House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen

Hello everyone.  I hope your day is going well.

My dad had a very serious job, negotiating the cost of putting computer systems into military and NASA products.  You'd never know how much he liked to have fun. Going on vacation, drives in the country to see the fall leaves, playing tennis, swimming in the pool, playing cards, or holiday parties...he loved them all. One thing he enjoyed was movies.  I could go on for hours about all his favorites.  Often times he would say something about a movie that would stick.  I remember being in the theater seeing Towering Inferno.  No don't look to see how old it is, I know it was a long time ago!  Us kids were sitting in front of my parents, as the movie got really intense my dad leaned forward and whispered, "I've got sweaty palms, sweaty palms." We still talk about sweaty palm movies today.  One Saturday night we were watching The Omen on TV. Dad was totally into the suspense. As the scene where the priest is in the churchyard plays, he is watching intently, knowing something was about to happen. Suddenly a flagpole goes sailing and impales the priest.  My dad made the funniest half groan, half hard swallow sound.  We still make it today when anything really major happens in a movie. Frankly, I was more creeped out by the nanny hanging herself, telling Damien it was all for him.

I recently read House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen. I have read and enjoyed several books from this author, so I'm always excited when she has a new offering. In this book, we follow Stella, an attorney who advises the court on what is in the best interest of a child during custody battles. Stella has suffered her share of childhood trauma so tries not to take the cases of young, troubled kids, not wanting to reawaken bad memories of her own. This time is different, she accepts this case as a favor, and meets Rose, a nine-year-old girl. Not only are Rose's parents divorcing but she was present when her nanny fell to her death from a third-floor window. While the police suspect multiple people for the nanny's demise, they can't prove anything, admitting that it may well have been an accident. To help Rose, Stella tries to figure out the mystery of the nanny. Naturally, she wouldn't want to advise the court to give custody of the young girl to a murderer.

This book is pure thriller. It is engrossing right from the beginning and hard to put down until the end, leaving the reader with heavy book hangover. The characters are clear, yet complicated, nobody is one dimensional. Very helpful as the reader's suspicion is moved from one person to the next. The plot shoots straight through making for a quick, entertaining novel. The heart-pounding ending is deeply satisfying. Loved it and am ready for the next!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for their generous copy of House of Glass.