really happened before it's too late?

Another whodunit with Greer Hogan, Librarian. She's off to the Adirondacks to attend the wedding of a best friend and to sniff out clues pertaining to her (Greer's) husband's murder. Classic dead body on the grand estate on the eve of the wedding scenario, there are a LOT of people to keep track of, some instant friendships created, and old ones rekindled.
I enjoyed the first book in this series; nice to have a mature, intelligent, not-rich woman doing what she wants to do. It is, to me, a true cozy series.
Back to this book: I liked the characters, well enough, there was the twists in family, business, love, that could keep you guessing. But then it did drag on. Repetitious verbiage and rehashing, and please, let her get a little closer with her husband's murder? I realize it is her raison d'etre but it is a ball and chain, too.
I kept turning the pages, did finish, but the conclusion was not satisfying. Perhaps if it was tidier? I'm not an editor. I do think I'm done with this series, now.
Thanks, #netgally, for this free read and this was my honest review.

Greer Hogan, the intrepid librarian from Hilliard’s first book The Unkindness of Ravens, anticipates a well-deserved break from her beloved Raven Hill. Long-time friend Sarah Whitaker will get married for the third time in Lake Placid but Greer intends to use the gathering as cover to investigate her husband’s murder from three years ago. Despite the gorgeous fall foliage, something seems to be off in the rambling homes where the wedding will take place. One house seems stuck in time with 40-year-old books (Greer stifles an urge to weed), bad wiring, creaky doors along with antique furniture and mirrors. Sarah’s wealthy family seems reluctant to open up as Greer senses some corporate skullduggery is going on. When striking model Brittney Miles’s body surfaces in the lake Greer knows that someone in the group killed her. Our amateur sleuth sets aside her husband’s death to focus on this new crime as a large cast of characters, reminiscent of a Christie mystery, moves throughout the story providing plenty of red herrings. Readers will have fun matching wits with Greer to identify the murderer.

The characters and story had me intrigued from the beginning. It did sort of fall apart and become repetitious. I was also not satisfied with the conclusion. It kept me turning the pages, but still felt unresolved. I wanted a solution to the murder that Greer Hogan was originally seeking, too. Maybe in the next book, or not. Although I liked Greer, I think I am one and done.

This is book 2 in the Greer Hogan mystery books. However, this can be read as a standalone.

Greer Hogan is a librarian, amateur sleuth who fancies solving murder mysteries. Recently widowed, she has questions regarding her husband's death. She feels there's more to his death. Could it be murder? What greater way of finding out than going to her best friend's luxurious wedding, where almost everyone attending knew her former husband?! In the midst of the wedding frivolities, a dead is found. Cops are called to the scene and before long, it becomes clear that one of the guests is responsible. Greer is on a quest and alongside her best friend, the groom, her ex boyfriend, and a new friend, they pursue the leads they have in their quest to solve the murder.

I like Greer's character, she's quiet, attentive and watches what goes on around her. The descriptions in this book were out of this world! What luxury! I love reading about strange houses, so when I got to the mysterious mansion with the weird noises, I was intrigued the more. I was ready for the shocking twist at the end. It made sense but I had other suspects from the beginning. Some chapters were boring and I believe didn't add anything to the book. In general, it was kinda slow, chapters dragging on and on and at times boring.

Apart from that, I enjoyed it. It has a mix of suspense, mystery, drama, layered with betrayals, hate and love. It also has some pretty hilarious dialogues that got me cracking up. Much thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the arc copy of this book

Greer Hogan is a librarian who fancies herself a sleuth thanks to her love of murder mystery novels. While attending the wedding of a friend in Lake Placid, one of the guests goes missing, then turns up dead in the nearby lake. Every guest is a suspect and so are most of the wedding family. Greer tries to put together a timeline of events leading up to Brittany’s disappearance along with many discussions on means and motive for the woman’s death. The police might be in charge but seem to be doing very little to solve the murder so it’s up to Greer to find the answers and solve this whodunnit.

I love reading police procedurals but admit I am not a fan of amateurs solving crimes while the detectives take a back seat and look like lost puppies. The blurb sounded a lot more exciting than this book turned out to be. I found I wanted the killer identified just so the book would end. Had I known it was going to be a cosy murder mystery I would have passed on reading it. I’m sure many will love Greer’s dogged efforts to uncover the truth but it was an eye rolling read for this reader.

A copy of this book was received from the publisher via NetGalley for review.

