Ever since I read Allen Eskens' debut novel with my book club some years ago, I have wanted to read more books from this Midwestern author. The Quiet Librarian combines historical fiction with a contemporary mystery/thriller. The dual timelines alternate between the Bosnian War 30 years ago and a contemporary murder case in Minnesota. Having read a lot of historical fiction dealing with World War II and the Holocaust, it was disturbing to read about the Serbian genocide happening even more recently. I learned so much about this war that I wasn't aware of at the time and had to keep reminding myself that it took place during my own lifetime. It is imperative that we continue to read books like this that show us the devastation that wars create. Thanks to NetGalley, Mulholland Books and the author for a copy to read and review.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Allen Eskens is one of my favorite authors. It's partly the genres he has written with compassion and interesting issues and also the Minnesota settings (where I lived for many years). The Quiet Librarian feels a bit of a departure from his usual stories. There are many triggering aspects if you are a sensitive reader.

Our main character, Hana, is a Bosnian refugee. She came to Minnesota after her family was murdered, including her 8 year old brother. She came with another refugee, Amina, who was even a younger teen than Hana. Her friend has been murdered leaving an 8 year old grandson in Hana's care.

The story intermixes flashbacks to the Serbian-Bosnian war 30 years ago when Hana was a teen and her family killed. She joined the resistance. Hana is trying to solve the murder of her friend, trying to figure out if they were after Amina or actually hunting Hana. The truth is more complex and she needs to make a safe place for her new charge, 8 year old Dylan. She had pulled away from him growing up because she couldn't protect her own 8 year old brother, but now she is his guardian.

She starts a complicated relationship with Detective Claypool to try to get enough information to track down the assailant and learn what is happening. But to get his info, she has to give a little. Thankfully, he doesn't suspect Hana as she was working at the library, at least an hour away, and a man was seen. An odd factor seems to be the stolen records at the office of Amina's therapist. Hana had cautioned Amina about saying too much but those files appear to be connected to the killing.

Hana does an incredible job of investigating and tracking down the truth and protecting herself and Dylan. Things are intense but I was very satisfied with the ending. I am always crushed by man's inhumanity to man (or woman) and this was difficult to read during these horrible times.

Now available!!!!! Read this book!!!


Allen Eskens is on my favorite authors list!

This book is very different than all other books I’ve read by the author. Enjoyed learning about the Bosnia/serb war from the woman’s victim role. Heartbreaking but written so well.

All the feels. Great character development. Mystery, romance, sorrow and hope!!

Hana our quiet librarian has quite a story to tell and was overwhelmed by her strength, courage and loved every detail that made her a fierce woman.

Thanks to netgalley and mullholland books for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Don’t let the title fool you. Allen Eskens’ The Quiet Librarian is an action-packed page-turner!

The story opens with middle-aged Hana Babić reshelving books in the stacks of a S. Paul, Minnesota library. Known by library patrons as “the sweater lady,” Hana ever strives to remain invisible, but today she can’t escape unwanted attention. Detective David Claypool has arrived to question her about the death of Amina Junuzović. With her hands zip-tied, Amina has either jumped from the balcony of her condo or been pushed as her grandson Dylan approaches on the sidewalk, returning from school, and Hana’s name has been found at the scene. Shocked to learn of her friend’s death but worried that Detective Claypool may know Hana’s past, she tries to help him without revealing any secrets such as the significance of the blue marble pendant Amina handed two workers who tried to help her in the moments before dying of internal injuries.

The first forty-two chapters alternate between “Minnesota after Everything” and “Bosnia” followed by a date, the first 1972, the second 1992, and the rest 1995. The Bosnian chapters recount the story of Nura Divjak, a young Bosnian girl who grows into a young woman with festering reasons to seek revenge against three Serbian men. The remaining few chapters all take place in Minnesota but aren’t without increasing suspense of their own.

