Berkley
Published September 30, 2025
Reviewed by Barbara Fister
Hazel is the newest employee at a small neighborhood library branch of the public library in Austin, Texas. She joins Astrid, who speaks with a lilting Swedish accent, Jonathan who is a strapping young military veteran who loves working among the stacks, and Sophie, a supportive and effective supervisor who is reserved and keeps her distance. Hazel picks up the routines quickly and deftly deals with the creepy old guy who tests all the new employees with lewd insinuations. The group gets along well, and things are going smoothly until the night they launch a new program of evening games. The group that chooses to play a murder mystery particularly enjoy themselves, and the librarians consider the event a hit – until two of the participants are found murdered.
Each of the librarians has secrets that are revealed over the course of the story. Sophie had fallen hard for man who ghosted her before returning to throw her emotions in turmoil. Jonathan is in love, but lacks enough confidence in himself to approach the man he yearns for. Sophie uses her remoteness to protect herself and her family from the fallout of a situation in her past that could be disastrous if exposed. And Hazel’s life in Singapore fell apart after her husband, who has vanished in a plane crash, was accused of financial fraud, their money vanishing in complicated schemes. These secrets and the ways they affect the characters gradually come to the surface as the relationships among the co-workers are realigned, challenged, and deepened as they try to find out what happened after their murder mystery event.
The plot of The Librarians is not the main attraction; it’s a bit convoluted and far-fetched, engaging enough but not as absorbing as the ways the characters reveal themselves to the reader and to one another. Like the frequent focus of the genre with the condescending name “women’s fiction,” the ways their stories unfold and their relationships shift provides much of the interest. An added attraction: The work they do at the library is realistically described, including things like cleaning up messes in the bathroom and dealing with difficult patrons. If there’s only one thing that’s not true-to-life, it’s that they all get along; there are no prickly staffers causing drama among them or overbearing bosses. The author even makes a point of acknowledging a common issue around position titles that might give librarian readers pause: Most library staff don’t have the advanced degree that merits the title “librarian” though the public generally makes no distinction. Neither does Hazel, the branch supervisor. She makes it clear, as Hazel joins them, that there is no hierarchy at this library. All of them are “the librarians,” equally valued.
Come for the library setting and puzzle over the wide-ranging and intricate plotting, but the real pleasure of the book is getting to know characters you will care about.