Thank you Atria Books #partner, for the finished copy of The Glass Man in exchange for my honest review. I purchased the audiobook for my collection.
Publisher: Atria Books / Simon & Schuster Audio
Published: August 26, 2025
Summary:
The Leo Asker series, which will have you “hooked from the very first page” (Kyle Mills, #1 New York Timesbestselling author), continues with this second installment following wayward detective Leonore Asker on a chilling new murder case.
Detective Leonore Asker has just settled in as head of the Department of Lost Souls, a unit for odd cases, when her father contacts her after years of silence. A body has been found on his farm and, as the main suspect, he is desperate for Leo’s help. But is her father as innocent as he claims or is he trying to reel Leo into his grip once again?
Meanwhile, Martin Hill moves to a secluded estate to write a biography about the business leader Gunnar Irving, intrigued by the fact that the legendary property contains an abandoned astronomical observatory. Soon, Hill discovers that the area has more stories to offer…about mysterious lights and mutilated bodies. While Asker and Hill try to find answers, the Glass Man rises from the depths of darkness from which no one ever returns. Nobody but him.
My thoughts:
This is the second book in the Leo Asker series and I am very much a fan!! A brilliant combination of NordicNoir and crime fiction that leaves you unsettled and wanting more at the same time…yes, please!
This book is just as good as the previous one and I love that there are still more to come in the series! It’s just waiting for them to be translated to English that’s the problem…but that’s a problem for another day. I will say that while this book can be read as a stand-alone, I highly recommend reading the previous one first as it provides some much-needed character development and there are some threads that are carried over.
That being said, this book is in some ways starts off a little quieter than the previous one. It plays with your head a bit, waiting for you to get comfortable before dismantling everything. And I absolutely loved that. A body is discovered but the case becomes so much more than just who is and why were they discovered where they were. The past slowly infiltrates the present, making our beloved characters face their own fears and memories that they would rather not.
I loved the dynamic between Asker and her father – it’s messy and complicated and he’s a master of manipulation. But you somehow feel a little sympathy for him at times. It’s so unnerving.
This is a slow-burning, dark, moody read that kept me fully invested from the beginning. It’s tense, twisted and completely atmospheric. I cannot wait to get my hands on that next book!!
Audio thoughts:
I was thrilled to see that Cassandra Campbell was back to narrate this one as she had narrated the first one. Her consistency with the voices is amazing and she does such a great job with the pacing and tone.
Books in this series:
- The Mountain King
- The Glass Man
- The Rust Forest – due out Dec 1, 2026
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