Smoke and Mirrors

by M. E. Hilliard Narrated by Kirsten Potter

Overview

Having spent months quietly investigating in the village of Raven Hill, Greer Hogan returns to New York City determined to find her husband's murderer. She secures a temporary gig at a private library inventorying the personal collection of a deceased magician. In her free time, Greer sleuths, leaving no stone unturned-even the ones that could be hiding deadly secrets. Four years earlier, Greer had discovered her husband Dan dead in their apartment. He'd tried to tell her about something strange going on at his office, but she hadn't had time to listen until it was too late. Worse still, she has always suspected that the wrong man was convicted of the crime. Now, Greer has solved other murders and has a few tricks up her sleeve. She combs through belongings she packed away soon after Dan's death and interviews his former colleagues and people who were near the scene when he died. Soon, Greer is followed and attacked, so she knows she's struck a nerve-but whose? When two more people are killed and Greer realizes she can't escape the smoke and mirrors surrounding her suspects, she confides in one of her new colleagues, a magician named Grim with whom she's bonded over similar traumas. Though she knows he's got secrets of his own, the tricky Grim may be exactly the assistant Greer needs to pull a rabbit out of a hat and shine a spotlight on a killer before the curtains come down on her for good.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for Smoke and Mirrors:
“Four years and three volumes after her husband’s murder, librarian Greer Hogan finally gets a crack at laying it to rest.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Recommended for series fans and all those who enjoy cozy mysteries featuring amateur sleuths, such as Elly Griffith’s Harbinder Kaur novels or Holly Danver’s Lakeside Library mysteries.”
—Booklist

“Fans of TV’s Only Murders in the Building might appreciate this series.”
—Library Journal

Praise for the Greer Hogan Mysteries:
“Readers who enjoy Louise Penny’s Three Pines will enjoy protagonist Greer Hogan’s sly, witty observations.”
—Gwen Florio, award-winning author of the Lola Wicks series

“[An] appealing main character and enjoyable plot.”
—Dorothy Cannell, award-winning author of the Ellie Haskell series

“A great choice for readers who enjoy both cozy and traditional mysteries.”
—Victoria Gilbert, author of the Blue Ridge Library and Hunter & Clewe mystery series

“[A] first-rate debut and series launch.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Thrilling, fast-paced, quick-witted, and full of nostalgic references.”
—Booklist, starred review, on The Unkindness of Ravens

“Atmospheric . . . Readers who remember those classic girl detective mysteries . . . will appreciate this book.”
 —Library Journal

“Moody and tense, literary and urbane, and an edgy delight to read.” 
—BookPage


“Entertaining . . . A worthy addition to the series.”
—Booklist, on Three Can Keep a Secret

Library Journal

03/01/2024

Greer Hogan's work at the Raven Hill Public Library in the Hudson River Valley is on hold after a fire at the library, so she has a temporary job cataloguing the contents of the Archive of Illusionists and Conjurers. The work brings Greer back to Manhattan, where her husband, Danny, was murdered four years earlier. She's always believed the man imprisoned for the crime, who says Danny was unconscious but alive when he left him. She now has the chance to ask questions at New Leaf, where Danny worked when he was killed. After she questions the management team, she's followed. Then someone breaks into the archives and into Greer's parents' house, where they leave a man dead. Greer is even more convinced that New Leaf holds the key to Danny's murder. With the help of a magician named Grim and a small group of friends, Greer sets several traps to catch a killer. VERDICT After four books, the story arc Hilliard began in The Unkindness of Ravens is resolved, with hints of a new mystery to come. Fans of TV's Only Murders in the Building might appreciate this series, though they should start with the first installment.—Lesa Holstine

Kirkus Reviews

2024-03-23
Four years and three volumes after her husband’s murder, librarian Greer Hogan finally gets a crack at laying it to rest.

Members of the NYPD are satisfied that New Leaf financial officer Daniel Sullivan was fatally beaten during a botched robbery by boxer/deliveryman Pete Perry, who was convicted long ago even though he insisted that he left Dan unconscious but alive. When attorney April Benson, deprived of the opportunity to finalize her divorce from New Leaf corporate counsel Frank Benson by his sudden death, tells Greer that she suspects murder and provides Greer with some arcane printouts that neither of them can make sense of, Greer instantly decides that the same motive and the same culprit were responsible for both deaths. Moving back temporarily to New York from her refuge in upstate Raven Hill, Greer uses her finely honed professional skills to search for anyone connected to New Leaf, a CBD company branching out into cannabis, who might have wanted both men dead. Though she gets precious little intelligence from CEO Clarice Philips and COO William Warren, her old neighbors provide unobtrusive details that bolster her case. In more substantial roles, so do Joseph Grimaldi, a magician who jumps in with both feet, and Carolyn Quinn, the great-aunt of Dan’s former assistant, math whiz Isabelle Peterson. Despite another break-in and two new fatalities, the prevailing tone is so blandly civilized that Greer confesses, “If I hadn’t been investigating my husband’s murder, I’d have been enjoying myself.”

Though the mystery could’ve used more surprises, it’s nice to see the heroine get the closure readers will have seen coming.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940191742847
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	06/04/2024
Series:	A Greer Hogan Mystery , #4
Edition description:	Unabridged

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