Three Can Keep a Secret: A Greer Hogan Mystery

In Hilliard’s enjoyable if at times rambling third mystery featuring widowed librarian Greer Hogan (after 2022’s Shadow in the Glass), Anita Hunzeker, the ruthless chair of the Raven Hill, N.Y., library’s board of trustees, dies after her car is run off the road. The victim was easily the most disliked person in town, so pinpointing the culprit proves to be a difficult task. Greer starts sleuthing after two coworkers, the youth librarian and the archivist, become suspects. In addition to unearthing Anita’s blackmailing schemes, Greer learns that both Anita and her rival, Cynthia Baker of Raven Hill’s historical society, were deeply interested in the work of history professor J.P. Walters. When J.P. is fatally poisoned, Greer is convinced the two murders are linked, and her superb research skills lead her to uncover decades-old secrets. The plot becomes a bit muddled as it nears the satisfying if bittersweet conclusion. Characters that readers can care about help compensate for Greer’s repetitive reflections on the book’s various mysteries. Fans of Elly Griffith’s Ruth Galloway series will want to have a look. Agent: Julie Gwinn, Seymour Agency. (Feb.)