A former criminal defense lawyer and an award-winning novelist, Allen Eskens has gifted readers with yet another mystery-thriller—one that will bring the Bosnian war to life while keeping readers on the edge of their seats.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for an advance reader egalley.

I am a fan of Allen Eskens and his writing. This, however, was the first story that I ever read that focused on the war in Bosnia. The story is told in a dual timeline – modern day Minnesota, where the main character, Nura, has assumed a new identify as Hana Babic, working as a nondescript librarian and the 1990s in Bosnia, where Serbian soldiers are attacking and killing Bosnians.

The book delves into the Bosnian war and provides so much insight into the horrific treatment of Bosnians and the heroic efforts they take the defend themselves. It seems that all books focused on war bring out the best and the worst of humanity. The aggressors take any action hurt, abuse or kill those they consider to be lessors and the heroic acts by those who want to defend their rights and freedom.

In modern day Minnesota, one of Hana’s best friends is killed and she is left to care for the friend’s orphaned grandson. As the story unfolds, we learn about why Hana changed her name and the actions she took during the Bosnian War to seek revenge for her family and the actions she is willing to take today to avenge her best friend’s death.
Eskens does not disappoint with this latest book. This story takes you down a path to explore the impact of trauma, revenge and the power of ordinary individuals.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

#NetGalley, #TheQuietLibrarian, #AllenEskens

4.5 stars
I’ve read a few books set during the Serbian genocide in the 90s. This one was the best of them. I learned new things from this book that I didn’t know before. It was trigger but these are important things we should know about. I liked that the dual timeline followed the same character. I also liked the main character’s revenge themes in both timelines. The narration wasn’t good for me so definitely read the book!

4.5 ⭐

Allen Eskens has done it again with this wonderful novel that is both historical fiction and mystery/thriller. The story is told in dual timelines from war torn Bosnia to thirty years later in Minnesota.

Hana has lived in the shadows for years as a reserved librarian but must come out of hiding and become the gutsy heroine that she was so many years ago in Bosnia as she avenged her family's deaths.

This book was a quick read for me as I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! I highly recommend it to anyone that loves stories about strong women.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for the advanced digital copy of the book.

Allen Eskens is hands down one of my favourite authors. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of his latest - The Quiet Librarian.

Hana works as a librarian and she keeps to herself. She dresses to hide, always with a sweater. When a police detective shows up and asks to speak to her, she knows that her past has finally caught up with the here and now. Someone knows who she is and what she's done.

Eskens interviewed survivors of the Bosnian War of 1990 who came to Minnesota as refugees. Their stories are woven into Eskens' fictional characters as well as time and place.

Eskens excels at storytelling. The concept, the setting, the history and ... Hana. The mystery was so well drawn - I was truly on the edge of my chair. The book is told in now and then chapters, guaranteed to keep up for 'just another' chapter. And no word of a lie, I had to put the book down many times as the danger overwhelmed me. I wanted a certain ending for Hana. Did I get one? You'll have to find out yourself. A brilliant read!

The Quiet Librarian is a very interesting look into The Bosnian War, a part of modern history that many of us never think about. I admit to not knowing much about it before reading this book.

This is the story of Hana Babic, a librarian in Minnesota who was once known as Nura Divjak. Hana’s closest friend , Amina, has just been murdered and Hana needs to uncover who killed her and if they are going to be coming for her next. The chapters alternate between Nura’s experience in Bosnia and Hana’s attempts to unravel the crime, sometimes working with the detective assigned to the case, and sometimes just using him for information. Through flashbacks, we learn that Nura’s entire family was slaughtered before her eyes and she swears to avenge them. It was her plan to simply murder those who killed her family, but she winds up fighting with a makeshift army and making quite a name for herself as a killer. Somewhere along the way, she meets Amina and she also emigrates to America.

There is a lot that I really liked about this story, but it didn’t grab me in the same way as a lot of books do. I love the historical fiction aspect of the story and was fascinated to learn more about the Bosnian War. I think if it had focused more on the historical fiction and less on the mystery/suspense it would have been more powerful. I also struggled to see Nura as a killer and felt that the relationship between Hana and Detective Clayton was too far fetched. Interesting concept, but only a 3 star read.

