In 1995, Nura Divjak was a Muslim teenager living in Bosnia with her family until Serbian soldiers arrived at their farm, and slaughtered her parents and younger brother while she hid and watched. Fleeing her home to avenge the deaths, Nura joined up with a group of militia to take guerilla action against the Serbs. But, when she's captured, she assists another teen, Amina, to escape, and the two are sent from the country for their safety. Given a new identity as Hana Babic, she ends up in Farmington, Minnesota, where she hides behind a sweater and bun as a librarian. Then a police detective informs her Amina was murdered, and left her grandson in Hana's custody. With a warrant out for her as the Night Mora in Serbia, Hana realizes her past has caught up to her, and it's up to her to protect Amina's grandson, and finally take revenge on the men hunting her.

The author of The Life We Bury alternates timelines from 1995 Bosnia to contemporary Minnesota to tell the brutal story of war and repercussions thirty years later. Fans of Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale or Kate Quinn's books will be caught up in this violent story of a courageous woman.

I love Allen Eskens books and this one was no exception! Great read - good character development and interesting plot. Highly recommended!

I've read The Life We Bury, Allen Eskens' first book, multiple times, both on my own and with several book clubs. It's easily one of my all-time favorite books. When I was approved to read Mr. Eskens' new standalone novel, it was like getting an early Christmas present.

The Quiet Librarian is several things - mystery, thriller, crime drama - but at its heart, it is historical fiction at its best. In chapters alternating the past and present -- mid-1990s Bosnia and present-day Minneapolis -- it tells the compelling story of Hana Babic, a woman who survived unspeakable atrocities during the Serbian/Bosnian war. The book reveals a time in history that I personally was unaware of, at least to the extent that is revealed in this story, and sometimes Hana's journey was a little difficult to read. But I was completely blown away by this book and couldn't put it down. Absolutely brilliant!

Thank you to Mulholland Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I feel like I learned more about the Bosnian/Serbian war from this book than from any current event info. There were not any Author's Notes available in the advance read available through NetGalley, but I am going to look for them in the final release version of The Quiet Librarian.

For a quiet librarian, Hana has an interesting past and it comes looking for her.

I really enjoyed the characters and the plot. Going to consider this to be one of the best historical fiction books for 2025.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for approving my request to read the advance read copy of The Quiet Librarian in exchange for an honest review. Approx 320 pages, expected release is February 18, 2025.

I am BLOWN away by how good this book was. I loved every minute of it and read it in one sitting, the chapters went by with quickness and the story just kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I will admit that the synopsis was really what sold me on requesting this one but in all honesty it was a great read. I dare say this might be a 10/10 book and at the top of the list of favorite reads from this year. I think the writing was another reason why it just felt like I floated through the words on the pages. The mystery, the suspense, all of it was just gripping and had a pull on you. It was almost as if you couldn’t look away or else you’d miss something.

I cannot wait to read more from this author. Truly couldn’t recommend this enough

The war on Bosnians is a distant memory, as it was a distant war for most of us. This story recalls the atrocities we can’t imagine inflicted on the Bosnians by the Serbs. It’s a well crafted story that is difficult to put down. I enjoyed reading it, although parts I find implausible to a degree. One tiresome theme is the mutual attraction between the 2 main characters - so predictable! But all in all, I know our library patrons will devour this book.

This was a great book. I especially enjoyed reading about Bosnia and the history of the war. I was just graduating high school when this was all happening. The entire story line kept me engaged. Beautifully written.

The title of The Quiet Librarian got my interest, but the strong main character and the Bosnian War's ongoing effects on the characters kept me reading. It was a great combination of compelling characters and suspense.

Told in dual timelines with alternating chapters, The Quiet Librarian describes two periods of time in Hana's life: (1) her experiences before and during the brutalities and genocide of the Bosnian War in the 1990s and (2) thirty years later when her past catches up to her. Recounted in heartbreaking detail, it chronicles the horrors that Hana experienced in the past and relives in the present. Throughout it all, Hana maintains a strong will to survive and to live her life free from conflict.

