Girls of Glass by Brianna Labuskes

When the granddaughter of one of Florida’s most powerful judges disappears, it triggers a personal trauma for Detective Alice Garner: the kidnapping and murder of her own child.

As a flood of painful memories comes rushing back, Alice sees herself in the guilt-ridden and emotionally fragile mother Charlotte Burke, who has become the target of a rush to judgment.

All too familiar with Charlotte’s situation, Alice is reluctant to cast any blame. Her gut instincts tell her that Charlotte’s anguish is rooted in something else—somewhere too dark for the truth to be seen. And Alice believes that it’s hiding behind the facade of the illustrious and guarded Burke mansion.

But uncovering Charlotte’s past comes with a risk. For Alice’s own life is becoming entangled in the secrets and lies of the picture-perfect family—an image that is about to be shattered in so many unexpected ways.

My Verdict: While some might not like the random timeline, it didn't bother me. I felt like the author was jumping around from before the murder to after the murder to reveal clues and I kind of liked that style of storytelling. I do feel like I should say that none of the characters are particularly likeable so if that is a deal breaker for you, you might want to skip this one. I like complicated, flawed characters,, so that wasn't even a blip on my radar. I don’t have to necessarily like the characters to enjoy the story.

I love a good twist and while this one had a twist, I have to admit that I had envisioned at least part of the ending as a possibility, so I wasn't completely surprised. I will say that I think if one reads enough psychological thrillers, it becomes hard to be truly surprised, but for that reason I give this novel 4 stars.