I have been reading novels by Allen Eskens for several years. While they are described as thrillers, they are usually a lot more than that. Most of his books are literary fiction with a tad of murder or thriller leading the narrative. That's not surprising because Mr. Eskens spent 25 years as a criminal attorney and then went off to earn his MFA at the University of Iowa, one of the most prestigious, if not THE most prestigious, MFA program in our nation.

In The Quiet Librarian, we meet Nura Dyak, a quiet and mousy librarian who does her best to go unnoticed. She stays in the back of the library, wearing the same sweater and blouse almost daily. Her world changes, however, when the police come to notify her that her best frient, Amina Junuzovic, is dead. She fell from her apartment building - or was she pushed? Amina was Nura's only friend and leaves behind a child, a young boy, that she wants Hana to raise.

We soon find out that Hana is more that we see on the surface, She has been a Bosnian warrier, still wanted for her "crimes". Even Hana's name was different in Bosnia where she went by Nura Divjak. Nura watched her entire family be killed in front of her while she was in hiding. The Serbs then burnt her family's home to the ground. Nura is bent on seeking revenge.

The novel weaves back and forth between the present in Minnesota and the early 1990's in Bosnia where the Bosnians were fighting the Serbs partly due to the break-up of Yugoslavia and other intervening issues. The Serbs were responsible for many unimaginable war crimes - over 100,000 people were killed, 2.2 million people were displaced; 12,000-15,000 women were raped, mostly by Serbs raping Bosnian women. This was, between 1992-1995 the most violent conflict in Europe since WWII.

As Hana/Nura tries to find out how her Amina died, and what to do about her friend's son, she finds herself drawn back into her earlier nightmares. While she wants to help the detectives, she is frightened, as she is still wanted as a criminal in Bosnia.

This is a book with complex themes and an important moral center. The author wrote this book based on information he gathered from his Bosnian neighbors in Minneapolis. The narrative is compelling and informative while also being extremely readable. I highly recommend this book.

I thank NetGalley and Mulholland Boods for this Advanced Review Copy to read and review.

A big thank you to Netgalley the publisher and Allen Eskens for an advanced copy of this book. Since his first novel The Live We Bury I have put Allen Eskens on the automatic buy list. Everything I have read has been amazing and all ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ reads. I went into this book knowing nothing about it and was glad I did. Amazing story, characters, and settings. Do yourself a favor and read anything by Allen Eskens and be sure to pre-order this or grab a copy when it comes out in February. Hopefully one day I will be able to get a signed copy of something from this author. I think this may be the best one of his I have read so far.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and it lives up to every other Eskens book I've read! He's an amazing author that ties dual timelines together so well, never getting lost in the back and forth. This story is about a young Bosnian girl who witnesses a horrific tragedy and fights to survive. I loved every minute of this read and highly recommend.

As a Serb woman born in Bosnia and immigrated to the states at 14 years old, this was a very difficult read. Even though I lived in the Serb part of Bosnia, I’m very aware of the horrors that happened to Bosniaks at the hands of my people. I’m at a loss for words, what can I possibly say?!
The writing is amazing, the reality of war mixed with imagination is brilliantly done. Heavy but fantastic read. Will definitely read more from this author.

This is a pretty good book, but it was too war focused which was boring and dull. I think the storyline was pretty good, the characters were good, and the pacing was a little slow. I think the premise was interesting

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Allen Eskers delivers another moving mystery of rich characters. A librarian looks to solve her best friend's murder which means facing her own past and actions.

I love a great historical fiction novel about a strong woman who overcomes such devastating tragedies! Read this novel

Allen Eskens is a new author to me. I’ve only read one other book by him but loved it so I was excited to read The Quiet Librarian.

I was a little hesitant when I saw that it was a dual timeline book as often one timeline has a much stronger storyline than the other, but this one did not have that issue! The story switches from the current day to the mid-90s during the Bosnia War and he weaves the story between these two timelines just beautifully!

I absolutely LOVED this book and was hooked right from the beginning. Hana Babic is an incredible character and her resolve, her strength, and her determination are brought forth brilliantly throughout this novel. I thoroughly enjoy well-written characters and Eskens has brought Hana to life on paper in all the right ways.

It was eye-opening to learn a little bit about the Bosnian War and this period and I appreciated Hana’s story. This is easily one of my favorite reads of the year!

