The Unkindness of Ravens
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- Create Date：2021-04-19 12:32:34
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：M.E. Hilliard
- ISBN：1662074883
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Summary
Librarian Greer Hogan matches wits with a deviously clever killer in M。E。 Hilliard's chilling series debut， ideal for fans of Louise Penny and Dorothy L。 Sayers。
Greer Hogan is a librarian and an avid reader of murder mysteries。 She also has a habit of stumbling upon murdered bodies。 The first was her husband's， and the tragic loss led Greer to leave New York behind for a new start in the Village of Raven Hill。 But her new home becomes less idyllic when she discovers her best friend sprawled dead on the floor of the library。
Was her friend's demise related to two other deaths that the police deemed accidental？ Do the residents of this insular village hold dark secrets about another murder， decades ago？ Does a serial killer haunt Raven Hill？
As the body count rises， Greer's anxious musings take a darker turn when she uncovers unexpected and distressing information about her own husband's death。。。and the man who went to prison for his murder 。 She is racked with guilt at the possibility that her testimony may have helped to convict an innocent man。
Though Greer admires the masters of deduction she reads about in books， she never expected to have to solve a mystery herself。 Fortunately， she possesses a quick wit and a librarian's natural resourcefulness。 But will that be enough to protect her from a brilliant， diabolical murderer？
And even if Greer manages to catch the Raven Hill killer， will living with her conscience prove a fate worse than death？
Greer Hogan is a librarian and an avid reader of murder mysteries。 She also has a habit of stumbling upon murdered bodies。 The first was her husband's， and the tragic loss led Greer to leave New York behind for a new start in the Village of Raven Hill。 But her new home becomes less idyllic when she discovers her best friend sprawled dead on the floor of the library。
Was her friend's demise related to two other deaths that the police deemed accidental？ Do the residents of this insular village hold dark secrets about another murder， decades ago？ Does a serial killer haunt Raven Hill？
As the body count rises， Greer's anxious musings take a darker turn when she uncovers unexpected and distressing information about her own husband's death。。。and the man who went to prison for his murder 。 She is racked with guilt at the possibility that her testimony may have helped to convict an innocent man。
Though Greer admires the masters of deduction she reads about in books， she never expected to have to solve a mystery herself。 Fortunately， she possesses a quick wit and a librarian's natural resourcefulness。 But will that be enough to protect her from a brilliant， diabolical murderer？
And even if Greer manages to catch the Raven Hill killer， will living with her conscience prove a fate worse than death？
Reviews
Bibi
，
Great Read！ I was captured from the opening line！ Definitely has the feel of a cozy mystery， but the elements are all there to keep you intrigued from beginning to end。 Very well written。 I would have loved to have more background on Greer， but feels like that story is coming！
Annie
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Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 The Unkindness of Ravens is the first book of a new cozy series featuring a librarian by M。E。 Hilliard。 Released 13th April 2021 by Crooked Lane， it's 336 pages and is available in hardcover， audio， and ebook formats。 This is a promising series opener from a debut author who has worked as a librarian and seems to have a similar background in high-end retail fashion as protagonist Greer。 The librarian-dog-cozy-murder-smalltown-mystery sub-subgenre Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 The Unkindness of Ravens is the first book of a new cozy series featuring a librarian by M。E。 Hilliard。 Released 13th April 2021 by Crooked Lane， it's 336 pages and is available in hardcover， audio， and ebook formats。 This is a promising series opener from a debut author who has worked as a librarian and seems to have a similar background in high-end retail fashion as protagonist Greer。 The librarian-dog-cozy-murder-smalltown-mystery sub-subgenre is always fun and this is a well written example。 The murders are off-scene and mostly bloodless， there's no graphic content， the language is fairly clean， the characters are likeable and intelligent and there are a plethora of suspects and lots of red herrings。 The narrative arc is well controlled and the plot moves along at a good pace。 I never found my interest flagging at any point in the read。 There's a sort of Agatha Raisin vibe going on with big city girl Greer taking up a position as a librarian in a small-town public library。 She's smart and fashion conscious （"Is that Prada？"） and sophisticated as well as vulnerable。 Since it's a librarian cozy， there are of course book tie-ins and title name-dropping。 One of my favorite features of librarian cozies is the suggestions for titles， series， and authors with which I was previously unfamiliar。 I found a couple of good ones to follow up on as a nice bonus。 I suspect most of the titles and series mentioned will be familiar to most readers。 The Patricia Wentworth mention was especially nice， and I've been revisiting Miss Silver all weekend because of it。The climax and denouement are well done。 It is a fun cozy and full of the things which we all love about small-town cozies （including an adorable French bulldog！）。 Four stars。 Highly recommended to fans of the genre。 Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes 。。。more
Lauren Ash
，
I loved the atmospheric setting， the twisty secrets hiding in the shadows of the library， and best of all， the quick-witted sleuth drawn into it all。 Greer Hogan is brilliant， and officially has to be one of my favorite protagonists of all time！ I can’t wait for book 2！
Evelyn Jane Thorne
，
