Book Title: The Glass House
Author: Sarah Pekkanen
Publisher: Saint Martin’s Press
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: August 6, 2024
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pages: 352

This is my seventh Sarah Pekkanen story; I especially liked " Catching Air".
I read loved the four thrillers she coauthored with Greer Hendricks -" An Anonymous Girl" was my first and I became a fan; then " The Wife Between us", "You are not alone", and "The Golden Couple".

Stella Hudson a successful lawyer who has been appointed counsel to represent nine-year-old Rose Barclay in a custody case. Stella’s job is to observe and then make a recommendation based on her experience as to which parent should have custody.

Ian Barclay, is the handsome father and was a landscaper and married an heiress
Beth Barclay is the wealthy mother who is used to getting her way.

Tina de la Cruz, is the twenty-six year old nanny for Rose.. Tina had an affair with Ian Barclay, and is pregnant. One afternoon Tina has a terrible accident and falls to her death from her third story attic bedroom window. It was ruled an accident as the window in the bedroom was too low and 100 year old single pane glass did not meet code.
Young Rose and her Grandmother Harriet were in the garden and witnessed the fall and death of Tina. Rose then developed traumatic mutism and cannot speak.
One of the reasons Stella was selected to represent Rose is she also lost her voice over a traumatic event. When he was six years old, she her mother dead on the floor from drug overdose.
In fact, the story deals a lot with Stella’s grief as she investigates if her mother ‘s death wasn’t her doing but she had been murdered.

Stella is dealing with both of these situations. Additionally is having difficulty getting through to Rose who doesn’t want her around and seems like “The Bad Seed”.
Making us wonder how much she had to do with Tina’s death.

I am a big psychological thriller fan and there are some things I am prepared for:
 Expect twists and turns!
 Be suspicious of everyone!
 The most obvious person didn’t do it!
 There will be many secrets!

Yes! I have a suspicious mind but Sarah Pekkanen fooled me!
Story kept me glued - in fact by the end my head was spinning.
Definitely unputdownable!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Press for granted me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 6, 2024

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I really love Sarah Pekkanen! She just grabs you in the beginning and keeps on going. I could not put this book down. The book starts with Stella, who is a best interest attorney, having to work with Rose, a nine-year-old girl, who has traumatic mutism. Her parents are getting divorced and Stella needs to determine who Rose should live with. The people involved with Rose are her mother and father and her grandmother. There was also a nanny who is now dead by falling out of a third story window, or was she pushed? All throughout this book I was unsure about the guilty party. I felt it could have been any of them and I didn’t figure it out until almost the end. I felt the twists were great and I did not see them coming. I highly, highly recommend this book!

House of Glass has it all-- creepy house, creepier child, well meaning, but cold, mother, charming, but suspicious, father. The MC is assigned the case because the parents are getting divorced, and she is a Best Interest Attorney. Throw in a potential murder on the grounds of the creepy house, and I was hooked from the beginning. I really enjoyed this premise. I have never read about a BIA, and I thought it was pretty fascinating.

There are some definite cons in this book- the writing is paced a little funny. Heavy on random details and then light on developing some of the characters. But since it's a thriller, I was okay with the light characterization. I could not get behind the last few chapters (why so many for the resolution?!) and found that a little much. There were some predictable elements, certainly. You can see at least one thing coming from miles away, and it made me not care about the MC as much because I saw it coming. However, I found this readable and surprisingly light, given the contents.

Loved her last book but this one missed the mark for me. Not sure why. I didn’t feel attached to any of the characters and i found I struggled to pick it up each time.

Thank you for my advanced copy

Stella is a child advocate who becomes involved in helping decide the custody of a young girl named Rose Barclay, whose parents are embroiled in a contentious divorce. The case is made even more difficult by the mysterious death of Rose's nanny. Stella must help discover Rose's truth, while avoiding becoming another victim in her story.

Sarah Pekkanen's "House of Glass" is a solid psychological thriller. Set in Washington, D.C., it unravels the chaos following a nanny's mysterious death in a wealthy couple's home amidst their bitter divorce.

At the center is Stella Hudson, an attorney tasked with sorting out what's best for the couple's troubled daughter, Rose. Pekkanen crafts tension masterfully, pulling us into Rose's mysterious behavior and selective mutism.

While the story takes its time to simmer, there are moments where the pace lags, especially with a subplot involving Stella's mom. Yet, Pekkanen nails character development, particularly with Rose, keeping us hooked on her every move.

Even though it's a slow burn, the ending packs a punch. "House of Glass" takes you on a thrilling ride through domestic suspense, rewarding patient readers with a satisfying finale.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Sarah Pekkanen, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is anticipated to be released on August 6, 2024.

Propulsive, amazing, pulled me out of a reading slump. This one is for fans of The Push and The Perfect Child. In other words, it was my ideal type of book. I loved the narrator and the cast of characters.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book. I really liked this book. Pekkanen does a good job of keeping you turning the pages. Stella Hudson is appointed by the court to determine what will be best for Rose Barclay, a little girl whose nanny fell out an attic window. Rose has traumatic muteness. Stella herself suffer from the same thing after her mother died. Who killed the nanny? The unsuspecting wife, Beth? Ian, father of the nanny’s baby and Beth’s husband? Harriet, Ian’s disabled mother who lives with them? Read it to find out. This is not a deep enough book for book club, in my opinion. It would, however, make a great beach read. Thank me later!

