An impactful novel mixing historical fiction and a current day mystery. Not what I expected when I picked this story up, but I was enraptured by the story of Hana, both past and present.

This was a heartbreaking story of a war not many people talk about. As an American veteran who served in the Bosnian war, this hit home for me and brought back memories of the devastation I witnessed. I enjoyed this story and especially the dual timelines that took us back through Hana’s past to help understand her current circumstances. This was a captivating story and I highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’m so happy to have had the chance to read the Advanced Reader’s Edition e-copy of The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens; thank you NetGalley and Mulholland Books.

The Quiet Librarian will be at the top of the list when this ‘quiet library lady’ is asked to share our favorite books for our library patrons. We have a carousel of books at the entrance to our library and everyone loves browsing the circle to see what we suggest.

Stepping into this story and becoming a part of Hana's world made this book very hard to put down; I continued thinking about her when my world made me put the book aside for a bit. Life in Minnesota was full of intrigue and heart-break and hope. I learned more about the devastation and cruelty that occurred during the alternating chapters that flipped to the Bosnian War. To be such an entertaining story, while dealing with sensitive and disturbing topics, shows the talent of this author. This may have been my first story by Allen Eskens; it definitely won't be my last.

The Quiet Librarian is not my first Allen Eskens' book, I think I have read them all. Here we meet Hana, a "quiet librarian" in Minnesota from war torn Bosnia. I did know a bit about the war in Bosnia prior to this book, but I was glad to learn more about this horrifying historical event, This felt like a new path for Eskens and I hope he leans into it further in the future. Hana learns that her friend Amina has been murdered and it leads us to a dual timeline of her life in Bosnia and how she came to the U.S. Eskens has been known to me as an author with tragic loss themes while weaving in some suspense and mystery and this rang true here. The Quiet Librarian was entertaining, page turning and quite educational.

This was such a good historical mystery. I love Allen Eskens books and this was just as good as his previous books I've read. This is not a book about books like you might expect from the title. The MC, Hana, is a librarian in Minnesota , hiding and escaping her past in Bosnia, after the war in the 90’s. I never read a book that I can remember about the war in Bosnia, so that was really interesting to me. It's a really heartbreaking story though. The story goes back and forth from the war in Bosnia in the 1990’s, and present day in Minnesota.

This book is loaded with history and mystery. I was completely captivated by the story of these girls and the traumas they faced in the past, and the danger that has followed them into the life they have made. This one was intense, so suspenseful, and well written! Definitely going to be another favorite of mine!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Wow. This book was so captivating, and I couldn’t put it down. Having little to no knowledge of the 90s conflict between Serbians and Bosnians in the mountains of Bosnia. As such, I felt really invested in the timeline of the mid-90s in addition to the present day timeline.

Hana Babić is working as a quiet librarian in Minnesota when a detective comes to ask her about the death of Amina Junuzović. From there we flash back to 1994-1995 in the Bosnian mountains and what Hana and her community went through at the hands of the Serbians. The way the present day storyline and mystery plays out with as much a sense of urgency as the fighting in the 90s made this book so hard to put down.

This is my first book by Allen Eskins and made me eager to try other works of his. Tamount of trauma, grief, utter evil but also strength, perseverance and vengeance gave me similar vibes to The Nightingale and To Die Beautiful.

TL; DR: put this one on your holds list! This book was fantastic historical fiction, taught me a lot and I would highly recommend if you like war/conflict based historical fiction with outrageously strong female main characters.

Wow, this book was so much more than I expected it to be. Devastating, beautiful, satisfying, powerful - I truly couldn’t turn the pages quick enough.

Hana/Nura was such an amazing character. Watching the way she overcame tragedy to get revenge while saving others was just beautiful. The ending was perfection.

This book is everything I love about historical fiction because I had never heard of the Srebrenica massacre or learned anything about the war Serbia waged on Bosnia. Absolutely devastating.

While I loved the quick pacing, part of me really wanted to dive more into Nura’s evolution from sheltered, innocent farm girl to fearless soldier. It happened so quickly, understandably so but I just would’ve loved reading more of it.

Such a beautiful book and I can’t wait to read more from Allen Eskens, I’ve heard nothing but good things.

4.5 ✨
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

So powerful, sad, tragic, heartbreaking... I knew about the war in Bosnia, but had not read a book dealing with it. This was so enthralling.. didn't want to stop reading... Mr Eskens, you have created a masterpiece!

A story about a woman escaping her past in Bosnia by hiding in Minnesota. If you are looking for a book about books because the title has "librarian" in it, you will not find it here. I was excepting a some more literary references because of the title, but the fact that Hana is a librarian plays no part in the book. It is just her job. That was my only disappointment. It was well written and I did not predict the ending. I liked finding out about a time in history that I don't know a lot of about. It is really well written, just darker than I was expecting. Thank you to NetGalley letting me read an advanced copy of this book!