I found that the pace of this book was a bit slow for me but I really enjoyed the overall storyline。 I really liked how M。E。 Hilliard managed to reveal each clue of who the murderer was only when the time was right。 I never guessed who it was or why it happened which I really liked。I liked Greer and found her to have an enjoyable quirkiness to her。 I was very suspicious of her in the beginning especially in regards to her husband’s death but it turns out that I was mostly wrong。 I do find myself I found that the pace of this book was a bit slow for me but I really enjoyed the overall storyline。 I really liked how M。E。 Hilliard managed to reveal each clue of who the murderer was only when the time was right。 I never guessed who it was or why it happened which I really liked。I liked Greer and found her to have an enjoyable quirkiness to her。 I was very suspicious of her in the beginning especially in regards to her husband’s death but it turns out that I was mostly wrong。 I do find myself looking forward to the next book even though I rated this book three stars。 Especially if it has to do with her husband’s murder。I recieved an advanced copy for free， and this is my honest opinion。 。。。more
Rebecca
，
Thanks to the publisher， via Netgalley， for an advance e-galley for honest review。I was very impressed with this series starter from a debut author。 It was a cozy that stayed away from the genre's trap of using quirkiness as a substitute for substance and instead focused on the mystery。 There is some good backstory developed for main character Greer that I think will be useful going forward。 The author's bio indicates that they are a librarian， and that definitely shows in the writing of Greer （ Thanks to the publisher， via Netgalley， for an advance e-galley for honest review。I was very impressed with this series starter from a debut author。 It was a cozy that stayed away from the genre's trap of using quirkiness as a substitute for substance and instead focused on the mystery。 There is some good backstory developed for main character Greer that I think will be useful going forward。 The author's bio indicates that they are a librarian， and that definitely shows in the writing of Greer （as a librarian， a pet peeve is inaccurate depictions of librarians and library work in fiction）。 There is great potential for this series， and this was an excellent start。 。。。more
Amy Sparks
，
An old mansion， with eerie family portraits， tucked-away staircases， creaking floors， and tough-to-close old windows。 Throw in windy thunderstorms and a dead body。 Yes， please！Greer Hogan left her six-figure job in New York City behind after her husband’s murder and began a second career as a librarian in Raven Hill， a village near Albany。 When she finds her friend’s body on a small staircase， she worries that she’ll be the main suspect。 Armed with her love of mystery novels， she emulates her fa An old mansion， with eerie family portraits， tucked-away staircases， creaking floors， and tough-to-close old windows。 Throw in windy thunderstorms and a dead body。 Yes， please！Greer Hogan left her six-figure job in New York City behind after her husband’s murder and began a second career as a librarian in Raven Hill， a village near Albany。 When she finds her friend’s body on a small staircase， she worries that she’ll be the main suspect。 Armed with her love of mystery novels， she emulates her favorite literary “girl detectives” to solve the murder before she’s arrested as the murderer。。。or becomes the next victim。 Who did it， and how far are they willing to go to bury secrets？Greer’s curiosity leads her to look into nooks and crannies to find evidence。 She uses the skills that make her a good librarian to research the clues she uncovers。 And she never underestimates the value of neighborhood gossip。Hilliard put the cozy in cozy mystery， offering a character and plot that make it easy to curl up and enjoy the story。 Greer Hogan is a likeable though haunted main character whose extreme curiosity makes her an enjoyable amateur detective。 The library is a delightfully creepy character that amps up the suspense。 The Unkindness of Ravens is a fun read with a character you’ll want to solve mysteries with again。Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review。 。。。more
Nancy
，
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， 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。 。。。more
Belinda Witzenhausen
，
4。5 rounded upI received a complimentary ARC copy of The Unkindness of Ravens， A Greer Hogan Mystery #1by M。 E。 Hilliard from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in order to read and give an honest review。 …a clever suspenseful mystery that is intriguing and highly entertaining…Atmospheric and suspenseful， The Unkindness of Ravens is a brilliant debut from author M。E。 Hillard。 Librarian Greer Hogan is a lifelong fan of mysteries， beginning with the likes of Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew。 After the m 4。5 rounded upI received a complimentary ARC copy of The Unkindness of Ravens， A Greer Hogan Mystery #1by M。 E。 Hilliard from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in order to read and give an honest review。 …a clever suspenseful mystery that is intriguing and highly entertaining…Atmospheric and suspenseful， The Unkindness of Ravens is a brilliant debut from author M。E。 Hillard。 Librarian Greer Hogan is a lifelong fan of mysteries， beginning with the likes of Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew。 After the murder of her husband Greer goes from Corporate New York Executive to small town Raven Hill Librarian looking for a fresh start。 Her fresh start comes to an abrupt end when she stumbles across the body of her best friend Joanna Goodhue in the library’s hidden stairwell。 Although initially she becomes a suspect， the police declare Joanna’s death an accident。 Greer’s memories of her husband’s murder combined with her intuition tell her there is much more to the story， and channeling her literary heroes， Greer puts her researching skills to effective use， determined to find justice for her friend。 When she begins asking too many questions， she catches the attention of the killer putting herself in their path。 I loved everything about the book， the literary references， a strong female protagonist， and a creepy Gothic mansion turned Raven Hill Library， which with its secret passages and creepy portraits becomes a character in itself。 Reminiscent of Agatha Christie， M。E。 Hilliard has crafted a clever suspenseful mystery that is intriguing and highly entertaining。 The plot although a little slow to develop was filled with twists and suspenseful turns， I could not put it down。 A must read for those who enjoy mysteries。 I loved it and would highly recommend it。 。。。more