Shadow in the Glass was a very good whodunit. The story takes place at Desmond and Janie Whitaker's estate on Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, New York. Greer Hogan who works as a librarian at the Raven Hill Manor Library is the main character who has come to attend the wedding of her best friend, Sarah who is marrying Jack Peterson. It is a weekend of many house guests and activities. Greer's late husband, Danny, was murdered and she wants to investigate to see if she can find answers from people who are attending the wedding.

The other supporting characters all are important to the story. +The first party is a tea where Greer meets Sarah's aunts, Barbara (Janie's sister) and Carolyn (Coco) Quinn, Desmond's cousin. She also meets Isabelle, Jack's sister. Greer runs into her old boyfriend, Ian Cameron who is staying in the boathouse along with Sarah's brother, Jeremy for the wedding. Because of the overflow of people staying at the house Greer is staying at the hotel in town. At the evening cocktail party she runs into Frank Benson who worked with Danny. He is attending the wedding with his fiancé, Shelby Travis. His ex-wife April is also there. At one of the parties Frank has a heart attack and later dies at the hospital. Brittany Miles works for Desmond Whitaker. She is murdered and this is when the story gets intriguing.. The Granville house next door is owned by Janie and Barbara. adds to the mystery. Isabelle and her parents are staying there. Greer also moves in when Jack's parents leave after the wedding.

Greer, Sarah, Jack, Ian, Jeremy and Isabelle group together to find out who killed Brittany. There is a lot of twists and turns that take the reader to the surprise ending of who killed Brittany.

Greer had put her investigation of her husband's death on hold. I will be interested in the next of the series who killed her husband and why. Also where the relationship between her and Ian goes.

Greer Strikes Again…
Atmospheric mystery of the more cosy variety and the second in the Greer Hogan Mystery series.. Librarian, and avid mystery buff, Greer Hogan gets more than she bargained for when she attends the wedding of an old friend when a guest is found dead in a lake. Greer must call again on her own investigation skills to find a killer. Can her favourite fictional detectives lend a hand? Unbeknown to other guests, Greer also has an ulterior motive of her own. She is seeking information which may lead to the reopening of her husband’s murder case.
Another thoroughly enjoyable read with an interesting protagonist and a well drawn setting. Written in a style bordering pulp, almost gumshoe, which kept this reader engaged from first to last page. Pure, unadulterated escapism and a worthy addition to the series.

I struggled with this book as I found it long-winded and full of endless detail. I also hated the constant use of the sod ‘gotten’! Once spotted, it seemed to crop up on every page!

I loved the first book in this series so much, and have been waiting for this second installment ever since. I love Greer as a sleuth. She's mature, smart, thoughtful and solves the mysteries using her research skills and sharp observation. Having already helped solve one murder mystery, she understands the process and how she needs to present the information to the police. In this book, part of the reason she attends her friend's wedding is to dig into her husband's murder. There will be people attending who knew and worked with him, and she wants to figure out why he died.

My only niggle is that it felt very choppy, unlike the first book, but that's just my feeling. The story was good, the mystery complex enough to keep me guessing and the characters well-drawn and not too plentiful.

Already looking forward to number three in the series!

I just wanted this book to be over and to see who the murderer actually was. The book started off in an interesting way but just became laborious with insignificant details and a host of characters who might have seen something at a particular time. The main character Greer is an amateur detective who seemed to have more knowledge than the local police . The beginning of this book has Greer attending a friend’s wedding to gain some insight into the death of her husband who she suspected was murdered three years prior.
This investigation was displaced by a death occurring at the wedding and the book focused on solving this murder albeit in a lengthy manner with so many irrelevant events and details .

I really enjoyed The Unkindness of Ravens and was very excited for a second Greer novel. An executive- turned-librarian protagonist is near and dear to my heart, as I am one myself, and while I don't even remotely enjoy (or envy!) Greer's capacity for finding her way into and out of trouble, reading about it is magnificently entertaining.

Admittedly, this was not quite as fast a read for me as the first book. The pacing was a little uneven and things felt highly repetitive in a couple of junctures. Still, the characterizations and plot were entertaining and if the ending was a little far-fetched, well, it was still an enjoyable read.

I am definitely going to stick with the series, as I am dying to find out what she is able to uncover about her husband's murder... And I find Ian a delightful addition to her universe. Their burgeoning (re)relationship should offer the opportunity for loads more snarky back-and-forth and collaboration and I look forward to watching it play out!