Glass Houses picks up where Hardscrabble Road left off - the return of long-time partner Bennis is an extra complication, as Gregor tries to solve a series of killings. The victimology is consistent (middle-aged white women), and the methodology is, too (strangled, usually with a length of plastic tie, then dumped in an alley) but unlike other serial killers, this one seems to lack any sexual component, and there's no escalation. Gregor isn't helped by the detective team investigating the murders - at logger heads, the two men can't stand to even be in the same room as one another.
As always in Haddam novels, there's significant secondary action, with continuing story arcs about the inhabitants of Cavanaugh Street. More interesting is the introduction of British journalist Miss Phillipa Lyndgate, who is adamant that she already knows about America, particularly its ills. Though most striking in Miss Lydham, the depiction of bias and inflexibility of thought is portrayed subtly and through a number of characters. I know I complained last time about the relentless hammering home of bipartisan angst, but in this case the effect is thought provoking and occasionally amusing. And it even made me consider my own anti-American biases, which can't be ban. All in all my faith in Haddam has been restored, and I look forward to her next venture. - Alex
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