Susan
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This new series is off to a great start。 Set in a quirky library housed in an old mansion in the small town of Raven Hill this cozy got my attention from page one。 Greer Hogan， the new librarian， made a major life change after her husband was murdered and went back to get a degree in library science。 She moved to Raven Hill to run the library and murder followed her。 Being a librarian has a skill set that makes for a great investigator and that's what Greer becomes when she finds her friend dead This new series is off to a great start。 Set in a quirky library housed in an old mansion in the small town of Raven Hill this cozy got my attention from page one。 Greer Hogan， the new librarian， made a major life change after her husband was murdered and went back to get a degree in library science。 She moved to Raven Hill to run the library and murder followed her。 Being a librarian has a skill set that makes for a great investigator and that's what Greer becomes when she finds her friend dead in the employees only area of the library。When she starts to connect the new death to others that had been ruled accidental， Greer taps into her Trixie Belden side to find out who wanted her friend， Joanna， silenced permanently。 With the locals keeping secrets and the library becoming more creepy every day， Greer hopes she finds the killer before she becomes the next body in the library。Well drawn characters and a great puzzle to solve， I enjoyed this series debut and stayed up late to finish it。。。"just one more chapter" became "I'm not going to bed until I know who done it"。 That's the kind of mystery that earns five stars from me。 The next in the series already has a spot on my TBR list。 I hope it's not a long wait。My thanks to the publisher Crooked Lane and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
April
，
Greer Hogan is a librarian at a library that resides in the old Ravenscroft Manor。 We are barely becoming acquainted with Greer when she finds the body of her friend and president of the Friends of the Library， Joanna。 This isn’t the first time Greer has come upon a body。 We get the story slowly over the course of the book and it’s an unfinished story that probably shows up in a next book。The mystery of who killed Joanna feels drawn out and the pieces come together slowly。 There are some humorou Greer Hogan is a librarian at a library that resides in the old Ravenscroft Manor。 We are barely becoming acquainted with Greer when she finds the body of her friend and president of the Friends of the Library， Joanna。 This isn’t the first time Greer has come upon a body。 We get the story slowly over the course of the book and it’s an unfinished story that probably shows up in a next book。The mystery of who killed Joanna feels drawn out and the pieces come together slowly。 There are some humorous moments and reference to other amateur detectives。 Greer becomes friends with Officer Webber。 It was an uneasy pairing but Greer was able to provide useful knowledge。 Greer prefers Trixie Belden to Nancy Drew。 She refers to herself as “the Girl Detective”。 It felt a bit artificial。I never did put all the pieces together and the author concealed the conclusions until it was time for final action。It was an interesting setting and mystery。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book prior to publication。 。。。more
Lesa
，
Anyone who read the girl detectives， Nancy Drew or Trixie Belden， will appreciate the opening of M。E。 Hilliard’s debut mystery， The Unkindness of Ravens。 Hilliard， who went back to school to become a librarian， introduces Greer Hogan， who went back to get a degree in library science for her second career。 But， Greer， who tells how much she loved Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden， blames them。 Now， “I was a girl detective with a laptop instead of a roadster。”Greer has only been at the Raven Hill Publi Anyone who read the girl detectives， Nancy Drew or Trixie Belden， will appreciate the opening of M。E。 Hilliard’s debut mystery， The Unkindness of Ravens。 Hilliard， who went back to school to become a librarian， introduces Greer Hogan， who went back to get a degree in library science for her second career。 But， Greer， who tells how much she loved Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden， blames them。 Now， “I was a girl detective with a laptop instead of a roadster。”Greer has only been at the Raven Hill Public Library for six months when she heads to the rooftop terrace on the first sunny day， planning to enjoy lunch。 Instead， she pushes open the door， and finds the body of her best friend， Joanna Goodhue。Like everyone in a small village， Greer Hogan has secrets。 But， hers involves the night her husband was murdered。 She’s afraid that murder will put her on the top of the suspect list。 However， Greer knows Joanna was working on a project。 She had implied she needed Greer’s help with something， but never let the librarian know what she needed。 Now， Greer’s going to spend time asking questions and playing girl detective as she does her job， research。Hilliard’s debut is not a fast-paced mystery。 It’s well-developed， and carefully plotted。 It’s an atmospheric mystery， centered around an old， sometimes dark and creaky library building。 Some readers may expect a cozy such as the library-centered ones by Jenn McKinlay or Victoria Gilbert。 However， it’s darker， with ravens and foxes， and uneasiness。 The Unkindness of Ravens is an intriguing debut with a clue as to where Greer Hogan is going next。 I’ll be following。 。。。more
Cathy Cole
