The Quiet Librarian

A Novel

De: Allen Eskens

Narrado por: Ilvana Muratovic

After the murder of her best friend, a librarian’s search for answers leads back to her own dark secrets in this sweeping novel about a woman transformed by war, family, vengeance, and love, from award-winning writer Allen Eskens.

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.

Thirty years before, Hana was someone else: Nura Divjak, a teenager growing up in the mountains of war-torn Bosnia—until Serbian soldiers arrived to slaughter her 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 not only a fierce warrior but 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, leaving her eight-year-old grandson 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.

©2025 Allen Eskens (P)2025 Mulholland Books

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A searing and timely story of regret, retribution, and reinvention, set against a powerfully drawn backdrop of war and suffused with the reminder that we always have within us the power to light the way to a better tomorrow."—Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Daughter

“This book will stay with me for a long, long time. From the very first lines, I knew I was in the hands of a master storyteller. Eskens effortlessly interweaves a compelling mystery in modern day Minnesota with a devastating account of one young girl’s experience of war thirty years prior. The novel unflinchingly urges its readers to consider the morally grey concept of retribution in light of the most terrible crimes. In stunning prose, it shows all too clearly the way war has the ability to make monsters of ordinary people and how neither side, victor or not, will be free of its poison for decades to come. Lamentably, this is all too relevant in today’s world. The Quiet Librarian is exquisitely written, profoundly affecting, and is undoubtedly one of the best books I will read this year.”—Louise Fein, author of The London Bookshop Affair

"In The Quiet Librarian, Allen Eskens brings readers a suspenseful, heartrending story of friendship, strength and endurance, set against a history too rarely explored in fiction. This is a truly breathtaking read from a masterful storyteller and one I cannot recommend highly enough."—Kelly Rimmer, New York Times bestselling author of The Things We Cannot Say

True Justice

It’s hard to say you like a book that deals with so much injustice, death and suffering as this book does. What I like about the book is how the author tells this story through the perspective of a young girl orphaned in a brutal war. This young girl loved her family deeply and that beautiful love alongside the brutality of the Bosnian War and how it all played out is a beautiful story of the triumph of love, honor and commitment.

Good story, good book.

I wasn't enthused about this book, because it didn't sound interesting to me. But because I love the author, I bought it. Not my favorite storyline, but it is the characters in Eskens books that draw you in, not necessarily the story. And this was the same. A very good listen, even if not my favorite storyline.

The twists and turns

It’s not an easy read but definitely a historical event that hasn’t had much coverage

Captivating

Another captivating masterpiece from Eskens. This story draws you in, makes your heart break, shed a tear, and root for the heroic woman who endured so much. Truly enjoyed listening to this book.

Eskens does it again!

This was an excellent read with a gripping plot, great mix of current events, and the past ones that brought us to the present, and wonderful narration. Highly recommend

Excellent story

Loved this story! Extremely informative! Did not want to stop listening! Eskens is in my top three favorite authors!!! Very talented!

The depth of the characters is amazing.

The story grabs you so that it can’t be put down. I listened non-stop and finished it same day.

Engrossing!

This is a good listen and the narrators voice sells it.
Though the time jumps feel a bit contrived, it is a page turner. (so to speak)

Powerful Modern History So Relevant Today

Narrator & story were great. My minor dislike - the romance was predictable and the ending was (mostly) unsurprising although there was a twist that was not believable.

New narrator

The woman who read with hardly any inflections, very dull. She ruined a good story.