I'm not typically drawn to historical fiction, but I found this book to be quite engaging. I appreciated the dual timelines and how seamlessly they transitioned between the past and present. It's hard to fathom everything Hana endured, yet her resilience to keep moving forward is truly admirable.

This author is a master at his trait, I love reading his books, I read The Life We Bury years ago, and it was absolutely one of the best books I ever read. Since then, I have tried to read all his other books, which are all equally memorizing and hard to put down. If you have not read this book or the one I listed, you need to run not walk.

The present and the period of the Bosnian war alternate throughout this novel. As you read this book, you should, in my opinion, give yourself permission to relax because the past shapes the future. While reading this novel, I found myself crying multiple times.

The librarian who keeps to herself is Hana Babic. She is a Bosnian refugee. Peace is what she wants, since she has experienced unimaginable horrors. Even though we make every effort to forget the nightmares of our past, occasionally they nevertheless surface. If we're fortunate, we'll discover someone with whom we can share our darkest moments and get through them. As soon as Hana's best buddy from those she spent in Bosnia, is dead, the past starts to become too much life present day life.

In addition to providing us with an amazing protagonist to support, Mr. Eskens does a fantastic job of shedding light on aspects of that period. The author's portrayal of the terror of those times is so realistic that I doubt many of us can ever truly understand it.
Although it was a fantastic finish, it was not what I had anticipated!

Allen Eskens is known for his emotionally resonant mysteries, and The Quiet Librarian is no exception. This novel masterfully ties together past and present, telling the story of a seemingly unassuming librarian whose carefully guarded secrets come to light when her closest friend is found murdered. As an ambitious detective starts digging into the suspicious death, a compelling tale of love, loss, and the burden of the past unfolds.

What truly makes this novel shine is its characters. Eskens excels at writing complex, deeply human protagonists, and the librarian is no exception. Their quiet resilience and hidden pain make them incredibly compelling. The detective also adds an interesting dynamic—driven yet empathetic, providing the perfect contrast to the librarian’s reticence. Their relationship is one of the most engaging aspects of the book, shifting from curiosity to understanding in a beautifully organic way.

The Quiet Librarian is more than just a mystery—it’s a poignant exploration of the stories we keep hidden, the choices that define us, and the unexpected connections that change our lives.

What a well written, absorbing work of historical fiction and mystery! There are two settings and timelines, 1995 during the Bosnia-Serbian War in Bosnia, and Minnesota in the current time. Hana works hard to stay under the radar with plain clothing and a job in a library. When her best friend is murdered, Hana realizes her past has caught up with her. The chapters looking back at Hana aka Nura’s experiences of terror and loss are heartbreaking. As a policeman becomes involved with Hana through the investigation, complications arise as Hana tries to hide her past while solving the murder. This is a must read, bringing to light the horrendous history of the Bosnian-Serbian War. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

4.5/5
The Quiet Librarian has a little bit of it all! Historical fiction, love, suspense, sacrifice, vengeance! It's intense at times and very emotional.

Hana Babić is a 47 y/o librarian living a quiet life in Minnesota when Detective David Claypool delivers the news of her closest friend's death. And just like that, Hana is thrown back into the past she thought she left far behind.

With dual timelines, exploring a heartbreaking past in war-torn Bosnia and Hana's present-day quest to find her friend's killer, The Quiet Librarian is a riveting story of retribution and survival. I was fully invested from the unassuming start to the nail-biting end, and I will always appreciate learning more about time periods/events I am unfamiliar with. This mash-up of two of my favorite genres (historical fiction and thriller) was a winner for me!