Historical fictions will forever hold a special place in my heart. I have enjoyed historical fictions since I was middle school….so well over 25 years. This book was no different. This is one of those books that as soon as I was finished reading it, I went and pre-ordered it for my collection. It was just that good.

Eskens is an amazing authors and the way she writes her dual timeline books, is just out of this world. This book is also a dual timeline where we learn about Hanna and her story in the Bosnian war, what she went through genocide and how life was in the war’s aftermath.

This book may just be my top book I have read of the year. The character development is on point in this book. Eskens has a way of making it feel as though you know the characters on a personal level, and that you are right there with them, going through what they are going through.

This is a book that you won’t want to put down and will leave you thinking about it long after you are finished.

Thank you to Mulholland Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this amazing gem of a book before it’s publication date!

*** I read this book on behalf of NetGallley sharing an advanced copy. ***

This was an interesting book, one that was hard to put down. Until reading this book, I had never known about the conflict and war between the Serbians and Bosnians. I think Eskens did a great job of composing a historical fiction novel with some elements of romance and suspense, but also a dedicated friendship through thick and thin.

Yes, most people wouldn't expect the "quiet librarian" to have secrets and a crazy history, which makes this all the more intriguing. The book primarily alternates chapters of past and present, where some of the past makes light of what is happening in the present and how that affects the female protagonist, Hana. I think this was very well done.

One thing for the publisher to note is that there were quite a few misspelled words, so a thorough read through for editing may be a worthwhile idea before this book is officially released.

I enjoyed this thriller/historical fiction. The sections on the Bosnian War were harrowing and taught me about a part of history that I didn't know a lot about. Maybe it was because these sections were so well written, but I felt the modern-day sections were not as interesting. The relationship didn't seem believable, and the climax was a little rushed.

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

5⭐ Thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for my ARC of The Quiet Librarian.

I first discovered this book on NetGalley and the description and cover alone had me wanting more. Once I realized Allen Eskens was the writer, I knew I had to read this. THANK YOU for not making me wait until February because wow, this was a masterpiece! This book touched my favorite genre's in such a captivating way. I could not put this book down! I can't wait to get my hands on a hard copy of this!

family, love, loss, unputdownable, mystery, historical-novel, historical-research, thriller, international-crimes, Bosnia, Minnesota, war, war-experiences, local-law-enforcement, violence, bullying, Muslim, friendship, friends, homicide-detective, horrors-of-war, grieving, survivor-s-guilt, survivors, genocide, dual-timeframes, war-crimes, librarian, triggers, PTSD*****

The past came back to revisit the present, and another woman is murdered. That woman, Amina, was Hana's friend from the country that once was their homeland, but her murder all these years later here in the USA is so unthinkable. Amina’s previously orphaned grandson is now the age Hana's brother was when he (along with her mother and father) were murdered in the genocide in Bosnia, but Amina has left a document with her attorney stating that Hana is to raise him if anything should happen to her. Hana limits what she reveals to the St. Paul Homicide Detective in order to try to keep the boy and herself safer from the murderer who came from the past.
This book is all too relevant in this time when hate is not only allowed but flourishes. The detective, however, is one of the good guys. Sensitively written.
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected advance content digital galley edition from Mulholland Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
Avail Feb 18, 2025 #TheQuietLibrarian by Allen Eskens @mulhollandbooks #NetGalley @HachetteUS #Triggers #Violence #WarCrimes #MurderInvestigation

Best book of the year! Allen does it again! He slammed this one out the ballpark. Thank you netgalley for the arc! Hana grew up in war torn Bosnia. She and her family were happy until the Serbs decided to commit genocide against their country. Hana escapes to America and has hidden a secret that could get her killed. She has lived for years in peaceful exile until one day when a man walks into the library and shatters her life. There is no other book that is going to rival this! We need to bottle Allen Eskens like a fine wine and take a sip when we want to be amazed. Comes out February 2025. The Quiet Librarian by the great Allen Eskens. 100 stars. I will be buying the book!

