by Sarah Pekkanon

Stella Hudson is an attorney who is appointed by the court to advocate for young people. She has a rule that she won t work with anyone under the age of thirteen. But when Charles, a family friend and her mentor, asks her to take on the case of nine year -old Rose Barclay who has stopped speaking, Stella feels like she must accept it. She is ambivalent about it because Stella herself stopped speaking for awhile after a traumatic event when she was young so this case hits a little too close to home.

Rose witnessed her nanny fall to her death from an upstairs window and stopped speaking after that. Her parents are in the midst of a bitter divorce and it is Stella’s job to determine which parent will get custody of Rose.

When she approaches the gated D.C. home of the Barclays, Stella gets a creepy vibe. The Barclays seem to have the perfect house and life but everyone from the mother, father, grandmother, the nanny’s boyfriend and even Rose seem to have secrets. Did the nanny fall or was she pushed? Why are the parents replacing all of the glass in their expensive home with plastic and they have removed anything glass from their home. Why does Rose collect sharp objects? As Stella tried to reach Rose the reader also begins to learn more about Stella’s traumatic childhood and what caused her to stop speaking like Rose. While reading this book it is difficult to figure out who is telling the truth and who is lying. Was the nanny murdered? House of Glass is an engrossing, suspenseful mystery that has a surprising ending.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy.