Old Ham
Narrator: Brittany Pressley
ISBN: 979-8347023417
Publisher: Podium Publishing
Publication Date: 10/13/2026
Format: Audio
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
Everyone knows Junie Oldham is more than a little strange—but is she actually dangerous?
She's unique, to say the least. Junie Oldham is a middle-aged hoarder who knits sweaters for cats, befriends rescued mice, and pretends to be a recovering alcoholic so she can socialize at AA meetings. Living among the piles of childhood treasures in the home she inherited, she also hangs on to a few resentments—not all of them innocuous.
When a chance encounter with Blake Patton, her high school crush, presents Junie with an opportunity to reconnect with the guy who helped set her on her solitary path, she's ready to go to any length to become part of his life again. Blake doesn't recognize the girl he mocked as "Old Ham" in high school, and his wife is delighted to find such a good math tutor for their daughter. Now Junie has full access to their perfect suburban home. She's already hiding plenty of secrets of her own, but what's hiding in the Patton household?
As the lies unravel and old scars resurface, the Pattons' seemingly happy facade starts to crack open, and it's only a matter of time before everything comes crashing down. Because Junie's waited more than twenty years for the real story to come out, and if she can't get to the truth, there's going to be trouble . . .
From the Edgar Award–nominated author of On a Quiet Street, this hypnotic and razor-sharp psychological thriller about obsession, identity, and the cost of being overlooked is perfect for fans of Baby Reindeer, Gone Girl, and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.
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Praise
“Glass has created a memorable train-wreck character: pathetic and horrifying, but one who can’t be ignored. Bonus: It’s a fast read with a great ending. Cringy, amusing, terrifying. The complete package.”
―Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Gleefully grim . . . A brisk, efficient thrill ride that refuses to pull its punches.”
―Publishers Weekly
“Glass is back with another thriller that readers will devour.”
―Booklist
“Glass really takes readers for a ride . . . Completely mad or genius or both, Junie is a character with purpose that I will not forget.”
―firstCLUE
My Review
Meet Junie Oldham: The Most Unhinged Thriller Character of the Year!
Twenty Years of Waiting: Inside the Dark, Obsessive Revenge of "Old Ham"
Old Ham by Seraphina Nova Glass is a masterclass in unhinged, dark psychological suspense. As a massive fan of both the author's razor-sharp thrillers and narrator Brittany Pressley (whose upcoming audio version I absolutely cannot wait to experience), I find this story absolute perfection. Glass delivers a gleefully grim, deeply unsettling, darkly funny reading experience that's impossible to put down.
Intro
Seraphina Nova Glass trades traditional domestic suspense for a lightning-fast, deliciously twisted character study about obsession, identity, and the severe cost of being overlooked.
The Hook
Imagine Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine losing her moral compass entirely and stepping into the cold, calculated, and vengeful shoes of Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone, blended with the elite suburban deception of a Kaira Rouda thriller.
Elevator Pitch
When her former high school crush—the same man who mocked her with the nickname "Old Ham"—shows up at an AA meeting and fails to recognize her, socially isolated hoarder Junie Oldham seizes the chance to infiltrate his life. Becoming a math tutor for his daughter, Junie gains full access to his perfect suburban home, but she quickly realizes she isn't the only one guarding dark secrets.
Setting
A claustrophobic, cluttered museum of childhood oddities inherited from Junie's parents, contrasted against the deceptively pristine, sterile perfection of a wealthy modern suburban household.
Vibe
Cringey, obsessive, darkly humorous, erratic, and deeply tragic.
Genre
Psychological Thriller / Domestic Suspense / Dark Comedy.
Themes
~The lifelong trauma and psychological scars of childhood bullying.
~The dangerous delusions born from extreme loneliness.
~The facades of suburban perfection versus the reality of hidden decay.
~How being invisible can make a person exceptionally dangerous.
Standout Characters
~Junie "Old Ham" Oldham: A brilliant, pathetic, and horrifyingly memorable train-wreck protagonist who manages to be both deeply sad and utterly terrifying.
~Blake Patton: The high school golden boy turned suburban father who has no idea he has invited his past sins directly into his living room.
