DNF @ p191

Finished Reading

Pre-Read notes

I can't remember requesting this one, but I imagine I was probably drawn to the cold setting, which I love. Especially in horror books, but I was wrong about the genre here. It's actually a mystery, which doesn't tend to be my cup of tea.

Final Review

Review summary and recommendations

I hope I haunt you. p6

Oh this book did haunt me, with its terrible grammar and syntax, right up to the moment I stopped reading it and put it on my DNF shelf.

Reading Notes

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. The house before her is large and impossibly modern. p31 What does this mean, exactly? That modifier, "impossibly," is just impossible. I mean, this construction is illogical. Nothing can be impossibly anything. Unless you mean to make an illogical statement, like, "I am impossibly a tomato." I suppose technically a thing could be improbably something, though. Like, "Readers will improbably finish this book." Also, this construction appears three different times, making it a tic. An unpleasant one.

2. This book contains more than 250 instances of the word "there's" and more than 600 instances of "its" or "it's". Two of these constructions are passive, too many of which seriously weakens even the strongest prose.

3. DNF @ p191 The grammar and syntax in this book begs for attention. Where was the editor on all those passive constructions? It's impossible to ignore them, there are too many, so I think someone fell down on the job here.

Rating: DNF @ p191
Recommend? no
Finished: Jan 27 '25

Thank you to the author Melissa Larson, publishers St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of THE LOST HOUSE. All views are mine.
---------------

Emotional, eerie, and thought-provoking are just a few words I would use to describe this book. Melissa Larson's use of language and story telling paints an intriguing picture through every page.

Agnes is visiting Iceland for the first time in her life, but she’s already infamous there: 40 years ago, her grandmother and aunt were murdered and their bodies were found frozen in the snow, perfectly preserved. The picture of her grandmother became known as the “Frozen Madonna,” and the case was never solved, though everyone accused Agnes’ grandfather, which caused him to move across the world, to California and start over. Now, Agnes is returning to her ancestral homeland to participate in a podcast and hopefully clear her recently passed grandfather’s name. But right as she arrives, near the anniversary of the murders, another girl goes missing.

The story is told mostly from Agnes’ POV, but there are some chapters from her grandmother’s, POV.

I love a good return-to-cold-case thriller, and this was a really good story. A young, beautiful woman, forever frozen in time, and her granddaughter returning to her family’s abandoned house (literally) yo try and set the record straight. Add in the cold, unforgiving terrain of an Icelandic winter and a recent murder, and you’ve got yourself a thriller!

And I have to say, this one did live up to expectations in most respects. Although, I have to say, I did guess who the killer was relatively early on. But as I’ve said before, if the book is good, as still throws some twists in there, I can still enjoy it, even if I guess part of the ending. And this one had some good twists waiting in there, so I wasn’t disappointed!

Also, there’s some good emotional content in regards to Agnes and the podcaster, Nora. I’m still not sure how I feel about their characters. Both have various flaws and are what I would call semi-unlikable. But I did feel an affinity for both of them over time. I guess it’s up yo each individual reader to determine what they think about them.

Overall, if you like a good thriller, this is a book you will enjoy. It’s yet another in the popular and growing Scandinavian dark mystery genre, which just gets better and better!

The Lost House follows the story of Agnes, who is returning to Iceland to help solve the murder of her grandmother and aunt. Connecting with a famous podcaster known for cracking cases, she's plunged into not only that 40-year-old murder but also the disappearance of a local college student, a student who looks stunningly like her grandmother.

The story is told in multiple POVs, including the missing student, grandmother, and murderer, and traverses more than 40 years. Iceland is a pretty ideal setting for a thriller, plunged into almost perpetual darkness and heavy snow, it is a character in itself.

Unfortunately, it became pretty obvious to me who Agnes shouldn't trust, which did detract from my enjoyment of the latter half of the book. Overall, kudos to an interesting setting and to the difficulty of the dueling POVs and timelines. Demerits to the somewhat predictable ending.

* Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! *

I liked this story but it wasn't a favorite. I try desperately to avoid mystery/thrillers that include a protagonist with substance issues. It's just a personal preference because for me I find when this is involved obviously we have a semi unreliable narrator which can be really annoying. I should have thought more about her having an injury and how that would probably lead to the need for medication. Anyway, all that to say, I would have loved this book a while lot more if that was not an aspect. I did really love the mystery and Agnes' exploration of the past, visiting her ancestral home and working with Nora to solve the new mystery.

