The Loyal Daughter

A father and daughter find themselves on opposites sides of a murder investigation within the Hmong community of Minneapolis in this gripping novel by the author of The Quiet Librarian.

Niki Vang has always known her father was keeping secrets—he has been a troubled man ever since he survived the war in Laos in the 1970s. Lucky enough to find his way to the United States, he has never told anyone what happened to him before he escaped. But when one of his friends is found murdered in the streets of Minneapolis, it’s clear that the secrets of the past have come calling.

Niki has always been driven to find the truth—and uphold justice—as a detective for the police department, but when she lies about her father’s connection to the victim in order to work the case, she finds herself increasingly entangled in a deadly game that someone has been waiting fifty years to play.

Exploring family, fate, and the long reach of history, Allen Eskens delivers another sharp mystery as well as a sweeping portrait of love and the power of the human spirit during impossible times.

• "Fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale or Kate Quinn’s books will be caught up in this violent story of a courageous woman."
  Library Journal (starred review)
• “No typical whodunit, this is an intense and emotional story about grief, loss, and the horrors of war. . . . This book is perfect for fans of intense mysteries and those who like fiction featuring real-life history.”
  Booklist (starred review)
• “Allen Eskens is such a gifted writer, and all of his books succeed at doing their part in explaining the human condition through authentic characters whose feelings ring true. The Quiet Librarian is no exception and uses the horrors of war as a backdrop for readers to submit to a deeply layered tale of grief.”
  BookReporter
• "A searing and timely story of regret, retribution, and reinvention, set against a powerfully drawn backdrop of war and suffused with the reminder that we always have within us the power to light the way to a better tomorrow."
  Kristin Harmel, author of The Paris Daughter