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I came close to not finishing M。E。 Hilliard's The Unkindness of Ravens or at least deciding to skim through sections， but I'm glad I didn't。 Why did I come so close to giving up？ Because it took three-quarters of the book before everything began to click。 Why did I persevere？ Because there would be an occasional quip or literary allusion from the main character， Greer Hogan， that convinced me she was one character worth getting to know。Greer's husband was murdered， and the entire experience-- fr I came close to not finishing M。E。 Hilliard's The Unkindness of Ravens or at least deciding to skim through sections， but I'm glad I didn't。 Why did I come so close to giving up？ Because it took three-quarters of the book before everything began to click。 Why did I persevere？ Because there would be an occasional quip or literary allusion from the main character， Greer Hogan， that convinced me she was one character worth getting to know。Greer's husband was murdered， and the entire experience-- from finding his body all the way through the court trial-- was so painful that she had the strength and will to put it all behind her and start a whole new life。 Her experience as a businesswoman and as a librarian makes her especially adept at organizing her days so she has time to be an amateur sleuth。 She's also level-headed and has a strong sense of self-preservation。 Intentionally putting herself in danger is not her style， and she shares her discoveries with the police。 Toward the end of The Unkindness of Ravens， I found myself cheering Greer on to victory， which is always a good sign。 Hilliard created a good， solid mystery， a fantastic setting， and an interesting， likable main character。 The action in the book leads inevitably to the next book in the series。 What I'm hoping for in that second book is much-improved pacing and more highly developed characters-- especially Officer Jennie Webber， whom I found very intriguing。Once everything began to click， this book became an enjoyable read， and what's not to like about a public library housed in an old mansion that's so Gothic and Jane Eyre-like that one expects to see the first Mrs。 Rochester glaring out from an upstairs window？ When all is said and done， I find myself looking forward to meeting Greer Hogan and Officer Webber again soon。（Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley） 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
，
Something's afoot in Raven Hill and Greer is worried。 She moved to be the librarian there （in a spooky old building） after the murder of her husband in a robbery gone wrong。 Unfortunately， murder has followed her- she finds the body of her friend Joanna。 This is an odd sort of cozy as it doesn't originally convey that way but it's got all the elements。 Unlike many others in the genre， however， Greer bonds with Jennie， the police officer investigating the murder and it isn't for romantic reasons。 Something's afoot in Raven Hill and Greer is worried。 She moved to be the librarian there （in a spooky old building） after the murder of her husband in a robbery gone wrong。 Unfortunately， murder has followed her- she finds the body of her friend Joanna。 This is an odd sort of cozy as it doesn't originally convey that way but it's got all the elements。 Unlike many others in the genre， however， Greer bonds with Jennie， the police officer investigating the murder and it isn't for romantic reasons。 Greer's a smart cookie and I liked the various references to other books scattered throughout。 Thanks to netgalley for the ARC。 A fun read that kept me guessing and entertained- and I'm looking forward to more from Hilliard。 。。。more
Mystica
，
I was attracted by the title， and then I went and looked it up！ I did not know that a group of ravens is known as an "unkindness" meaning a sort of conspiracy。 A murder mystery， setting is a library and Greer Hogan who has a habit of finding murdered bodies on her doorstep literally opens a door and a body falls out。 The story takes off from there with theories abounding as the body count rises and Greer has to also take a step back and think carefully， whether her previous testimony actually se I was attracted by the title， and then I went and looked it up！ I did not know that a group of ravens is known as an "unkindness" meaning a sort of conspiracy。 A murder mystery， setting is a library and Greer Hogan who has a habit of finding murdered bodies on her doorstep literally opens a door and a body falls out。 The story takes off from there with theories abounding as the body count rises and Greer has to also take a step back and think carefully， whether her previous testimony actually sent an innocent man to jail。 This was a good debut novel。 Quirky characters and the library setting was particularly good。 This was no modern library but a rather character filled scenario with a long history。 。。。more
Mhd
，
Led here by BookPage but what really got me is one of the GoodReads reviews said the Trixie Belden series is mentioned in this book。。。I don't need to hear anymore。。。I'm in！！ Led here by BookPage but what really got me is one of the GoodReads reviews said the Trixie Belden series is mentioned in this book。。。I don't need to hear anymore。。。I'm in！！ 。。。more
ℳacarena
，
Greer Hogan left the city of New York to start a new life and work as a librarian in the village of Raven Hill。 She loves reading， especially about smart detectives， such as Poirot and Miss Marple， therefore when a friend of hers dies in in mysterious circumstances， she knows she has to do something to reveal what happened。 The death of Greer’s friend brings back terrible and sad memories。 What Greer thought might be a peaceful village and a place to leave those memories behind turns out to be q Greer Hogan left the city of New York to start a new life and work as a librarian in the village of Raven Hill。 She loves reading， especially about smart detectives， such as Poirot and Miss Marple， therefore when a friend of hers dies in in mysterious circumstances， she knows she has to do something to reveal what happened。 The death of Greer’s friend brings back terrible and sad memories。 What Greer thought might be a peaceful village and a place to leave those memories behind turns out to be quite the contrary。 The library， a place she loves， is now a murder scene。 Moreover， the murderer is out there and her own life is at risk。 Will she be able to solve this intricate mystery？ There’s no doubt Greer will have to "rely on those little grey cells" as one of her favourite detectives used to say。Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Faith Hurst-Bilinski
，
It is not often I feel like I was mislead by the title and cover of a book， but here I was。 This was a coffee murder mystery ala Jessica in murder she wrote。 This was an obvious play on all of those same murder mysterie3s and nothing was really surprising。 If you like those cost mysteries then this is the one for you。
Jade theelderbooks
，
