Member Reviews

I thought this book looked and sounded like something that I would enjoy, and I was very drawn to the cover illustration, so I was excited to be approved to read and review this.

I thought this book was excellent. It was very well-written, and I felt it had all the warmth that I'd expect from a cosy mystery, but at the same time, it had a seriousness that I enjoyed - it was warm and light-hearted without being frivolous. The protagonist was someone that I warmed to and identified with, and the book felt very modern and relevant.

I appreciated the literary references, for example, to Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca and Agatha Christie's Hallowe'en Party - those are two of my favourite authors, so as a reader, I could relate to these references and they made me smile.

I would definitely be interested in reading some more books in this series, and will probably recommend this book to my fellow book club members. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review it.

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Anita is the most hated person in Raven hill. Everyone in town has a reason, but who would actually kill her? This is the premise of Three Can Keep a Secret by H. E. Hilliard. Greer Hogan is a librarian in a tiny town in upstate New York. She loves criminal fiction and solving mysteries. After a Library board member is found dead, she gets involved in solving the crime. It seems like everyone she talks to is hiding something, but what? Secrets from long ago are dug up, exposing even more reasons for the murder. After discovering another body, she desperately tries to find the connection.
This book is book 3 of the series, A Greer Hogan Mystery, but it would also work as a stand-alone. Hilliard does a wonderful job describing the buildings and scenery of this old NY town and makes you feel right at home. Highly recommend if you are a mystery lover.

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Greer Hogan has been the reference librarian at Raven Hall Manor for a year now, so she knows the people involved in the day-to-day functioning of the library and the community. Anita Hunzeker, the chair of the library board, is able to get things done, often by bullying others. But, Anita is facing a roadblock in her plans to build a new, technologically advanced library. Many of the people in town love the old manor, and the Ravenscroft Trust that financially supports the library might have the final say. However, Anita has been researching the trust and the family. When she's run off the road, and killed, no one in town seems upset. Greer's curious because no one seems to care about the victim. When a local professor is killed, Greer's pokes into the connection between his work and Anita's research. Maps, rumors, and stories all lead her back to the library where secrets might be hiding in plain sight.

Those readers who enjoy the library and community connections in Victoria Gilbert's Blue Ridge Library mysteries will want to try this mystery that hints at future answers to the ongoing storyline of the murder of Greer's husband.

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A Greer Hogan Mystery

Greer is a librarian and an amateur detective. I think those two go wonderfully together! And now she is back with another murder! Raven Hill seems like such a lovely town, but someone has murdered one of the library board members. It’s Anita. The OCD, not very well-liked, Anita.

Plenty of suspects for this one, but then a professor turns up dead and suddenly everyone in town is a suspect!

Once Greer sticks her pert nose in the murders, things take a shocking turn. Is everyone in town hiding secrets? Some of these are really old and people still hang on to them. But what she finds is going to shock everyone, if she survives it.

Another lovely mystery featuring a librarian and I love this one!

NetGalley/ February 7th 2023. by Crooked Lane Books

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Lavishly Peppered Plot…
The third in the Greer Hogan series and another wonderfully done, character driven mystery. Greer, our protagonist and crime reading librarian turned amateur sleuth, finds herself thrust into another deadly case. Raven Hill, a seemingly idyllic place, is home to residents with secrets and some of them are deadly. Greer begins to investigate as bodies begin to pile and soon realises that she may well be putting herself in danger. An intelligent whodunnit in traditional vein with an atmospheric setting, a credible and well crafted cast, twists aplenty and a plot peppered lavishly with red herrings.

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Greer Hogan is a librarian in the village of Raven Hill who also seems to find herself in the middle of murder investigations. In this latest book, she has a conversation with Anita Hunzeker, chairman of the library board of trustees, just before Anita is run off the road and killed. It's no secret that many people despised Anita because she was one of those people who had to be in control of everything.

