Thursday, April 29, 2021

The Unkindness of Ravens

Title: The Unkindness of Ravens
Author: M.E. Hilliard
Published: April 13th 2021 by Crooked Lane Books
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 336 pages
Genre: Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Greer Hogan Mystery #1

From the cover, I was expecting a book along gothic lines. That is not what M. E. Hillard was offering. Other than Raven Hill library being housed in an old manor complete with weary groans and creaking floors, a raven, and sudden storms, the creepy feeling does not carry through the book.

Needing a change after the death of her husband, Greer Hogan leaves New York City and an executive-level career to reinvent herself as a small-town librarian. Not allowing herself to open up to too many people, she takes a chance and befriends Joanna Goodhue, a member of the Friends of the Library organization. When Greer discovers Joanna’s battered body at the bottom of a narrow stairway, she must divulge her past before the police uncover it on their own and decided Greer is their one and only suspect.

As a bookish researcher and wanna-be girl detective in the style of Trixie Belden, Greer uses her skills to start poking around. Stepping on too many toes and more than once being told to back off, Greer does what she has to since she feels she owes her friend. Greer is hoping all along that she is on the right track and doesn’t let down yet another person who had depended on her.

The middle is a bit longwinded and more twisty than it needs to be, but eventually, the pieces and gossip start coming together. By the conclusion, the reader realizes that Greer isn’t finished when it comes to her sleuthing ways, and “The Unkindness of Ravens” is just opening the door for Greer Hogan as she contemplates returning to New York City to solve the mystery of her murdered husband.

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