Title: The Quiet Librarian
Author: Ellen Eskens
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: February 18, 2025
My Rating: 4 Stars.
Pages: 320

Story is told in a dual timeline – Present day Minnesota and Bosnia 1995.
Hana Babic (bah-bich) is the quiet Librarian; she lives a quiet life in Minnesota on her farm but also works as a librarian.
When Hana’s best friend Amina Junuzovic dies under suspicious circumstances, Hana is taken to her past as Nura Divjak when she and her family lived in Bosnia. Hana has been dealing with survivor’s guilt as she witnessed the tragedy killing of her parents and her little brother.
She has tried to bury this memory. She fears the killing of her friend is connected to her actions as the Night Mora, a fierce warrior- who is still “wanted” in Bosnia.

Detective David Claypool, with the St. Paul Police, not only brought the news of Amina’s murder but also told Hana she was listed as the contact if something happened to her – she wanted Hana to raise her grandson, Dylan. Hana, of course, accepts the responsibility but also fears her life as well as Dylan’s is both at risk.
Hana plans a way to protect Dylan by once again becoming the soldier she was and find Amina’s killer before the killer Luka Savic hurts them as well!
(Luka Slavic is the head of security for the Serbian Ambassador and is responsible for torture and death of many.)

Allen Esken’s inspiration for this novel developed after listening to the Bosnian refugees in his community who told their stories of survival then making their homes in Minnesota.


Be prepared as this is a very emotional story!

This is my fifth Allen Eskens novel. I absolutely loved " The Life we Bury" as well " The Shadows we Hide"!

Want to thank Molholland Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 18, 2025.

This is my first book by Allen Eskens after seeing rave reviews of his other books.

Hana is a quiet, middle-aged librarian, the news of the sudden suspicious death of her best friend makes fear that her past is coming back to haunt her. Thirty years ago Hana was a militia fighter in war torn Bosnia.

I found the build up fairly slow, and was more engaged with the present threat than Hana’s past. The tension does build up towards the end. I found the story arc fairly predictable but there are a few unexpected twists.

I was reading this with high expectations which it didn’t quite live up to.

Thanks to Netgalley and Mulholland Books

Let me say as a librarian I’m tired of the stereotype that’s used in this book. I understand that it gives the author a device to tell his story but it’s old and done. And while I read with interest the story of the war the writing itself was not engaging. Maybe I don’t believe an eye for an eye, maybe I don’t believe in the book’s final outcome, and sure hope that the average police man takes justice into his own hands but perhaps that’s a discussion for another time.

Oh My God, Allen Eskens! What have you done? You give us a title with quiet and librarian. Its cover is innocuous and cute. I’m thinking that we’ll get a nice puff piece in between mysteries. But packed inside this book is a violent thriller that I couldn’t put down. Wow.

I don’t know how I first saw The Life We Bury, but I’ve been a big fan of Eskens ever since. Every one of his books comes alive with rich characters, subtle plot twists, and mysteries I can never guess. The Quiet Librarian is no exception. In fact, it might rival The Life We Bury and Nothing More Dangerous, in my estimation.

Hana is a Bosnian living a quiet life (librarian) in Minnesota. The locals call her the sweater lady and have no clue about her past. The action starts when a detective finds her and discloses that her best friend, Amina, has died. No one is sure if it was an accident that she fell from her balcony or she was murdered. Hana is positive that she was murdered.

Now the action starts as the police investigate the murder and Hana starts her own investigation. While your average librarian may not have the tools, Hana is cunning and has experience from the war in Bosnia. The story is told in two narratives: the present time and Hana’s life in her home country. I love a fictional account that makes me research reality. While I read the book, I spent hours thumbing through the internet to learn more about the Bosnian War. It struck me that while they were involved in a horrific war, I was getting married and enjoying life. This contradiction made the book feel so real to me.

Grieving Hana finds out that Amina wanted her to take custody of her eight-year-old grandson, Dylan. She struggles to come to terms with this because of her experience of taking care of her brother during the war. I won’t give away anything else. But just say that Hana was an easy character to love and sympathize with.

Thank you, Allen Eskens, for a beautiful book that made me think and feel. I read it in two days, and might have to apologize to my employer.

A powerful moving and sometimes disturbing story of the aftermath of the war in Bosnia. Told in two different timelines, in Bosnia and then 30 days later as an adult in hiding as a quiet librarian It has a lot to teach my students about what happened there and the devasting effects of war and displacement, relevant to our times.

Hana's dark past makes a reappearance. Finding out if she will survive kept me on the edge of my seat!