Welcome to Raven Hill， where people tend to die mysteriously every now and then！ Right from the start， we meet our main character， Greer， librarian who moved here from New York not so long ago。 When she discovers the body of her friend Joanna inside the old manor serving as a library， Greer is reminisced of her husbdand's murder。 Once again， she is the main suspect in a murder case。 To clear herself and understand what happened to Joanna， Greer goes on to lead her own investigation。At first， I h Welcome to Raven Hill， where people tend to die mysteriously every now and then！ Right from the start， we meet our main character， Greer， librarian who moved here from New York not so long ago。 When she discovers the body of her friend Joanna inside the old manor serving as a library， Greer is reminisced of her husbdand's murder。 Once again， she is the main suspect in a murder case。 To clear herself and understand what happened to Joanna， Greer goes on to lead her own investigation。At first， I had a problem with Greer meddling with the investigation， because yes， she is a suspect in a murder case， but usually， the worst thing to do is being seen snooping around about said murder。 Even later on， she's still obsessed with the murder when all she really had to do was rely on the police。 Why do people take such big cases in their own hands thinking they can TOTALLY do police work when they're not actual detectives？ But well， that's the concept of the book， and the general mood drew me into reading it， so I got invested in the plot fairly fast。I liked Raven Hill， and I loved its manor-library。 How cool is it to have a library in a MANOR？？？ I also liked the whole small US town vibe， where everyone knows everyone and their relatives！ I alway wonder if it's really like that。 That sounds both insane and interesting。Plot-wise， the book is well-written。 I was sometimes annoyed by Greer witholding information from the police， but all in all， I liked discovering clues with her。 As the story unravels， I was fascinated by what I was reading， and still， I never guessed who was guilty or why the murder happened， until the very end。 This is all I really ask from a mystery， so that's a win for me！I don't have much to say about the characters beside Greer， who I thought was a mix of annoying and brave （definitely a Gryffindor！） None of them stuck with me too much， but they were generally okay！The Unkindness of Ravens is a fantastic debut novel by M。E Hilliard。 Sure， there's room for improvement， but she managed to give life to an entire town， give it a little spooky vibe to keep the reader on their toes， and create a well-constructed murder， all with a cosy-crime feel。 Amazing feat ！ 。。。more
Coralee Hicks
，
An atmospheric read set in upper New York State。 Our Sleuth Greer， is new to librarianship， after changing careers。 Her high driven world seemed senseless after the murder of her husband。 She tells us，"So， I went to the place where I always felt safe and happy--the library。 More precisely， library school。" She is the new librarian at Raven Hill Manor， a gothic jumble filled with nooks and crannies， and well loved books。 She feels at home in Raven Hill， having her good friend， Joanna Goodhue， to An atmospheric read set in upper New York State。 Our Sleuth Greer， is new to librarianship， after changing careers。 Her high driven world seemed senseless after the murder of her husband。 She tells us，"So， I went to the place where I always felt safe and happy--the library。 More precisely， library school。" She is the new librarian at Raven Hill Manor， a gothic jumble filled with nooks and crannies， and well loved books。 She feels at home in Raven Hill， having her good friend， Joanna Goodhue， to help introduce her to the village。 Greer's peaceful life is abruptly changed when she discovers the body of her friend sprawled at the foot of stairs。 The police want to rule in an accident， Greer thinks otherwise。 Using her research skills and powers of observation， Greer tackles the job of uncovering mysteries from both the past and the present。 Set in the cozy format， this debut novel brings a much darker menace than most。 This is more Christie than cozy， and is a very welcome addition to any mystery readers shelf。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Carolyn
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This great start to a new cozy mystery series has all the elements I love in such novels。 A murder in a library in an old manor with a gothic vibe， a smart librarian who is keen to sleuth around and play amateur detective， a small town full of gossips and people with long memories and of course the local police who keep the investigation close to themselves。Greer Hogan is the 'new librarian' （she fears she'll be the new librarian until the day she dies） at Raven Hill library in upstate New York。 This great start to a new cozy mystery series has all the elements I love in such novels。 A murder in a library in an old manor with a gothic vibe， a smart librarian who is keen to sleuth around and play amateur detective， a small town full of gossips and people with long memories and of course the local police who keep the investigation close to themselves。Greer Hogan is the 'new librarian' （she fears she'll be the new librarian until the day she dies） at Raven Hill library in upstate New York。 She left New York City for a fresh start after her husband was killed in a bungled burglary。 After going to graduate school and retraining as a librarian she was pleased to land a job in a small town where she had a good friend， Joanna Goodhue。 But now she's found her friend's body in the library and it doesn't look as if she died of natural causes。Greer is a keen reader of crime novels and can't help collecting clues and drawing up a list of suspects to investigate。 She sees herself as more Trixie Belden than Nancy Drew or Miss Marple and with her subtle snooping and eavesdropping and logical mind is able to arrive at several theories for Joanna's death。 There is much to like in this debut novel。 A clever， amateur detective who enjoys books， has a sense of humour and no major flaws （despite the tragic death of her husband） is refreshing。 I also enjoyed that the police were not only friendly and helpful， but listened to Greer's theories and the odd things she reported to them and were concerned for her safety。 The manor house bequested to the town for use as a library is very atmospheric and perfect for creeping around gothic stairways during a stormy night and provides plenty of suspense for the novel。 I'll definitely be looking out for the next instalment in this series。With thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for a copy to read 。。。more