Author Writing Standout
Glass brilliantly experiments with short, punchy chapters and sentences. This stylistic shift creates a frantic, breathless pace that mirrors Junie’s rapidly unraveling psyche, forcing you to devour the pages in a single sitting.
Audio Standout
While this review covers the print edition, the audio release features the phenomenal Brittany Pressley. Knowing Pressley’s legendary vocal talent, she is bound to bring flawless precision to Junie's social awkwardness and descent into predatory obsession. Her ability to navigate cringey dark humor ensures that the audio version will be a spectacular treat for the ears later on.
Takeaway
You cannot outrun the ghosts of your past, especially when the people you trampled on have spent twenty years waiting for the perfect moment to make you remember them.
Title Significance
"Old Ham" is the cruel high school moniker given to Junie by her peers—a play on her last name, Oldham. The title highlights how a single, mocking phrase can anchor a person to their trauma, defining their entire identity and driving a two-decade-long thirst for revenge.
Metaphor
Junie's habit of rescuing mice and treating them as houseguests serves as a powerful metaphor for her own existence: an uninvited pest thriving unnoticed in the corners of a pristine house, quietly surviving on scraps while waiting to disrupt the ecosystem.
Why You Should Read
If you love thrillers with highly obsessive, untrustworthy, and deeply eccentric female leads, this book is non-negotiable. It avoids predictable formulas to give you a wild, unforgettable trainwreck of a story.
My Thoughts
As a long-time fan of Seraphina Nova Glass, Victoria Helen Stone, and Kaira Rouda, reading Old Ham felt like the ultimate literary collision of my favorite dark worlds. If you cherished the brilliant, sociopathic, and hyper-calculated revenge plot of Jane Doe, or the wickedly twisted suburban trainwrecks of Rouda's The Favorite Daughter or Best Day Ever, you are going to absolutely lose your mind over Junie Oldham.
The parallels between these masterfully written anti-heroines are incredible, yet Glass gives the trope a completely fresh, agonizing twist. Junie is a beautifully chaotic, tragic train wreck. She isn't a calculating sociopath by nature; she is a deeply traumatized hoarder who has been driven to the absolute brink by extreme isolation.
Watching Junie infiltrate Blake’s pristine suburban life gives you that exact same delicious, breath-catching suspense you feel when reading Glass's own signature hit, On a Quiet Street. While On a Quiet Street explored multiple women chipping away at the dark secrets of a picture-perfect gated neighborhood, Old Ham channels that exact same suburban dread through a singular, hyper-focused, unhinged lens. You are constantly waiting for the mask to slip. Glass captures that sharp, dark, unapologetic female rage that her fans have always loved, but she laces it with a layer of cringe comedy and raw vulnerability that makes Junie uniquely fascinating. You will find yourself actively rooting for a woman who knits cat sweaters and rescues mice to completely dismantle a wealthy man's entire existence—and enjoying every single messy second of it.
Verdict 5/5 stars!
"A beautifully unhinged, brisk, and fiercely entertaining masterpiece of obsession that solidifies Seraphina Nova Glass as a must-read author."
Recs or read alikes
~On a Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass (For the author's trademark breakdown of picture-perfect suburban secrets)
~The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth (For the perfect match of quirky, neurodivergent main characters and dark secrets)
~Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone (For the ultimate calculating, vengeful female lead)
~The Favorite Daughter by Kaira Rouda (For diabolical neighborhood manipulation and dark humor)
Special thanks to Podium Publishing and NetGalley for sharing an advance reading copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating; 5 Stars
Pub Date: Oct 13, 2026
Oct 2026 Must-Read Books
About the Author
Seraphina Nova Glass is a bestselling author, an award-winning playwright, and an assistant professor of instruction and playwright-in-residence at the University of Texas at Arlington, where she teaches film studies and playwriting. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in dramatic writing from Smith College and a second MFA in directing from the University of Idaho.
Her novel On a Quiet Street was nominated for an Edgar Award and was featured in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and Bustle. Glass is a proud dog mom and loves to travel the world with her husband. She resides in Dallas, Texas.