Loved every second of this twisty thriller! Sarah Pekkanen never disappoints but this might be my favorite of her books. Could not put it down!

Very, very well written! In my opinion this is Sarah Pekkanen's best! It's coming from someone who is her fan. It doesn't take long for this book to capture all of your attention. It's fast-paced and full of suspense. Even after more than halfway through, I felt like any of the suspects could be the person of interest. You can't guess this mystery. Highly recommended!

Review: I absolutely love Sarah’s last book- Gone Tonight so I was so incredibly excited to pick up this book. It’s a fast pace whodunnit mystery that won’t disappoint.

The story surround Stella Hudson, who is the lawyer for Rose. Rose is a child who not only is in the middle of her parents bitter divorce, but she also witnessed the death of her nanny. Because of this, Rose has become mute. This is similar to Stella’s own experience as a child who witnessed her mother’s death and also became mute.

Once Stella begins to visit the Barclay house, very weird things begin to happen. It seems like everyone is hiding something, including Rose, and she doesn’t know who to believe.

It’s high stakes, quick moving, and has some really great twists. The only thing I could have done without what Stella’s mother’s plot line which felt a little dragged out and almost made Stella’s character a little flat. I would have like more Rose who I thought was one of the most fascinating characters. I do love books with a child involved in some sinister things.

The book is definitely creepy and binge worthy. The ending was so well done and satisfying . I love Sarah’s writing style. You’re going to want to pick this one up.

I loved this one. I think it will be one of my top 10 this year!

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵

The story takes you inside the seemingly perfect life of Ian and Beth Barclay, a wealthy couple, and their daughter, Rose. Cracks begin to show when their daughter's nanny, Tina, plunged to her death through a window, or was she pushed?

The Barclays are now going through a divorce and a best interest attorney, Stella Hudson, is called to decide living arrangements that are in the best interest of Rose. Stella sees a lot of similarities in Rose as she went through a difficult and traumatic childhood so the case is very personal to her.

As Stella delves deeper, every member of the Barclay family becomes a suspect - the parents, the grandmother, even the nanny's boyfriend. But the most unsettling suspect is Rose. Is the person Stella's supposed to protect the one she may need protection from?

I read this with a group of buddies and it was difficult to stick to certain chapters each day. I wanted to binge the whole thing in one sitting. I think the author did a great job of misdirection and kept me wondering what was going on and coming up with different theories.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC. House of Glass comes out August 6, 2024!

This book was fantastic! I thought from the beginning that I had the whole thing figured out, but boy was I wrong! Sarah does an incredible job with detail and character building to the point that I was genuinely nervous every time Rose was in a scene. The family dynamic is screwed up and slightly disturbing and as each chapter finishes the anxiety Stella is feeling in the book really comes through. The storyline with Marco seemed unnecessary, but I really appreciated the flashback of Stella's own trauma that correlated with Rose. Stella's relationship with Charles was also really well developed. Couldn't put this book down!

Absolutely loved the ploy twists.... I thought I had it figured out (probably like everyone else) and the ending few chapters sucked me in and I finished the book in 1 sitting!

House of Glass was an amazing thriller read! Sarah Pekkanen can do no wrong in my opinion! Pick this book up!!!

I dole out 5 star ratings pretty sparingly and I loved this book! 5 stars!! I read it in a day and a half- couldn’t put it down. The main plot line in the description was enough to keep you invested and guessing but there were several other layers that added dimension to the story. Read this book!

What could possibly go wrong in a luxurious home—murder, perhaps, or a house without glass, and a truly peculiar mute child?

In the elegant confines of the Barclays' residence in Washington, D.C., lies seem to swirl around. Stella, a lawyer specializing in children's cases, takes on the role of child advocate for nine-year-old Rose, who tragically witnessed her nanny's suicide, rendering her mute. Yet, beneath Rose's silence lies an eerie mystery, compounded by Stella's quest to uncover the truth behind her parents' deaths—one in a fatal traffic accident, the other from drugs.

Rose's family, including her parents and grandmother, display an unnerving protectiveness toward her, attempting to shield her from the world and limit her interactions with Stella. As suspicions mount, all signs point to Rose, but with her inability to speak, breaking through to her becomes an elusive challenge.

I devoured this book in less than 24 hours—it was that captivating. Even in the midst of a reading slump, I found myself instantly hooked the moment I picked it up! There's something about a spine-chilling tale centered around a mysterious child that gets your heart racing, don't you think?

The plot twists in this story took unexpected yet believable turns. Each revelation kept me engrossed, thanks to the impeccable pacing—a hallmark of a stellar thriller in my book. Not once did my attention waver; every detail felt crucial, making for a thoroughly enjoyable read!

House of Glass is an unputdownable book. I read it in one day. Psychological thriller at its best, with all the twists and turns that kept me at the edge of my seat and reading at midnight because I just had to know what happened. The ending didn't disappoint though I had began to suspect who the culprit was towards the end. Very well written. Thank you, Netgalley, for giving me this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a very exciting book and I was definitely sucked in quickly! It is full of suspense and some great twists! I enjoyed the overall story and thought that the book was well written. I love books with surprises, and this delivered.
I received an advance reader copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to NetGalley for the ebook.

Sarah Pekkanen has quickly become one of my favorite thriller writers! She got me hooked right from the start and I couldn't put it down. When you think you know what happened, she throws in another twist and always surprises me. I'm already talking about this book and can't wait until August when I can get this book in others hands!