Just wow. This book is such an interesting ride. Readers are introduced to Hana Babic, a quite librarian who no one would suspect has such a dark and dangerous past. Yet when her best friend dies, Hana knows that her past is finally catching up with her. Who it is she isn’t quite sure yet, but she is bound to find out. This is a stunning journey of a young lady who gets swept up into a war that she nor her family wanted to truly be apart of. Yet even hiding on their farm staying quiet, the war found them in the worst way possible. Out of the ashes of that experience Hana emerges promising to get revenge for her family. This is a heartbreaking story that shows the choices that people in war times are sometimes forced to make. Having been to Bosnia this story really resonated for me as a reader.
Thank you so much to Mulholland Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

5 ⭐ 1 🌶️

What a profound and horrifyingly beautiful story. This one was dark and tragic, but the touch of romance, found family and vengeance turns it into something full of hope and had me close to tears.

Hana was such a force. Born from her desire for revenge, this young woman becomes a soldier, a savior and ultimately a symbol for her people. Her early life was incredibly tragic and yet she found a way to persevere and help others in the process. We jump back and forth between Bosnia in 1995 and the present in Minnesota and slowly learn more about her past and her secrets during the war as she fights to figure out who unalived her best friend.

There's a few twists and turns along the way and I loved how it all went down. Especially with Hana (presumably) getting her happily ever after. The Quiet Librarian has soared to the top of my list for favorite book of the month for sure.

Back in 2014, I read The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens, at that time an author I’d never heard of. I loved it! But for some reason, I didn’t read anything else by Eskens until 2023, when I read and enjoyed Saving Emma. I also didn’t know that The Life We Bury had been the first in a series, which includes The Shadows We Hide and The Stolen Hours. But when I read that Mr. Eskens was coming out with a new book (The Quiet Librarian) that included a storyline about The Bosnian War of the 1990s, I thought back to how much I loved the way the storyline in The Life We Bury included the way the Vietnam war affected one of the main characters, and thought “I HAVE TO READ THAT BOOK!” I had no clue what “librarian” had to do with anything, but as a retired librarian, the title was a plus for me.

A few things about my experience with the book. For starters, it is WONDERFUL. Also, my knowledge of the war in Bosnia was (and is) unbelievably limited. I had a vague idea it took place during the Clinton administration and that it had some religious component and was in an area where Yugoslavia used to be…and when I write that, my lack of awareness is even more pathetic than I thought.

This is a story with multiple timelines, but it isn’t one of those where you have to stop and think about WHO is this person and WHEN is this happening. It’s really two stories, with two separate timelines. The book begins in present day Minnesota where a woman named Hana Babic just wants to be left alone as she works as a librarian, with a very small circle of friends including her best friend Amina. When Amina is murdered by being thrown off an upper-floor balcony, Hana is determined to find out who was responsible and why. When police contact Hana for help in finding answers, the story really gets rolling.

Hana and Amina had immigrated to the U.S. during the Bosnian War, and each of them had many secrets and memories of horrible trauma. They had experienced (and, in some cases, committed) atrocities and the fallout may have followed them until the present day. As the story goes back and forth from the 1990s until now, secrets are exposed, revealing clearly both the who and why surrounding Amina’s death.

The characters are well-drawn, beginning with the childhood of a schoolgirl in Bosnia: “There were few Muslims in her school and only her in her class, but such things didn’t matter…” . After a horrific experience, things were very black and white for one of the girls: “Turn right and become a refugee. Turn left and be a hunter. Nura turned left.”

By the time I was near the end of the book and the resolution of the mystery, I was buried in the experiences of the girls, and very affected by the comments one makes about the war: “The world doesn’t care…It never cared…The Serbs slaughtered eight thousand men and boys in Srebrenica–took them into the woods and shot them. The men who pulled the triggers will never face justice.” It is so well written and reminded me why I loved the way Mr. Eskens can create characters who become REAL and who the reader truly cares about. With thanks to Mulholland Books and NetGalley, this one is definitely FIVE stars (only because that is the maximum).

After fleeing war-torn Bosnia, Hana Babic sought a fresh start as a librarian in Minnesota, embracing a quiet, new life. But when her best friend is murdered, Hana discovers she cannot escape her past as a military legend, no matter how far she runs.Refusing to sit idly as tragedy strikes, matters into her own hands as she revealed the truth behind her friend’s murder and her own buried history.

THE QUIET LIBRARIAN is a dual-timeline mystery rich with historical insights and brimming with danger around every corner. I couldn’t turn these pages fast enough to uncover the fates of these vividly drawn characters.