Kathy Martin
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This debut mystery stars Greer Hogan who came to librarianship after a previous career in the cosmetics industry in New York City。 Her guilt about the death of her husband in an apparent home invasion caused her to look for a new career and new city。 Now， she is happily settled in her new job as a librarian at Raven Hill Manor in a small New York town。 She has connected with an old friend from her college days who is also a recent resident of the town and who is active in the Friends of the Libr This debut mystery stars Greer Hogan who came to librarianship after a previous career in the cosmetics industry in New York City。 Her guilt about the death of her husband in an apparent home invasion caused her to look for a new career and new city。 Now， she is happily settled in her new job as a librarian at Raven Hill Manor in a small New York town。 She has connected with an old friend from her college days who is also a recent resident of the town and who is active in the Friends of the Library。 When she discovers her friend's body after an apparent fall， she decides to find out what happened to Joanna for two reasons。 She wants justice for her friend and she doesn't want to be considered a suspect。 Finding two dead bodies can be really career-limiting！Greer is a devoted fan of mysteries and their detectives and needs to channel the things she has learned from all those fictional detectives from Miss Marple's nose for gossip to her own personal favorite Trixie Belden's use of teamwork。 I really enjoyed the number of books and detectives that Greer mentioned throughout the book。The story required Greer to look into the past of the town and the people and to try to retrace the path Joanna forged to figure out who the killer was and why Joanna was killed。 There was a nice array of suspects from Joanna's husband to her colleague at the television station where she worked to a woman who was opposed to Joanna's support for a new library building。I really enjoyed this debut and look forward to more from the author。 。。。more
Addie BookCrazyBlogger
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Greer Hogan is like the rest of us: she loves mysteries as a kid。 Sherlock， Trixie Belden， Nancy Drew。 Greer needed a new started after the murder of her husband。 She went from Corporate Cathy to Librarian Lucy。 She’s brand new at both her job and in the new village， having left New York behind for Raven Hill。 She was offered the job by an old friend Joanna Goodhue， who she finds dead in the library。 Devastated about the murder of her friend and angered at being implicated in another murder， Gre Greer Hogan is like the rest of us: she loves mysteries as a kid。 Sherlock， Trixie Belden， Nancy Drew。 Greer needed a new started after the murder of her husband。 She went from Corporate Cathy to Librarian Lucy。 She’s brand new at both her job and in the new village， having left New York behind for Raven Hill。 She was offered the job by an old friend Joanna Goodhue， who she finds dead in the library。 Devastated about the murder of her friend and angered at being implicated in another murder， Greer turns girl detective and decides to go searching for clues。 As Greer turns girl detective， she’s in for a couple of nasty surprises and scandals about her new small town she never expected。 As Greer gets closer to the killer， she needs to watch out: or she could be next。 First things first， I loved all of the mystery/thriller references in the book。 From old school British detectives to mid-50’s American teen detectives， I was loving all of the references。 The plot line moved well and it set the background for what’s shaping up to be a really great series。 A word of warning is that the back of the book promises a deeper look into her husband’s death but it was more of a teaser for the next book while dealing with Greer’s survivor guilt。 Regardless， this book shows a lot of promise for a really good new series that’s not quite cozy mystery but not gory， Saw murder either。 。。。more
Susan
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Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review。Greer Hogan is a librarian I'd like to be friends with and as someone who has come into librarianship as a second career in my late 30's， I felt a connection to her character。。。 though thankfully I don't happen to stumble upon dead bodies。 With Hilliard being a librarian herself， it was nice to see a realistic depiction （outside of the murder） of library life in a small town。Greer is a fan of Aga Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review。Greer Hogan is a librarian I'd like to be friends with and as someone who has come into librarianship as a second career in my late 30's， I felt a connection to her character。。。 though thankfully I don't happen to stumble upon dead bodies。 With Hilliard being a librarian herself， it was nice to see a realistic depiction （outside of the murder） of library life in a small town。Greer is a fan of Agatha Christie， Nancy Drew， and the like so this novel is chockfull of literary references that readers may or may not get （there are also plenty of references to that famous orphaned wizard boy in England， you know the one）。 While they were appreciated， there was also an overabundance of them and many went over my head as I'm not well versed in classic mystery novels。Overall though， the setup of the mystery was intriguing， there were plenty of Christie-esque red herrings to keep the reader guessing， and the climatic events were solid。 This novel was a delightful mix of mystery and thriller and I do hope that readers will be able to follow Greer in further exploits。 。。。more
Annie