Read this if you like:
- thrillers with a historical fiction twist
- stories of retribution
- dark secrets
- stories of love, survival, and sacrifice
- female friendship

An absolutely incredible novel with a dual timeline - modern day mystery thriller set in the US and historical fiction set in Bosnia in the 90s. I felt like I was reading several genres at once!
Hana is the main character and the author depicts her and her story beautifully in this well-written, fast-paced novel that I couldn’t put down. Highly recommend to all no matter what genres you read - it was just that good!!
Thank you to the author/publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

What a great story this was. I felt all kinds of emotions. Allen Eskens has become one of my favorite authors. Thank you for my gifted copy. My review will be shared on my Instagram account shortly.

Compelling, suspenseful, and fast-paced!

The Quiet Librarian is an intense, ominous tale that takes us into the life of Minnesota librarian Hana Babic who, after her best friend is murdered, prepares herself for the past to collide with the present when one of the depraved men she was brutalized by during the Bosnian war seems to have suddenly reappeared.

The prose is meticulous and tight. The characters are persistent, scarred, and resourceful. And the plot is a raw, menacing tale about life, loss, tragedy, danger, desperation, cruelty, secrets, survival, manipulation, betrayal, deception, revenge, violence, and wartime brutalities.

Overall, The Quiet Librarian is an absorbing, mysterious, disturbing tale by Eskens that does a wonderful job of interweaving historical facts and compelling fiction into an insightful, sinister tale that is intriguing, haunting, and highly entertaining.

“The Quiet Librarian,” by Allen Eskens, Mulholland Books, 320 pages, Feb. 18, 2025.

Hana Babic, 47, is a librarian in Minnesota who wants nothing more than to be left alone. Children call her The Sweater Lady.

But when St. Paul Detective David Claypool arrives with the news that her best friend, Amina Junuzovic, has been murdered, Hana knows that it is because of something from their mutual past. Amina was raising her grandson, Dylan Greene, 8, because his parents were killed in a boating accident.

The police know the women are from Bosnia. They don’t know that the two women were different people years ago. Thirty years before, Hana was Nura Divjak, a teenager growing up in the mountains of war-torn Bosnia.

Serbian soldiers slaughtered Nura’s entire family before her eyes. The events of that day thrust Nura into the war, leading her to join a band of militia fighters, where she became a legend—the deadly Night Mora. But a shattering final act forced Nura to flee to the United States with a bounty on her head.
 
Now, someone is hunting Hana, and her friend has paid the price. Amina left Dylan in Hana’s care. To protect the child without revealing her secret, Hana must again become the Night Mora—and hope she can find the killer before the past comes for them, too.

Chapters of what happened in Bosnia alternate with chapters of the current time. It is fast-paced with well-drawn characters. The story is a sad but endearing tale, with a good ending. Hana is a character you won’t soon forget.

I rate it five out of five stars.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Reader, do not be deceived by the title of this book. It is not a cozy mystery. Rather, it is a grim historical novel involving the Balkan wars between 1992-95 and ethnic cleansing. Eskens mines an overlooked conflict in this dual timeline story. Hana Babic, a plain, mousy, 47-year-old librarian in Minnesota is contacted by Detective Claypool following the suspected suicide of her friend Amina. Hana is named guardian for Amina’s grandson, Dylan. Hana and Amina became close when both women were imprisoned in the rape camps of Bosnia.

Hana is in the USA under a false identity and is fearful of war criminals from 30 years ago discovering her and exacting revenge. Is that what happened to Amina? Will Serbian intelligence find Hana based on info extracted from Amina and/or her ransacked apartment?

The story alternatives between modern day Minnesota and Bosnia of the mid-1990s when a teenage Hana worked as a spy for Bosnian insurgents. Violent scenes are scattered throughout the book. The last mystery I read involving the Bosnian war was Scott Turow’s “Testimony.” With so much WWII fiction on the shelves, I appreciate authors who shed light on a lesser explored period of history.

This was ok. Very harrowing. Clunky in some parts and didn’t have anything to do with being a librarian. I appreciated the history included here but found the character development lacking in substance.