The Loyal Daughter

A daughter must decide whose life she will defend when a murder divides the Hmong community of Minneapolis and her father becomes the lead suspect in this gripping novel by the author of The Quiet Librarian.

Police detective Niki Vang always knew that her father kept secrets. He’d been troubled ever since he immigrated to the United States after surviving the “Secret War” in Laos in the 1970s. So when her father becomes entangled in a murder, Niki lies about her connection in order to work the case. But as the investigation deepens, it becomes clear why her father has worked so hard to keep the past buried. Could his secrets cost the investigation—and her family—everything?

Kim Vang has never spoken about what happened to him in Laos. Fifty years before he’d survived a re-education camp run by a man called only “the demon.” But after the murder of someone very close to him, he’s certain the demon has found them again. When Niki becomes the lead detective on the case, Kim must keep her far from the demon’s reach—even as he seizes his chance to bring an evil man to justice at last.

As the demon hunts, Niki and Kim must race against one another to bring him down, divided by the painful fact that neither can trust the other until they both tell the truth.

• "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