By: Sarah Pekkanen
Narrator: Laura Benanti
Macmillan Audio
ISBN: 978-1250283993
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: 08/06/2024
Format: Other
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
AUG #AuthorElevatorSeries QA
On the outside they were the golden family with the perfect life. On the inside they built the perfect lie.
A young nanny who plunged to her death, or was she pushed?
A nine-year-old girl who collects sharp objects and refuses to speak.
A lawyer whose job it is to uncover who in the family is a victim and who is a murderer. But how can you find out the truth when everyone here is lying?
Rose Barclay is a nine-year-old girl who witnessed the possible murder of her nanny - in the midst of her parent's bitter divorce - and immediately stopped speaking. Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney, appointed to serve as counsel for children in custody cases. She never accepts clients under thirteen due to her own traumatic childhood, but Stella's mentor, a revered judge, believes Stella is the only one who can help.
From the moment Stella passes through the iron security gate and steps into the gilded, historic DC home of the Barclays, she realizes the case is even more twisted, and the Barclay family far more troubled, than she feared. And there's something eerie about the house itself: It's a plastic house, with not a single bit of glass to be found.
As Stella comes closer to uncovering the secrets the Barclays are desperate to hide, danger wraps around her like a shroud, and her past and present are set on a collision course in ways she never expected. Everyone is a suspect in the nanny's murder. The mother, the father, the grandmother, the nanny's boyfriend. Even Rose. Is the person Stella's supposed to protect the one she may need protection from?
About the Author
Photo credit: Kristina Cherk
Sarah Pekkanen is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 4 co-authored and 10 solo novels. Her books are sold in 36 countries, with several optioned for TV and film. Sarah also co-wrote the screenplay for The Wife Between Us for Amblin Entertainment. She serves on the board of directors of International Thriller Writers, and is the founder of a nonprofit that rescues injured and abused street dogs in India. She lives just outside of Washington, D.C. www.sarahpekkanen.com
Connect with Sarah
SARAH'S BOOKS
SOLO BOOKS (Sarah)
Thrillers:
House of Glass 2024
Gone Tonight 2023
Contemporary (Sarah)
The Ever After 2018
The Perfect Neighbors 2016
Things You Won't Say 2015
Catching Air 2014
The Best of Us 2013
These Girls 2012
Skipping a Beat 2011
The Opposite of Me 2010
SHORT STORIES (Sarah)
Beginning Again 2012
Love, Accidentally 2011
All Is Bright 2010
JOINT BOOKS (Sarah & Greer)
The Golden Couple 2022
You Are Not Alone 2020
The Getaway 2020 (Audible Originals)
An Anonymous Girl 2019
The Wife Between Us 2018
Exceptional Authors. Standout Books. Elevator Talk.
INTRIGUING QUESTIONS. INQUIRING READERS WANT TO KNOW.
"Behind the Book & The Author"
With New York Times Bestselling
Author Sarah Pekkanen
Welcome to the August 2024 #AuthorElevatorSeries! Joining us for the first time a personal and fan favorite— special guest, #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen, with her fourteenth novel, the highly anticipated thriller, HOUSE OF GLASS.
Join us as Sarah shares some fascinating behind-the-scenes exclusives from the book and up-close and personal fun moments from this talented powerhouse author!
Welcome, Sarah!
Behind the Book
Q. INSPIRATION: The spark that ignited the novel. Where were you when the idea came to you?
I was chatting with the mother of one of my son’s friends on a bus and I asked her about her job. She said, “I’m a BIA.” I had no idea what that meant. Once she described it, I knew I had a novel featuring a main character - Stella Hudson - with the same complex job.
Q. WRITING: Do you have a favorite chapter or scene in the novel you enjoyed writing the most?
I always love writing the end because I imbue my books with emotion, and I feel all the things when I wrap up a book. Often my eyes are filled with tears as I say goodbye to my characters, but it’s a bittersweet moment - probably similar to sending your child to school for his or her first day.
Q. UPCOMING: Can you share what you are currently working on or what is next in ten words or less (or more)?
My next novel is finished! It’s a thriller set in a dangerous place very few people have ever seen. I did extensive research for this book and even got snuck into that place undercover - twice!
Thanks, Sarah! Keep reading below, for more up close and personal with Sarah!
Behind the Author
MORNING/NIGHT PERSON?
Morning for sure. I get sleepy by 9:30 PM!
DOG/CAT LOVER?
Both. I can't choose - although I do have a soft spot in my heart for dogs. But cats are awesome, too!
FAVORITE HOBBY?
I love to read and travel. I'll go just about anywhere.
THE FIRST BOOK YOU REMEMBER THAT MADE YOU WANT TO BE AN AUTHOR?
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret was such a powerful book. It felt as if the author, the incomparable Judy Blume, was speaking directly to me as a reader!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR WONDERFUL WORK WITH ANIMALS
Last year, I founded a charity that was granted tax-exempt status by the IRS, called India Street Paws (IndiaStreetPaws.com) I travel to India twice a year to help a local animal rescue build a sanctuary for injured and abused street dogs, and we also vaccinate, feed, and put reflective collars on as many of the 3 million street dogs in India as we can.
THREE MONTHS OF UNINTERRUPTED WRITING TIME
A countryside farmhouse surrounded by animals and organic gardens. This would be a dream!! Can we make this happen? :)
YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO WRITE
I don't have one favorite - I can write anywhere at any time. I love to sip a glass of wine at a restaurant's bar and write on my laptop while eavesdropping on the buzz of conversation around me. I also get some of my best writing done early in the morning, while I'm in bed propped up with pillows.
HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE YOU WRITTEN
House of Glass is my 14th! I've written 8 novels that are similar in genre to Taylor Jenkins Reid, along with 4 co-authored thrillers, and 2 solo thrillers. And I'll continue writing one a year for a long time...
Thank you, Sarah, for spending time with us today!
Praise
"A terrifying gothic thriller. The excellent portrayal of fragile psyches and knife-edge suspense throughout make this a winner."
—BOOKLIST (Starred Review)
“Wow, I loved this one so much! I didn’t want it to be over because I was enjoying it so much, but I couldn’t stop turning pages! HOUSE OF GLASS is a gripping thriller that is packed with surprises and compelling characters.”
— FREIDA MCFADDEN
"Brimming with tension and full of surprises, HOUSE OF GLASS may be my favorite Sarah Pekkanen thriller yet. Eerie, unsettling, and so very, very good. I couldn't put this book down!"
— MEGAN MIRANDA
My Review
Stay tuned for my upcoming #AuthorElevatorSeries Q&A with Sarah on pub day (Aug 6), where we will go behind the scenes of the book and this powerhouse author!
#1 NYT Bestselling author (a long-time favorite) returns following Gone Tonight with her latest riveting thriller, HOUSE OF GLASS. A perfect family with an ideal life turns sinister when a young nanny is suspected of being murdered in this twisty whodunit. (or was it an accident)?
HOUSE OF GLASS is a mesmerizing domestic suspense that combines a whodunit crime thriller with an in-depth psychological study. Its gripping suspense and tantalizing clues will keep you on the edge of your seat.
About...
Set in the Washington DC area, Rose Barclay (age 9) witnesses the possible murder of her nanny, Tina de la Cruz, amid her parents (Beth and Ian) bitter divorce. They are fighting for sole physical and legal custody of their daughter.
Stella Hudson, recently divorced, is Rose Barclay's best interest attorney. She is appointed to counsel the child in custody cases. Due to her own traumatic childhood, she never accepts clients under thirteen. However, the judge believes she may be the only one to help due to her own background and trauma.
Rose has refused to speak and collects sharp objects. There are different kinds of mutism that afflict children. Some in certain environments are called selective mutism. Sometimes, it can occur after brain trauma or surgery. Rose seems to be suffering from traumatic mutism. (After a severe trauma).
Could Rose have violent tendencies?
Stella knew all too well about mutism when she discovered the body of her mother when she was younger than Rose. She could not speak for months.
The grand Potomac, Maryland historical estate with twenty acres purchased for $12 million before the renovation, the added barn, and the two-story shed are home to the Barclays behind its stately iron gates. The property is in both Ian's (dad) and Beth's (mom) names, but ultimately, it was Beth's family's money that made the purchase.
Stella soon realizes the case with this wealthy family is much more twisted, dark, and sinister than she can imagine. Everyone seems to be hiding something and lying.
Who is the victim, and who is the murderer?
Everyone is a suspect in the nanny's murder:
Beth: Mom
Ian: Dad
Harriett: Grandmother
Rose: Daughter
Pete: Nanny's boyfriend.
Everyone seems to have a motive.
In light of the latest discovery, Barclays have removed all of the glass in the home after Rose started collecting sharp objects. The removal of the glass symbolizes the family's attempt to protect Rose from potential harm, but it also hints at the fragile nature of their seemingly perfect life.
Stella sees Rose as an intelligent little girl, but she is hiding "The Stranger Beside Me," a book about the serial killer, Ted Bundy, within the covers of "Anne of Green Gables!"
We learn about Stella's complex past when her father died after swerving off the road to avoid a deer and smashed into a tree at the age of 36, and her mother turned to alcohol and drugs.
Why does Barclays seem hesitant to allow Stella to spend time alone with Rose?
My thoughts...
HOUSE OF GLASS is a thrilling, addictive domestic suspense thriller about marriage, betrayal, family, and the secrets that push us to the edge.
Sarah Pekkanen has been a favorite author of mine since the early days of her contemporary titles, co-authored books, novellas, and her latest thrillers. I have read them all and a huge fan. It does not matter what genre she is writing you can expect superb storytelling and well-developed characters that will keep you captivated from the first page to the last.
Atmospheric with Gothic vibes—the creepy mansion behind the iron gates and the sense of darkness lurking with every page turn create a chilling atmosphere that adds to the suspense and intrigue of the story combined with the suspecting characters and their hidden motives.
Everyone in the house is a suspect, even Rose, and the parallel story with Stella adds to the intrigue. Stella's own traumatic past and her growing concern for Rose's well-being create a multi-layered narrative that keeps readers guessing. Everyone seems to have a motive. Even Stella is in danger. Rose is a wild card, and you do not know what to expect from her and the silence.
Audiobook...
Drum roll, the audiobook is a must-listen performed by the fabulous award-winning actress, Laura Benanti: Tony® Award-winner and five-time Tony® Award nominee, a highly celebrated stage and screen actress. An outstanding performance! The characters come alive—Unputdownable! Highly recommend the audio.
Recs...
HOUSE OF GLASS is a clever cat-and-mouse whodunit thriller for fans of the author, and those of authors Mary Kubica, Sally Hepworth, B.A. Paris, and Kimberly Belle.
A special thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, #MacAudio2024 Google Play, and NetGalley for a gifted ARC and ALC for an honest opinion.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Aug 6, 2024
