I have been ready to read this one for a while and glad that I finally got the chance! I've heard of Sarah Pekkanen and this book but glad I finally got to read it for myself. Was thinking some of my younger audience might like this one which is why I chose it but interested to read some other reviews. Definitely love books with lawyers and mystery themes so thankful to NetGalley for this one!!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great thriller with twists and turns. A bit predictable, but it was still a fun read. I think the book could have been a bit shorter to stay engaging.

House of Glass (St. Martin’s Press 2024) by Sarah Pekkanen is a wonderfully crafted, well-paced mystery with a good bit of psychological thriller blended in. It is a character driven “who done it?” but not in a police procedural way as no law enforcement detectives are center stage in solving the death of a young nanny. Rather the role of sleuth goes to a female lawyer, Stella Hudson, who endured a hard childhood of her own.

House of Glass is a splendid read, smoothly fitting together various mysteries into a satisfying whole. And while a complicated story, the various threads work to enhance each other’s impact and to create a definite tension and suspense. Too often things are not at all what they seem, and the unexplainable and the unexplained vie for readers’ attention. What really is happening in the here and now is often as important a question as what really did happen in the past.

In the story, an attractive rich couple live in a kind of hundred-year-old gothic mansion in the Washington D.C. area. The wife is the one with money—lots of it. They are biological parents to nine-year-old Rose Barclay, a gifted prodigy, wise and educated beyond her age and talented at the piano. She might also be a “bad seed” child killer. And she suffers from traumatic mutism, which is a rare and poorly understood condition.

In traumatic mutism, the onset is swift and overwhelming and occurs after severe trauma. In Rose’s case, that trauma was seeing her nanny plunge to her death in front. Stella is pulled into the case to represent Rose because as a child, Stella too suffered with traumatic mutism after spending a night in a closet only to crawl out in the morning and find her mother’s dead body.

When Rose’s beautiful, young nanny crashes through an upstairs window to her death on the patio below, it is unclear if she fell accidentally or was pushed. And if pushed, by which of the residents—the child, the father, the mother, or the resident grandmother? The police seem to have more or less given up, but when the parents decide to divorce and both seek full custody of the child, the main character—Stella Hudson—enters Rose’s life. Stella is a “best interest attorney, or guardian ad litem.” She represents the interests of children or teens in contested court proceedings such as custody suits. She is also the child of a dysfunctional upbringing with emotional scars—and a deep mystery—of her own.

Though Stella is not per se a detective, she soon engages in her own attempts to solve who killed the nanny. Each of the potential suspects seems to have a valid alibi, even young Rose. But things do not add up, not even remotely so, and strange things happen in the house that defy logic. Not that this is a haunted house story, but there is definitely a gloss of the gothic when Stella hears strange voices. Stella also discovers that the nanny too, before her death, heard strange voices.

The title comes from the fact the protagonist soon realizes that “Nothing in this house is made of glass.” Even the photographs hanging on the walls have had the glass covers removed and the drinking glasses are all plastic. The husband tries to explain this away by claiming that his wife suffers from nelophobia—the fear of glass. But after Stella sees Rose pocketing a piece of broken glass as if for a weapon, she wonders if the lack of glass is far more sinister than the parents are willing to reveal.

Carefully woven into Rose’s story is Stella’s own story. With exceptional talent and skill, the author leaks in hints and glimpses of Stella’s childhood and teen years, and how she managed to graduate law school despite all the bad things she endured.

Stella’s patron saint, Charles, is now a judge. He is a father figure she trusts, and he has helped her though many difficulties after what seemed to be a random meeting between them when she was a teenager. Their story is far more complicated than that, of course, and becomes part of a secondary mystery. The question of how Stella’s mother died—suicide or murder or accident—creates yet another suspenseful thread in the novel. Stella observes that her “childhood has been stalking me my entire adult life. Maybe I need to turn around and finally face it.” But what she discovers might be too difficult for her to face.


Sarah Pekkanen

This is a good book, a very good book. The author displays great talent in her writing and in her plotting.

A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Sarah Pekkanen, lives near Washington D.C. with her family. Besides writing numerous bestsellers, she is also an active volunteer for rescued animals.

