House of Glass

Author: Sophie Littlefield
Genre: Suspense
Type: e-book Advanced Reading Copy
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Publication Date: February 25, 2014
First Line: "On Jen Glass's Saturday to-do list, she scheduled an hour to visit the apartment her father died in, and another for the morgue."

Book Description from GoodReads:  Bestselling author Sophie Littlefield delivers a riveting, ripped-from-the-headlines story about a family put to the ultimate test when two men take them hostage inside their home.

Jen Glass has worked hard to achieve the ideal life: a successful career, a beautiful home in an affluent suburb of Minneapolis, a seemingly perfect family. But inside the Glass house, everything is spinning out of Jen's control. Her marriage to her husband, Ted, is on the brink of collapse; her fifteen-year-old daughter grows more distant each day; and her five-year-old son barely speaks a word. Jen is on the verge of breaking, but nothing could have prepared her for what is to come.

On an evening that was supposed to be like any other, two men force their way into the Glasses' home, but what begins as a common robbery takes an even more terrifying turn. Held hostage in the basement for more than forty-eight hours, Jen and Ted must put aside their differences if they have any hope of survival. They will stop at nothing to keep their family safe—even if it means risking their own lives. A taut and emotional tale of a family brought together by extraordinary forces, House of Glass is a harrowing exploration of the lengths a mother will go to protect her children, and the power of tragedy to teach us what truly matters.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Harlequin MIRA and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary e-book copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My Review:  Over a year ago I reviewed another book by Sophie Littlefield called Garden of Stones and was quite impressed with Littlefield's writing style and ability to pull the reader into her story.  Needless to say, I was eager to request the chance to review Littlefield's House of Glass.

This was definitely a suspenseful read but starting out I was a little concerned that a book which took place mainly in one small location may get stagnant but Littlefield had me on the edge of my seat in quite a few situations and didn't let the pace lull in the least.  I think that having the setting based in the family's home, the one place where you'd think you'd feel safe and protected, helped take the creepy factor up a notch too.

This isn't just a suspenseful read though.  Littlefield has added a layer of family dysfunction into the mix.  Each member of the Glass family has their own issues that they're trying to deal with and because of these issues Livvy, Jen and Ted each have their own idea of why they've been taken hostage in their own home.  I liked being able to piece this mystery together alongside the protagonists and enjoyed seeing how assumingly small incidents can morph into something so much bigger and dangerous than anyone could imagine.  I, of course, had my own thoughts as to why the perpetrators were in the Glass' home but I was proven wrong as Littlefield tauntingly pieced the story together for me.

The characters felt authentic which really helped round out the read for me so it was easy to get behind these characters as we witness their world falling apart.  I also liked the fact that the characters aren't angels in their own rights.  Each of them has their own baggage that is brought to the forefront when their family home is invaded and the reader slowly gets to see the fractures in the Glass family.  

The only criticism that I have about this book is that I just didn't quite believe the point of view of four year old, Teddy.  I have a four year old nephew and I just can't imagine him going through the thought processes that Teddy had during the invasion.  Teddy's maturity level seemed older than his four years at certain times and then much younger in others.  For awhile his viewpoint takes precedence and it was my least favourite part of the book and I think that's because I don't think Littlefield took his situation far enough.

This was definitely an edge of your seat read for me.  With diverse characters, a creepy feel this was a book that I had a hard time putting down.  The fact that this story was based on a real case that occurred in Cheshire, Connecticut in 2007 was the icing on the proverbial cake for this mystery/suspense lover.

My Rating: 4/5 stars