The Quiet Librarian is very different from Allen Eskens' past crime thrillers that take place in Central Missouri and/or Hennepin County, Minnesota. He writes equally masterfully, whether in this historical fiction or in his crime thrillers. I always look forward to reading his novels.

Allen Eskens is one of my favorite authors; however, I have been most critical with his choices of protagonists in what you can call his ‘series’ books.

I was very intrigued with this book and glad to see it was a standalone. Loved the title and the cover! I watched an interview before reading it so I knew the plot going in. The interview was very interesting to understand his unique writing process.

This book was excellent with alternating chapters of past and present. Strong characters that you really feel like you are part of the scene. He is a great writer making it so easy for the reader to turn the pages.

His first book, The Life We Bury, had been my favorite but I now rank this one as my top read from him as this was an excellent thriller.

Some of the violence content could be considered a little disturbing for some who are sensitive to it.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.

Eskers does it again!!!
Dual timelines can often make or break a book for me. This one was a make FOR SURE! Love it! Eskers remains a must read author for me!

Fantastic!

Hana wears a long sleeve cardigan sweater and works her day away, quietly, in the library. Hard working and head down, meek Hana is not what she seems - and one day a man walks into the library with news that will force Hana's other side out into the light once again.

I had to sit with this book for a couple of weeks before I could write about it. Beautifully heartbreaking and raw, this is Hana's story: Her experience growing up in Bosnia as the war takes hold, and her life in Minnesota after. That is how she sees her life in the Before and the After.

In my opinion, this is Eskens at this best.

TW: Some animal death

Thank you, NetGalley and Mulholland Books for the ARC and a chance to review this book.

Hana Babic is a nondescript, middle aged librarian with a peculiar accent. She has become a much different person from the teenaged Bosnian rebel, Nura Divjak, who watched her family murdered by the Serbians. She escaped to Minnesota with her best friend Amina. When kindly detective David Claypool informs her that Amina has been murdered, Hana realizes she is in grave danger. She must rely on the survival tactics she learned as a Bosnian insurgent to save Amina’s grandson, as well as herself. As secrets of her past are revealed, we marvel at her primal will to survive, and to protect the ones she loves.

This is a fast paced novel with characters the reader truly cares about. It is a story of genocide, death, and most importantly, redemption.

📖 ARC Review

PUB Date : Feb 17th 2025

My Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Gut Wrenching Stars

Listen up books pals , I’ve read close to 120 books or more this year , I may have forgot to track a few 😂 but all kidding aside this was the easiest 5 star rating I have given ALL YEAR 👏👏👏

The Quiet Librarian should be on every one’s TBR if you like :

📚 Historical Fiction
📚 Dual Timelines
📚 Smart FMC
📚 Brilliant Writing
📚 Compelling Reads

It’s books like these that ignite my reading passion! The Quiet Librarian is Gut Wrenching, Compelling, Mysterious and filled with bravery 🖤

“ War has a way of finding everyone.”

“Sometimes I think that hatred is all I have left .” “That is because you have chosen to live in your memories.”

Our FMC takes us back to 1995 and were transformed to war in the mountains of Bosnia . We witness things no human being should ever have to bare , but our narrator is full of braveness, resilience and selfless courage and I was so enamoured by Hana .

Do not wait on this and add this to your TBR ASAP I promise you will not be disappointed!

Thank you NetGalley , Mulholland Books & Allen Eskens for this brilliant touching ARC🫶🏼

Allen Eskens is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. His latest book, The Quiet Librarian did not disappoint!

I have read every book that Allen Eskens has written, but The Quiet Librarian is above and beyond any past books he has written. And believe me, all his past books have been excellent. The time lines in this story switch from “Bosnia” to “Minnesota After Everything”. But don’t worry, you will never lose the momentum of the story, it will only enrich your experience.


During this epic read all different emotions will grab you and not let you go. We experience friendships, betrayals, death, heroism, love, heartbreak, fortitude, revenge and last but not least EXCITEMENT! At times, I literally could not catch my breath. Things are never what they seem,, not by a long shot.
The ending blew me away, and I Loved It!