Great read. A couple different things going on for the main character made it more interesting. Some unexpected twists. Really enjoyed it and will be seeking out this author's future releases.

A young girl can’t talk after the death of her nanny so Stella is asked to be the girls voice and act as her best interest attorney. Stella spends a lot of time with the girl and her family and everyone is a suspect. I loved all the twists and never knowing if Stella was on the right path. This book is almost 350 pages and I read it mostly in one sitting. A highly enjoyable book that will bring you into the story.

I enjoy the books Sarah Pekkanen writes with Greer Hendricks and was curious to read one of her solo novels. I wanted to like this one but the plot was a little too over the top and the characters too unlikeable for me. If you like a slow burn mystery with a menacing environment and unlikeable characters, this is the book for you.

Thank you MacMillan Audio & St. Martin's Press for gifting me this ALC & ebook to review honestly.

This one started out great. I was thoroughly invested. I then was able to kinda gauge where the story was going with the who done it. I'm not good as guessing usually so I really thought ok there will be a big thing that shifts the narrative and pins it on someone else. When that wasn't the I was kinda disappointed. However the writing itself was so good, along with the audio. It kept me locked in wanting to see how the story would end.

I was hooked on this book from the beginning! It had good twists and kept the reader wanting for more.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the ARC.

I really adored The Wife Between Us, which Sarah Pekkanen co-authored with Greer Hendricks, so I didn't hesitate to pick this one up. Stella Hudson is an attorney who serves as counsel for children in custody cases. When Stella's mentor requests that Stella take on the case of a traumatized 9-year-old, Stella reluctantly agrees. The 9-year-old, Rose, was witness to the fatal fall of her nanny. Since that day, she has been completely mute. This type of trauma-caused mutism mirrors Stella's own traumatic past and the things she thought she buried long ago come back to the surface forcing Stella to face them once again.

This was a solid domestic thriller that kept me guessing until the very end. I thought for sure I had the twist figured out throughout the entire book, but I played right into the red herring the author was throwing us. Although it wasn't completely mind-blowing, I did appreciate that I didn't see it coming.

The character development in this book was done well. I appreciated the look back into Stella's own past and her quest to overcome her own trauma. I do feel like it was maybe wrapped up too neatly. I think I would have enjoyed more of a dive into her past and perhaps more substance to that portion.

Overall, this was a solid read. It's not the type of thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat, but definitely the type of mystery that keeps you intrigued.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Fairly interesting domestic thriller, but nothing necessarily standout. Don't get me wrong - this book wasn't bad. The writing was good and clear, and the plot was quick and the loose ends were tied up by the resolution. But this felt like a caricature of so many domestic thriller tropes, and there was just nothing particularly "special" about it. It was fine. It was good. But it wasn't great. 3.5/5 (rounded up to 4). Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital ARC.

I will always give Sarah Pekkanen's books a try; she is one my favorite authors and I've tried most of her novels. Unfortunately, this one fell a little flat for me and I decided not to finish it. I was expecting a little more excitement, which is likely due to my enjoyment of her previous novels, and I just didn't have the feelings about this story that I usually find with her work.

Compelling and simmering with suspense all the way through. There was great background on the main character, whose POV tells the story. I really cared for her. Everything wraps up neatly, and that’s okay with me. I found this absorbing and hard to put down.

Absolutely loved this fast paced thriller from Sarah Pekkanen! A quick and enthralling read that was completely unpredictable, making the perfect thriller. This book would be great for a book club, and I plan on recommending to all my friends.

I was so excited to read this book and maybe that’s why it fell short on my list. It’s a good thriller but drags on longer than I would have liked. I didn’t find all characters interesting nor likable.
Overall not a bad read but not really what I was expecting.

Sarah Pekkanen always delivers a solid domestic thriller with good writing. This one centers on Stella, a lawyer representing children in domestic situations. Her client, Rose, has selective mutism following the death of her nanny in the home (falling from a window) and a contentious divorce between her parents. How is Stella supposed to figure out what is best for Rose when Rose won’t utter a word? On top of all of this, Stella has a past trauma and also suffered from selective mutism as a child, which complicates her investigation.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars rounded up.