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I loved this！ Dark and atmospheric， a library in a spooky old manor house， a hint of the supernatural - it's all there to set the scene right from the get-go。 Greer Morgan， after losing her husband Daniel to a murder in New York City， became a librarian and has found herself in the village of Raven Hill， a small town full of secrets。Within the first few pages， Greer stumbles across the body of her friend Jenny， lying dead on the stairs to the attic of the manor house （where the library archives I loved this！ Dark and atmospheric， a library in a spooky old manor house， a hint of the supernatural - it's all there to set the scene right from the get-go。 Greer Morgan， after losing her husband Daniel to a murder in New York City， became a librarian and has found herself in the village of Raven Hill， a small town full of secrets。Within the first few pages， Greer stumbles across the body of her friend Jenny， lying dead on the stairs to the attic of the manor house （where the library archives are kept）。 Greer， aware of the suspicious nature of the murder of her husband， is intially cautious with the police but is soon caught up in the mystery surrounding her friend's death。 She becomes 'girl detective' and throughout the book， we are treated to clever deductions， music and book references， and a range of great characters， suspects and motives。This was really well done， especially for a first in a series， and although I did ping the murderer there are enough clues and red herrings throughout to keep you second guessing yourself about it all。 Can't wait for the next book in the series！Thank you to NetGalley， the author and publisher for the ARC to read and review。 All opinions are strictly my own。 。。。more
Kayla
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Huge thank you to Netgalley & Crooked Lane Books for an early edition of this book for my honest review！It's been a while since I've picked up a cozy mystery so The Unkindness of Ravens called to me in a lot of ways: creepy manor， girl detective， and a murder。 Three of my favorite boxes checked， and a brand new author who is also a librarian。 So I had high hopes for this book and was very excited when I was approved for an early copy。And this book didn't disappoint。 It is everything that you lov Huge thank you to Netgalley & Crooked Lane Books for an early edition of this book for my honest review！It's been a while since I've picked up a cozy mystery so The Unkindness of Ravens called to me in a lot of ways: creepy manor， girl detective， and a murder。 Three of my favorite boxes checked， and a brand new author who is also a librarian。 So I had high hopes for this book and was very excited when I was approved for an early copy。And this book didn't disappoint。 It is everything that you love about a cozy murder mystery。 The plot moved very quickly， and it was a book I wanted to pick up every chance that I got。 It was also really hard to put down because every time I got to a point where I thought to put this down and do other life things， another curveball was thrown my way。 Another piece of evidence。 A new suspect。 Something to keep me glued to my screen。I loved Greer as the main character as well。 We meet after she's pivoted her life around after the loss of her husband， and it's that loss that drives her to be the girl's detective when she finds the body of a murder victim in her library。 My favorite thing about Greer is she knows what she's doing is dangerous， and does everything she can to make sure anyone helping her solve this murder is safe。 But， she also does her best to protect herself。 It's not always the best， but at least she's aware of the danger。 She's also brilliant， backups all her data， does her research， and shares her information with the police。My pet peeve with these is always when the character playing detective doesn't include the actual detectives。 Greer isn't like that。 She shares her information as she goes， never showing her full hand， but never excluding them either。 This plays one of her favor in the last few chapters。The small-town aspect of this story was the perfect setting。 In a town where everyone knows everyone， but the secrets run a mile long， is always a favorite of mine。 The difference for me was just how much the town seemed willing to help Greer solve this murder。 Add on the fact the library is placed in a creepy old manor house， all of this worked in the story's favor。 The small-town vibes left you wondering who was hiding what， and maybe the manor was really haunted。 Could it have been a ghost？ It all kind of put the cozy in a cozy murder mystery。I also loved all the book references from some of Agatha Christie's detectives to the great detective himself， Sherlock Holmes。 Not just quotes， but small references and nods to the characters and stories。 I loved those so much because I was raised on those stories。 From Great Grandmother to my Ma， I come by my love murder mysteries legitly。 So I thought each little Easter Egg as they were a lot of fun， and since Greer is a librarian it made sense that she'd references these moments。 Lastly， I thought the lead-up to the mystery itself was solid and well thought out。 I was following along with each clue that Greer found， making my own murder board in my head as the story went on。 About halfway through I had a pretty good idea where the story was headed， and the closer to the end I got the more I knew I was right on the track。 I also thought the ending was very fitting and the conclusion was satisfying。 All of the loose ends were tied up， and it's always nice to know also were blaming the characters。So， why only four stars instead of five？ My only complaint about this book was there were a lot of Harry Potter references in this book。 The first one that pops is while Greer is talking to a child so I forgave it。 But， after that Greer makes several throughout the book， and they were easily avoided with other literary references。 But， other than that this is a great book， and I'm interested in the next books in the series。 I think I know where Hilliard is going to take it and they have my attention。 。。。more
Ab
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This was a fun， cozy， small-town， library-centric murder mystery with Miss Marple vibes。 I loved the old， gothic Ravenhill Manor library， which was perfect for creepy sneaking， errant creaks， dangerous stairs， faulty light wiring， and loose window frames。 Add in the small town oddities of folks holding secrets for most of their lives， and the very accurate and detailed descriptions of actual librarian work， and we've got one great library mystery！ I look forward to future books in the mystery se This was a fun， cozy， small-town， library-centric murder mystery with Miss Marple vibes。 I loved the old， gothic Ravenhill Manor library， which was perfect for creepy sneaking， errant creaks， dangerous stairs， faulty light wiring， and loose window frames。 Add in the small town oddities of folks holding secrets for most of their lives， and the very accurate and detailed descriptions of actual librarian work， and we've got one great library mystery！ I look forward to future books in the mystery series， and this was a great debut。 。。。more
