House of Glass

While reading House of Glass, the same imminent danger ahead vibes that I associate with the old Alfred Hitchcock Hour Show with its sinister music by Bernard Herrmann overtook me, raising goosebumps on my arms. Hitchcock was an expert at creating scream-worthy fear from the ordinary be it a normal person, object or situation and now, in my opinion, so is Author Sarah Pekkanen.

 There’s a sense of foreboding, of fear brought on by the unknown, a hidden danger you know is coming – just not from where, when or how in House of Glass.

Recently divorced, Best Interest Attorney Stella Hudson reluctantly accepts a child custody case at the urgent request of her dearest old friend and mentor Charlie after he convinces her she’s the best lawyer to help a young girl suffering from Traumatic Mutism – a condition that rendered Stella unable to speak for a period of time as a young child following the trauma of finding her own mother dead. Young Rose Barclay hasn’t spoken since she witnessed the mysterious death of her nanny Tina who either fell or was pushed from an upper floor window in the Barclay mansion.

Rose’s parents, Ian and Beth, are amid a bitter custody battle, and Stella must determine which one of them will provide the most stable, safe home for Rose. From her first arrival at the Barclay’s large, sterile, historic home, warning bells sound in Stella’s head. Something is very wrong in this gilded house and her first instinct is to run screaming, but she made a promise to see this assignment through and she will. As the story progresses, it becomes obvious that every person in the household is lying, and each has a motive for wanting Tina dead . . . including young Rose with the dark, haunting eyes who’s been hiding sharp objects in her room. Why? Is she afraid of someone? Or is she planning on harming someone? Stella needs to uncover the truth quickly as threats warning her to leave and stay away escalate even as her own secret past comes calling. 

Pekkanen has brilliantly mastered the art of creating a menacing tone that resonates throughout a story with highly atmospheric settings, hard to read characters and eerie, complex plot lines. A sense of unease and a strong undercurrent of danger increases page by page as you read House of Glass. The author offers up several red herrings with strong motive and challenges Stella and readers with figuring out which one of them is a killer. I had a strong feeling about the identity of the villain, and my intuition proved to be right, but the evil tone that permeates each page of this book kept me riveted in my seat, burning through pages until the end – with every light in the room on. The cast is outstanding with well-defined characters harboring dark, disturbing secrets. A second story line involving Stella’s past intertwines throughout, adding another dimension and intriguing backstory about Stella’s life.

House of Glass is a creepy, well-written, multi-layered psychological thriller that’s sure to entertain fans who enjoy books that leave them with a sense of unease and armchair sleuths who love solving a good murder mystery. Lies, deception, fraud and secrets abound in the face of innocence in this story. Highly recommended to fans of psychological thrillers.