Greer, an amateur sleuth, decides to investigate herself because two of her co-workers are possible suspects, and she doesn't believe they could do this. When another death occurs, Greer finds herself in the middle of an investigation turned deadly. The village of Raven Hill has secrets, and the past is always part of the present.

I liked the characters in this mystery, and Greer is someone you'd love to meet for a cup of tea and a good discussion about books. Hilliard created a town and culture with lots of relationships that become part of the investigation. I enjoyed her setting, and felt its reach into the past served the plot well. If there was one thing I'd change it would be the pacing of the plot. There were too many places where not much happened except discussing or thinking about the murders. All in all, I'd recommend this series and "Three Can Keep a Secret."
Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read a advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead, and that axiom is very true in this third book of the series. Greer finds herself pulled between her library and the historical society especially with Anita Hunzeker as one of her board members. When Anita is killed in a car accident, Greer begins to dig into the mystery and finds many people are keeping secrets. Enjoyed this so much I am going back to read the first two in the series.

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This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Crooked Lane Books and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A thriller that’s a perfect addition to the series.

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librarian, library, small-town, murder, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, cozy-mystery, friendship, secrets, suspense, amateur-sleuth*****

Greer Hogan escaped her old life in NYC after her husband's unsolved murder in their home by getting her master's in library science, followed by a drastic move to a village upstate to work in their beautiful library in an old family home that gets a lot of use.
The first body is that of a much-disliked library board chairperson who was run off a twisty road after a meeting about the impending book sale. Greer is not on the suspect list but becomes endangered during the course of her investigation.
It's been two years since I read the first in series, so I feel confident in saying that it works well as a stand-alone but looks to be a great character driven series. Really enjoyed it!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

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Another solid entry in this series featuring high end retail turned librarian Greer Hogan. I love the references to well known detective series and I like the tone of the books. Look forward to many more adventures with Greer.

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In small towns there are lots of secrets. Some secrets are openly known, while others are buried deeply. Some people will kill to keep a secret from being dug up and publicized .
Anita Hunzeker is a local woman who is on the library board as well as the local historical board. As such she likes to delve into town secrets. Anita likes to be in charge - to the point that most of the town won't be too upset if she is killed. Of course the police care, because it is there job to solve crimes. Librarian Greer Hogan also feels the need to help solve the mystery, especially when two of her co-workers become the main suspects.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book based in a library and the surrounding small town. It was interesting to see the interactions of the library staff and the connections they had with the local townspeople.
I would be happy to read more books by this author.

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Greer is a librarian in upstate New York. Anita, a library board member, is not a favorite there. She gets things done, but is rather obnoxious. When her car is run off the road, it appears to be deliberate. But there are so many people who disliked Anita, it is difficult to decide who had the biggest grudge. A blackmail victim? Unhappy relatives? Another of her many enemies? This book is part of a series but I was able to read it as a stand-alone. I wasn't surprised to read that the author is a working librarian--as a librarian, I recognized the authenticity of her descriptions. This is another book with a hook, though--apparently Greer's husband was murdered at some point, and she is still searching for information to reopen the investigation. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

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Friends and foe...family...careers...library...mystery...murder...secrets...red herrings...this book is full of all of the above...this is a quick read about a librarian who solves mysteries...I enjoyed this book. Curl up in a comfy chair, enjoy a cup of steaming herbal tea, get lost in the library. This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review. Thankis to the publisher for the electronic copy. I could not put it down...reading into the night to discern who did it...enjoy...

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Librarian/detective Greer Hogan returns! This time she’s investigating the death of library board chair, Anita, who’s been run off the road. There are more than a few suspects as Anita wan’t really liked by anyone in town, and then the mystery thickens when a man is found dead, Anita’s fingerprints found on the bottle of wine that poisoned him. Greer’s investigation leads her to a cemetery where she uncovers secrets that have been buried for years, secrets worth killing for. Greer is one of my favorite new detectives, and definitely my favorite new fictional librarian

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