Mark your calendar for February 18, 2025 and grab this book as soon as it’s published. I would give this novel 10 stars if I could, it’s that great. Congratulations Mr. Eskens on what is sure to be an instant best seller.

Thank You Net Galley, The Author Allen Eskens and to the Publisher, Mulholland Books, for giving me the privilege of reading this novel in advance for my honest opinion.

Allen Eskens is one of my favorite suspense thriller authors. He writes intellectual, thought provoking characters who are sometimes flawed but have enormous amounts of humanity. I have read every thing that he has published and consider him a must read author. If you are brand new to his work, go back and start with his very first novel and many of his follow up books have interconnected characters which makes it so fun to read. You feel like you already have some of their backstory and it makes them keenly familiar and yet intriguing. This story, The Quiet Librarian is a stand alone from the previously mentioned books but it's equally as moving and excellent.

Hana Babic is a quiet, middle-aged librarian in Minnesota who wants nothing more than to be left alone. But when a detective arrives with the news that her best friend has been murdered, Hana knows that something evil has come for her, a dark remnant of the past she and her friend had shared.

The Serbian conflict in Bosnia that happened in the mid 1990's was not really something I remember paying much attention to. I was in my early 20's raising a family and I can honestly say that issues in other countries were not on my radar. Reading about the genocide that happened to the Muslims living there was just powerfully painful. Our main character starts off as Nura and evolves to a woman who must fight to avenge her family's massacre. This story is deeply moving and also heartbreaking. I can confidently say that Allen Eskens is one of my favorite authors.

The Bosnian War like all wars brings out the good and evil in people . This book is no exception with the killing of so many innocent and the cost of suffering to those who must deal with the trauma of war. Librarian Hana is not who she appears to be and when her close friend meets a suspicious death her past comes back to be dealt with again . This book connects the present with the past and forces the main character to finally have some closure to a terrible past.

Like many other people who consume the news, I knew about the war in Bosnia, but as I discovered while reading The Quiet Librarian, I really did not know about the war in Bosnia. Allen Eskens is a new author for me, although in researching his previous novels, I discovered that he has published several notable books. In The Quiet Librarian, Eskens explains to readers that this novel grew from conversations with Bosnian refugees he had met. The resulting novel, a story of war and terror, is more than historical fiction. It is real.

The Quiet Librarian consists of two timelines and two locations. Eskens creates balance between the timelines and locations, alternating them in carefully constructed chapters. The protagonist Hana, is really Nura, a Bosnian refugee, who survived the war. There is the horror of war, the senselessness of violence, the easy murder of children, survivors guilt, escape.. All of these terms cannot begin to capture the reality of conflict, although Eskens tries to do so. There are places where the text is quite graphic. Readers are transported to burning homes, destroyed villages, mountain tops, gun battles, and even jails. I n the midst of war, there is even love.

Trigger warnings for The Quiet Librarian are not unreasonable. Bosnia is not the only war on the horizon, and those survivors are not alone in having survived. There will be other readers, who have survived this senseless horror. But the strengths of this novel are the moral questions it raises. Is killing ever justified? Are some people so evil the only way to save the world is to kill them? Eskens asks us these questions and provides an answer, of sort. Readers might find a different response.

Thank you to Eskens, Mulholland Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Quiet Librarian to read and review. This review reflects my honest opinion. I do recommend this novel. For some people it may be too graphic, but perhaps it is also necessary. Eskens does makes a case for how important it is for the US to contuse offering asylum to refugee survivors of war. The Quiet Librarian is not a long novel, but it is an important one.

Allen Eskins never disappoints and his new historical
Fiction book has me on the edge of my seat! A duel timeline reveals Hana’s past during the war to her current day persona of “The Quiet Librarian” now.

I don’t want to give too much away because it’s best you gasp in surprise and satisfaction like I did! The Quiet Librarian (Hana) however is a force to be reckoned with and we see this all unfold in this tale of bravery and courage. At what lengths will you go to avenge the wrongs of the past?