Thank you Macmillan Audio, for the ALC and St. Martin’s Press, #partner for the advanced copy of House of Glass in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan Audio
Published: August 6, 2024
Summary:
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?
My thoughts:
Right away I was pulled intrigued by this one because of the little girl who refuses to speak. Back when I taught kindergarten, I had a student who had selective mutism, and it’s not something you see in books all too often. This time around, its trauma induced, and I needed to know more!
I loved how all the characters in this book had me questioning whether I believed them or not, even the little girl. They all had possible motives for murder. Without giving spoilers, I will say the little girl reminded me in many ways of another evil child from another book- so if you have read this one, message me and we can chat!
There were so many layers to this one, including how the attorney’s history, is wrapped up into the overall story. No matter how many times I thought I had this one worked out, I was still caught off guard by all the twists and turns. The ending was perfect & I loved how it all played out! So many secrets I didn’t even begin to guess!
Audio thoughts:
This is exactly the type of book I love to listen to…a fast-paced, binge-worthy type of book you don’t want to put down. The narrator, Laura Benanti, did a great job bringing the story to life and kept me completely engaged throughout.
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