Books
Glass Houses

by Jane Haddam
St. Martin's/Minotaur, April 2007, $

Armenian-American detective Gregor Demarkian makes his twenty-second appearance in Glass Houses, Jane Haddam's most recent addition to this elegant, insightful series. In crisp prose, Haddam renders a complex vision of a Philadelphia riven by stereotypes shaped by class, race and sexual orientation. Tension comes to the fore when a serial killer known as the Plate Glass Killer strikes yet again, and Henry Tyder, the alcoholic scion of a prominent old money Philadelphia family, is found bathed in blood near the most recent victim.

Eager to finally close the case, the Philadelphia police don't ask enough questions about Tyder, the most recent in a string of suspects. In fact, it seems that the detectives assigned to the case hate each other so thoroughly that they have allowed their emotions to undermine their work. In short, the case has been botched from its inception, and the local authorities call in retired FBI agent and behavioral specialist Gregor Demarkian to set matters right.

Haddam's particular genius appears in her presentation of each character's psyche, giving voice to disparate viewpoints and demonstrating the peculiar twists of human psychology, especially when sex is involved. It remains for Gregor to discover the threads of connection between and among the victims. Glass Houses is not for the faint of heart, but it will haunt long into the bleak night those hardy souls who persist to its arresting conclusion.

Lynne Maxwell

Armenian-American detective Gregor Demarkian makes his twenty-second appearance in Glass Houses, Jane Haddam's most recent addition to this elegant, insightful series. In crisp prose, Haddam renders a complex vision of a Philadelphia riven by stereotypes shaped by class, race and sexual orientation. Tension comes to the fore when a serial killer known as the Plate Glass Killer strikes yet again, and Henry Tyder, the alcoholic scion of a prominent old money Philadelphia family, is found bathed in blood near the most recent victim.

Eager to finally close the case, the Philadelphia police don't ask enough questions about Tyder, the most recent in a string of suspects. In fact, it seems that the detectives assigned to the case hate each other so thoroughly that they have allowed their emotions to undermine their work. In short, the case has been botched from its inception, and the local authorities call in retired FBI agent and behavioral specialist Gregor Demarkian to set matters right.

Haddam's particular genius appears in her presentation of each character's psyche, giving voice to disparate viewpoints and demonstrating the peculiar twists of human psychology, especially when sex is involved. It remains for Gregor to discover the threads of connection between and among the victims. Glass Houses is not for the faint of heart, but it will haunt long into the bleak night those hardy souls who persist to its arresting conclusion.

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by Jane Haddam
St. Martin's/Minotaur, April 2007, $

Haddam
April 2007
glass-houses
St. Martin's/Minotaur