House of Glass is another thriller by Sarah Pekkanen, author of The Golden Couple. It will grab the reader from the very first page and take them on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, and just when you think you know where the story is going, you realize you had absolutely no idea where the story was going! The main plot is about a little girl who witnesses a terrible accident at her family home and the psychologist who is assigned to her case to determine which parent she should live with. You may ask, why can't the little girl tell her? Well...since the accident she has not spoken. And our psychologist can not only sympathize with our little girl but empathize as she too was mute after her own mother was discovered dead at their home many years ago. The story, complex in nature, is fascinating and the ending extraordinary!

Rose Barclay is a mute nine year old child who witnessed her nanny plunging from a bedroom window and falling to her death at their home. Now, the parents are in the middle of a terrible divorce as it was discovered that Rose's father, Ian was having an affair with the nanny. The Barclays, Ian and Beth live in a beautiful house with Ian's mother who had surgery and has not been able to live on her own.

Now Stella Hudson is approached to figure out who Rose would be better suited to live with as she cannot speak for herself. Stella understands. When Stella was a young girl, her own mother was found dead in their house and Stella fearful, stayed in her closet until help arrived. She too became mute after the trauma, and it took years of therapy to help her understand what had happened. Or so she thought. Because this case has brought up Stella's horrible memories of year's past.

Stella begins to try and win Rose over, but Rose seems to not be able to make any kind of connection, no matter how hard she tries. Then Rose discovers all the glass has been removed from the house and replaced with plastic. Why? And Rose seems to have unhealthy fascinations, which disturb Stella. She begins to believe Rose may have a hidden side to her. Could this tragedy have actually been a murder? It seems Rose is keeping many secrets.

Stella soon begins to believe Rose's parent and grandmother may be covering up for her. And Rose seems to not be so happy with Stella. As Stella delves deeper into Rose's psyche, she can't help but remember her own pain. And she takes an unhealthy walk down her own memory lane. But when strange things begin to happen to Stella, she can't help but feel something else is going on. Something evil. Stella discovers the nanny had been afraid of Rose and wanted to leave.

She understands she must get to the bottom of what really happened in that house the day the nanny died, and she will use any trick she knows to find out. But unfortunately for Stella, that may be her undoing.

House of Glass has so many layers to it and is so fascinating you won't be able to put the book down. The story is certainly suspenseful, but it's also a gripping story of a lost child, and an adult who realizes she is still lost.

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin'sPress #HouseofGlass #SarahPekkanen for the advanced copy.

A suspicious and well-done whodunit type novel with a layered family with weird dynamics, and brilliant writing. Very much enjoyed. 4.5 stars, rounded to 4 for the sake of not being able to do halves.

Rose is a 9 year old girl whose whole world is crumbling around her. She witnessed her nanny fall from a window in her home to her death and her parents are currently in the midst of a divorce. Because of this trauma, she is mute. Stella is a custody attorney who is called in to determine which parent is the best fit for Rose. Battling her own demons from a traumatic childhood, Stella witnesses unusual behaviors from the whole family and finds herself digging into the death investigation herself. Was the nanny’s death a suicide or was it a murder? Why is the Barclay house full of plastic, with no glass or sharp objects? At 9 years old, what is Rose capable of?

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press and Sarah Pekkanen for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I highly recommend this newest release by Sarah Pekkanen!

To be honest, this book did not appeal to me as much as I had hoped. There were some very serious aspects buried throughout the pages … from infidelity, drug addiction, a dead nanny, childhood trauma. The characters, though well developed, were just people I did not like. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where I didn’t like anyone! It’s psychological thriller so I expect some exciting moments. But the story was just too slow moving to get my attention and keep me invested in the story. Obviously, I am one of the few who did not enjoy this book, so I encourage you to read it and decide for yourself if it your cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

Adult
Contemporary
Crime
Fiction
Mystery
Mystery Thriller
Psychological Thriller
Suspense
Thriller

I’m going to keep this short and sweet to remain spoiler free. I really enjoyed the first half of this, however the second half fell flat for me. This builds you up for a good plot twist and then turns out to be predictable and underwhelming.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!