joyce w。 laudon
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This book grabbed my interest immediately because， on the first page， a favorite childhood fictional character of mine was mentioned。 You may not know her， but she was Trixie Belden。 She， her brothers， Honey and Jim had adventures and solved mysteries with their club。 They had exactly the life that I wanted 。I loved Trixie more than Nancy Drew。 As this was exactly how the fictional detective in this book felt， I knew that I wanted to read more。The amateur sleuth in this title is Greer。 Her husba This book grabbed my interest immediately because， on the first page， a favorite childhood fictional character of mine was mentioned。 You may not know her， but she was Trixie Belden。 She， her brothers， Honey and Jim had adventures and solved mysteries with their club。 They had exactly the life that I wanted 。I loved Trixie more than Nancy Drew。 As this was exactly how the fictional detective in this book felt， I knew that I wanted to read more。The amateur sleuth in this title is Greer。 Her husband had been murdered （not a spoiler as this is mentioned early in the novel） and she has sought a new life away from New York City。 Greer goes to library school and moves to a small town in upstate New York。 A library patron and friend to Greer is murdered。 What is behind the murder？ Who did it？ How will intrepid， amateur sleuth Greer fare？ Will the solution tell her more about her husband？ Find out in this cozy mystery。In addition to Trixie， I loved the library setting and the mention of various books and authors。 Readers will wish for a library like this， despite the crimes。Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Kate Zdenek
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Set in an old， creaky， slightly spooky library in upstate New York， new librarian Greer Hogan stumbles across the body of a friend。 As she works to find the murderer， Greer encounters danger and old family secrets。The story is well crafted with complex， interesting characters and filled with twists I didn’t see coming。 The conclusion is logical， with just enough questions to suggest more stories to follow。I enjoyed this and will make sure to watch for future books by M。 E。 Hilliard。I received an Set in an old， creaky， slightly spooky library in upstate New York， new librarian Greer Hogan stumbles across the body of a friend。 As she works to find the murderer， Greer encounters danger and old family secrets。The story is well crafted with complex， interesting characters and filled with twists I didn’t see coming。 The conclusion is logical， with just enough questions to suggest more stories to follow。I enjoyed this and will make sure to watch for future books by M。 E。 Hilliard。I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Suanne
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M。E。 Hilliard’s debut novel， The Unkindness of Ravens， grabbed me from the first page。 I was hooked by the first person narrator， Greer Hogan， a former New York City high-powered executive who turns into a small town librarian after the death of her husband。 Greer’s intelligence and personality shine through from the onset。 I immediately bonded with a gal who’s read all the Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew mysteries and prefers Trixie to Nancy because Trixie “got into more trouble。” Greer is uncerta M。E。 Hilliard’s debut novel， The Unkindness of Ravens， grabbed me from the first page。 I was hooked by the first person narrator， Greer Hogan， a former New York City high-powered executive who turns into a small town librarian after the death of her husband。 Greer’s intelligence and personality shine through from the onset。 I immediately bonded with a gal who’s read all the Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew mysteries and prefers Trixie to Nancy because Trixie “got into more trouble。” Greer is uncertain Nancy’s boyfriend Ned Nickerson， who Greer had always envisioned as a Ken doll， was even “anatomically correct。” She’s much more attracted to Trixie Beldon’s beau。 Jim Frayne had a “working-class background … and came into a pile of money at an early age” and became “a prototype Nora Roberts hero。” Despite this irreverent look at childhood heroines， Hilliard aligns her protagonist with these girl detectives， as well as others within the mystery genre， including Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and Hercules Poirot。 Hilliard has also done a bang-up job in creating a chilling atmosphere complete with a spooky， creaky old mansion-turned-public-library， populated by dark Victorian images of the former owners of the manor。 the requisite nooks and crannies， creaking floors， and drafty windows， and ravens inside and out—and hints of the supernatural as well。 The suspense rises as Greer， whose husband was murdered in NYC， finds a dead body in the library。 The book is well-plotted as the body count rises。 It’s well-written， sort of a cozy mystery with a bit of an edge to it。 I’m eager for the second book in this series。I received an advanced copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and impartial review。 。。。more
Rebecca
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An easy read， but not one that you want to put down。 Greer Hogan is an interesting main character， she was developed well and I think it is evident her story is not over。 Author M。E。 Hilliard does a wonderful job of giving readers a taste of Greer and leaves us wanting more。 With unresolved issues from her past that tie into where she finds herself in the present， the book does a good job of weaving a small town mystery with a unique story。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Unkindness of Ravens
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Unkindness of Ravens&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft