Heart of Glass: A Novel
"One of the most anticipated books of 2026!" —New York Times
"One of the finest suspense writers of her generation. Amazing dialogue, complex characters and a dazzling plot. Never has betrayal seemed so fascinating. " —S.A Cosby
Twenty-five years ago in Seaside, Washington, a charming drifter named Sam met three inseparable teenage girls at the local amusement park. Days later, one of them was found dead, her body surfacing in a flooded cranberry bog not far from where she was murdered.
Barb and Nicolette were shocked to learn that the man they all met at Wonderland was the Carnival Killer. After he's arrested for the murders of five young women – one of whom was their best friend, Lorelei – Nicolette moved to the city to pursue her dreams of being famous. Barb stayed behind in Seaside, eventually becoming a reporter for the local paper. Their past safely behind them, they’ve both moved on with their lives.
But when the Carnival Killer recants his confession and a new body washes ashore on the eve of Wonderland’s grand reopening, the secrets that Barb and Nicolette have worked so hard to bury begin to resurface, threatening to destroy everything in their carefully constructed lives.
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Community Reviews
Jennifer Hillier’s Heart of Glass is surprisingly dark and simultaneously hilarious. Though it may be bloated with annoying characters and unnecessary perspectives, it still satisfies.
What sold the book to me was Barb Bonifacio. She was such a fun and relatable character. I really enjoyed her personality and humor. She was a great protagonist! I almost wished that the entire book was told from her perspective. I didn’t need the other POVs from the other women.
The heavy incorporation of reality TV shows and the online fandom discourse throughout the book was certainly a choice. I am not well versed in reality tv shows, but they are clearly popular and have a lot of buzz online. I was okay with the incorporation of it in the book because it served as a social commentary about toxic online fandom and media exploitation. I can see how other readers would be irritated by all of it. I just appreciated reading a thriller novel that actually had some interesting social commentary in it.
I didn’t really care for Nicolette Montes. She felt like a cheap rendition of Regina George from Mean Girls (2004). There’s a difference between unlikable characters and annoying characters. She was just annoying. The chapters focusing on her perspective felt like filler. I would have much preferred remaining solely focused on Barb’s perspective.
The inevitable twist was also very rushed and nonsensical. It felt like Jennifer Hillier wanted to pull a twist that would catch the reader completely off guard. Perhaps to avoid the obvious predictability of who we all thought the real killer was going to be. But by doing that, it lacked any logic or reasoning behind it. I suppose that gave the book a level of ambiguity, but there’s a difference between ambiguity and incompleteness.
I would still recommend the book. It had a likable protagonist and it offered something a little different than what we usually read in thriller novels nowadays.
What sold the book to me was Barb Bonifacio. She was such a fun and relatable character. I really enjoyed her personality and humor. She was a great protagonist! I almost wished that the entire book was told from her perspective. I didn’t need the other POVs from the other women.
The heavy incorporation of reality TV shows and the online fandom discourse throughout the book was certainly a choice. I am not well versed in reality tv shows, but they are clearly popular and have a lot of buzz online. I was okay with the incorporation of it in the book because it served as a social commentary about toxic online fandom and media exploitation. I can see how other readers would be irritated by all of it. I just appreciated reading a thriller novel that actually had some interesting social commentary in it.
I didn’t really care for Nicolette Montes. She felt like a cheap rendition of Regina George from Mean Girls (2004). There’s a difference between unlikable characters and annoying characters. She was just annoying. The chapters focusing on her perspective felt like filler. I would have much preferred remaining solely focused on Barb’s perspective.
The inevitable twist was also very rushed and nonsensical. It felt like Jennifer Hillier wanted to pull a twist that would catch the reader completely off guard. Perhaps to avoid the obvious predictability of who we all thought the real killer was going to be. But by doing that, it lacked any logic or reasoning behind it. I suppose that gave the book a level of ambiguity, but there’s a difference between ambiguity and incompleteness.
I would still recommend the book. It had a likable protagonist and it offered something a little different than what we usually read in thriller novels nowadays.
Whew! Jennifer HIllier has been MIA, but came back with a vengeance!
GOH is a slow burn suspense mystery into the death of 5 young women in a small coastal town. The serial killer has been in prison for 25 years, but he only confessed to 4. So, who murdered girl 5?
Barb is a local writer whose big New York City dreams never materialized. She's been stuck in Seaside skirting by, until she happens on news of a body washing ashore.
The story gives us reality tv drama, high school friendship drama, true crime podcast, and a big bang of a finale! The plot twist in the end had me shook! I did NOT see that coming.
I will admit that the host of characters, multiple timelines, and slow start weighed on my patience, but it still kept my interest. It's a story that you have to pay close attention to, and I had to just pace myself. I kinda want to read the book all over again to hone in on some clues/details I missed in the beginning.
After I finished I learned that this is book 2 in a series and I may have missed out on some big pieces. I may have to double back to get a better feel for the story. I love when authors produce a quality story; I'd rather read a great story by an author every couple of years, than to read something thrown together and cranked out every month.
The audiobook was really entertaining. The multicast narration by Brittany Pressley, Chris Brinkley, Eunice Wong, Ferdelle Capistrano, and January LaVoy was well done, it helped differentiate the characters and enhanced the listening experience. I'm not sure which narrator - Eunice or Ferdelle - was the voice of the main character, Barb, but whoever it was sounded exactly like what I'd imagine a freelance writer/blogger to sound like - very curious/nosy, highly suspicous. She was a great fit!
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