READ THIS IF YOU:
-have heard it’s better to be the hunter than the prey
-get drawn into an elaborate revenge plot
-resonate with stories of deep loyalty

RATING: 5/5
PUB DATE: February 18, 2025

Many thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland books for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Allen Eskens has become one of. my favorite authors. I have read all of his series books. The Quiet Librarian is a standalone historical thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat turning the pages. The dual timeline works beautifully as we follow Hana's life as a quiet librarian in present day Minnesota where her best friend has been murdered to war torn Bosnia in the 1990's and her mysterious past. I highly recommend this book as well as his backlist.

Thank you to Net Galley and Mulholland Books for the advanced reader copy.

The Quiet Librarian had me hooked from the beginning. Hana has lived a quiet life in adulthood, but has secrets from a life that seems like so long ago. As a teenager in war torn Bosnia and tragedy after tragedy strikes her, Nura, has decided to make a difference where she can, no matter the cost. Can she outrun her secrets and the man that seems to still be hunting her.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Allen Eskens for an ARC of The Quiet Librarian. WOW - honestly what a captivating book. Also, what a great book to start out 2025. This is another one of the books I will think about for years to come. I was so immersed with this book - feeling all the feelings and struggled to put it down. I love the dual timelines and following Hana’s story through the past and now. Allen Eskens has been added to auto buy - the story was so well told. I can’t preach it enough, please add to your cart, add to that never ending list of books - you will not be disappointed.

Hana is a librarian and a “sweater lady” for the last 30 years until a detective shows up and tells her her best friend has been murdered. She thought she had escaped her past, but evil seems to of found her. Before, she was Nura Divjak whose family was killed by Serbian soldiers. Watching them die, her only goal was revenge. Now, someone is hunting Hana and she will not stop until she has stopped the evil and keep her promise that she made to Amina and her grandson.

Allen Eskens is a new author for me. When The Quiet Librarian became available on NetGalley, I thought it looked interesting and I'd give it a chance. Wow! Now I need to read all of his novels. This one is set during two different time periods - the present in Minnesota and the 1990s in war-torn Bosnia, which I knew less about than I should have. The story opens with the death of a grandmother. She was thrown off of a balcony and the police can't figure out why. They contact her friend, Hana, a seemingly mild-mannered librarian and the story begins. The friends had immigrated to the US as girls during the Bosnian war. Each carried secrets. Through the book, we hear about the atrocities they experienced in Bosnia and why some of that horror may still be following them today. The ending was very satisfying.

Just FYI, this book has nothing to do with being a librarian (the title is what drew me to the book). But it was so good! The parts set in Bosnia were captivating and heartbreaking. It's so sad and scary to think about how evil people can become in situations such as war.

I have become a big fan of Allen Eskens and I look forward to reading his latest book and this one did not disappoint. Hana, a very quiet, forgettable, middle aged librarian lives a very small life in Minnesota. She keeps to herself and rarely goes anywhere. Told in two different timelines between the present in Minnesota and the past in Bosnia, the reader finds out that she lived a very different life when she was young that she has kept hidden for most of her life, When Hana finds out that her friend has been murdered she has to find out what happened and her previous life is slowly revealed. While reading this book, I learned a lot about the Bosnian War that took place from 1992-1995. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you NetGalley and Mulholland Books for an ARC of this book.

Powerful story of war, violence, revenge and justice. Hana watched her family be murdered during the Bosnian-Serbian war. She vowed then to track down the killers and avenge her mother, father and little brother. She joined up with the Bosnian guerillas, picked up some deadly skills, and actually did kill two of the three men she was seeking. She thought she had killed the third man, too. By that time she was a legendary fighter and had a price on her head. She was sent to America with a new identity to live a quiet life as a meek librarian in Minneapolis. The book flips between Hana's current life in Minnesota, and her involvement in the war in 1995.

She escaped with a friend who had been a prisoner in one of the infamous rape camps. Her friend gave birth after coming to America and she and Hana remained close. Time passed, the friend's daughter died and the friend was raising her young grandson.

Both Amina and Hana bore heavy scars, emotional and physical. Amina saw a therapist and Hana took out her trauma in her basement gym where she became again the fierce fighter she had been. Years passed when Hana's existence is upended one day by a police detective informing her Amina had been murdered and her apartment ransacked. The detective is a decent man but Hana has reverted to lone avenger thinking. She is concerned that she is still wanted for murder and could be sent back to stand trial so she is reluctant to share information with the detective. Plus, she has not shared her past stories and doesn't want to open herself up to that.

The rest of the story is Hana investigating secretly, the detective trying to figure out what is happening, and the search for the killer with a 3o year old motive. But it is the characters who are compelling. The war part of the story is brutal and violent but told simply and factually. We are left to imagine how anyone can overcome these sorts of traumas and keep living.

The final scenes are searing but despite everything, there is some hope in this book for the future and for Hana. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.