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.

The Quiet Librarian
By: Allen Eskens

5 Stars

I have read lots of stories about war. But this was a first for me. It really hit hard. This book is really two stories that convene together. The before a time of war in Bosnia, where men, women, and children are slaughtered and abused. Then, the after when Hana is on the search for her friends killer and becomes the caregiver to her little boy, Dylan. Hiding has been what she knows, but it's time to come out of the shadows to protect him.

Wow. This book was written in a very descriptive way. It painted such a vivid picture of this war, a dark and tragic picture. It could be hard to read, but it was very informative. I loved the characters in this story hana, Nura, Adem. Each was strong and survived in their own way.
The after story brought hope and survival with Hana facing a past long overdue.

This story was one that was emotional and captivating. It will break your heart while slowly dropping bits of warmth in. It is a book that needs to be read. I never knew that this type of war could happen, and in 1995? Wow. It made me want to know more. It touched my heart and mind. It was full of action and drama. It was an amazing story.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

Thank you to Mulholland Books for this eARC and chance to review. It took me a little to get into this book. However I feel like that is how it is with any historical fiction books. I was not aware of most of the events that took place in Bosnia during this time and found it very interesting. I felt like Eskens did a great job looping in factual information with Hana's story. I have read most of the books Allen Eskens has written and love his style and this one ranks up with The Life We Bury and The Stolen Hours. I highly recommend those as well as The Quiet Librarian.

Thank you to #netgalley and @MullhollandBooks for this ARC. 1992 - Bosnian Muslims and Christian Orthodox Serbs are in a civil war. Nura, hiding from under the porch, watches her entire family killed by Serbs and vows to avenge their deaths.
Present Day: Hana is a quiet librarian in Minnesota when a local detective comes to tell her that her best friend was murdered. What he doesn't know is Hana's and her best friend Amina's past has come back to haunt them.
Hana has to find the murderer before he finds her.
This book. It will sit with me for a long time just as The Women by Kristin Hannah did. This Bosnian War, a real war in my lifetime, had the biggest count of genocide since WW2. The incidents of murder and rape were unconscionable. In that same thread, Eskens did an amazing job of writing this story for all to understand. Read it! #TheQuietLibrarian #AllenEskens #MullhollandBooks #Feb2025
PS: If you haven't read The Life We Bury by Eskens, add that to your list too!

I didn't know what to expect when I picked up The Quiet Librarian. At first the pacing felt slow, but as soon as I learned more about Hana, I was hooked. I didn't know much about the historical events that this novel was based on and I often found myself putting down the book to google and research more about Bosnia. I thought the writing was strong in this book. I haven't read any other Allen's novel, but now I definitely want to look into his other novels.

I'd recommend this to any historical fiction fan, who's looking for suspension filled pages.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC !

Another brilliant book by one of my favorite authors, Allen Eskens. This is both a suspense and historical fiction and will appeal to readers of both. Unlike his other books, this is set both in the U.S. and years before in war-torn Bosnia. Eskens is such a skilled writer and his dual time periods create a miasma of suspense that is both heart-wrenching and entertaining. The characters are well-drawn and their experiences will bring readers right to the ugly throes of war. There is much to discuss with this and it is ideal for book clubs. For fans of Kristin Hannah and Fiona Davis.

Hana is a quiet librarian living a simple life in Minnesota. Then her best friend is killed while holding an object that only Hana will recognize. Hana also receives guardianship of her friends young grandson. Now Hana must confront her past during the Bosnian-Serbian war and try to find out who killed her friend and if she and the grandson are at risk. While not in great detail, some of the scenes during the war can be difficult. Hana is a strong character and the story is well plotted and paced..

Thank you to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for the ARC. Another great book by Allen Eskens told in two timelines. I love reading his books and this one did not disappoint. I was surprised at the ending but it was great. Worth the read as always.

Hana leads a quiet life as a librarian until the day a detective walks in and tells her that her best, and only, friend Amina has been murdered. Torn between helping the friendly detective and keeping her past buried, Hana searches for Amina's murderer to keep herself and Amina's orphaned grandson safe. Alternating between Hana's present in Minnesota and teenage Nura's during the war between Serbia and Bosnia in 1995, The Quiet Librarian is a tense story of survival when the world is showing you the worst of humanity. I was also a teenager in 1995, one who didn't watch world news and had no clue about this war beyond the fact that it was happening. While a work of fiction, it's rooted in factual events, and thinking about the reality is crushing.

What happens to refugees when they settle in a new land with the inner trauma of the past still resonating? When the past refuses to stay in the past? That is the challenge that Hana Babic faces after leaving the Bosnian/Serbian conflict in the 1990s and making a new life for herself as a librarian in Minnesota. But when her close friend and compatriot Amina dies under suspicious circumstances, leaving behind her grandson Dylan, the horrors of the past return.
While the world has moved on from the civil war that broke up Yugoslavia, people like Hana still carry the scars--literal, mental and emotional--that make her the person she is. As she teams up with the detective assigned to the case concerning her friend, David Claypool, the story of her life unfolds in a dual timeline of the past and the present. How that past and present intersect and what happens when they do make for a fascinating, dark, and suspenseful story. This is well worth the read.

I have enjoyed everything I’ve read from Allen Eskens and The Quiet Librarian is no exception. In fact, I believe this to be my favorite, to date. The novel is a compelling story that is part historical fiction, part mystery, part love story and all encompassing.

Told in dual timelines of 1995 Bosnia and current day Minnesota, the main character, Hana, is a quiet, almost invisible middle aged librarian with a surprising past. Upon finding out that her best friend was murdered, Hana suspects their past has caught up with them. The alternating timelines are each equally engrossing and the author puts a human perspective to a terrible war. The main character is strong, smart, vengeful and resilient.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Mulholland Books for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

An unputdownable story of a middle aged librarian who was forced to flee her home country during the Bosnian Genocide of the 1990s. All these years later, she is living quietly, working in Minnesota, when her complicated past comes back to haunt her. Once again, she must do whatever it takes to survive, and to protect those she loves. A great read on a historical topic that is seldom written about in fiction.