I would still recommend this to mystery lovers, but avoid if you like to avoid the more cliché trop of mystery heroine abuses some sort of substance.

Quite slow! It was tough to stay interested in this story as it unfolded. The writing was good, but it just took so long to get through that it wasn't my favorite mystery.

In this book we are following Agnes as she goes to where her family originally immigrated from. Her family left because her grandmother and aunt were brutally murdered and everyone suspected it was her grandfather. Agnes is visiting this small town in hopes of finding out the truth about her grandfather and what actually happened to her grandmother and aunt. Agnes is working with a true crime podcaster named Nora.

Throughout this novel we meet many of the residents of the small town and try to unravel what happened all those years ago. I liked following Agnes on her search for the truth, even though she was an unreliable narrator at times due to her pill usage and seemingly blind faith in her grandfather. I think this book suffered a bit from too much going on and just too many little side plots and distractions.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I liked the twists and turns and the creepy atmosphere. I liked the resolution and they final reveals!

The background community of this plot is eerie. The back story of the death of a young mother and child with suspicions thrown onto the father, a respected university professor, sets the atmosphere perfectly. Small town citizens have passed judgement. 40 years later......a young woman living her won tortured life, the granddaughter of the professor and the murdered mother, returns to investigate and clear her grandfather's name. Set in Iceland, Melissa Larsen's apt descriptions of the ice and cold take me back to deep winter in Alaska. She brings the cold into the story, it's a surreal piece of a Nordic picture.
With the investigation moving through a true crime blog, the women find themselves involved in a current day missing persons case. This story gives readers a "visual" of the cold, dark and terror. This was 5 easy stars for me.

3.5 Stars - rounding down
In "The Lost House," family secrets and the treacherous, frozen landscapes of Iceland serve as a captivating story where the past has a way of lingering in the present. Einar Palssen left pieces of his history when he moved to California with his son. Still, he never imagined that his beloved granddaughter would someday return to uncover those hidden truths.

Agnes is entangled in the silence that surrounds her family's mysterious legacy. The weight of her grandfather's notorious past, a past that remains a mystery to her, looms over her. Years ago, his wife and infant daughter were found buried in the Icelandic snow, resting together as if they were simply asleep. Einar was never charged, and the case remains unsolved. This stigma pushed him away from Iceland with his son, Agnes' father. After Einar's passing, Agnes fears that her chance to unravel the truth about her family has vanished, buried with him.

When Agnes feels all hope is lost, a spark of excitement ignites! A true-crime podcaster reaches out, eager to investigate the chilling case in Iceland, and Agnes eagerly accepts the opportunity to join her. As they delve into her grandparents' past, Agnes is resolute about unearthing the truth and honoring the memory of the grandfather she cherished. However, as they dig deeper, the story becomes increasingly complex. Can she truly believe that the kind man she loved could be capable of such unimaginable acts?

This story is as bleak as the frigid terrain of Iceland. While the premise is intriguing, the pace is slow. The narrative prompts us to question what we truly know about our loved ones. None of the characters are particularly likable, with Agnes becoming especially overwhelming early on. The author may have given her too much to handle. This book may appeal to those who appreciate a deeply woven, slow-paced mystery. Still, I found myself longing for more momentum.

Thanks to the author and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for this ARC, made available through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

📚: The Lost House by Melissa Larsen
⭐️: 2.5/5 (rounding up on #goodreads)

A gruesome discovery 40 years ago - a young mother and her infant daughter, dead in the snow. While their community assumed that the husband did it, the case went cold. Now, Agnes arrives in Iceland at the request of a podcaster to find the truth - and her family’s roots and secrets that lay entangled.

An atmospheric setting and an ending twist that pulls the story together better than expected earns the rounded up score. This was a *very* slow burn with a main character that was insufferable. Ultimately not quite a winter thriller for me.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press & Minotaur Books via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Lost House is out now.

The Lost House is a great wintery whodunnit that is character driven and multi layered. It delves into a present day missing persons case that has similarities to a 40 year old cold case. Agnes comes to the small Icelandic town where her father grew up and her grandfather was accused of a horrendous murder of his wife and infant daughter. Looking for answers Agnes agrees to meet with Nora, a famous podcaster to help prove her beloved grandfathers innocence.

Read this if you like:
-Nordic noir novels with bleak unforgiving landscapes
-small Icelandic town where it feels atmospheric, isolated and in a constant state of a harsh blizzard conditions
-unreliable narrators who are flawed and complex
-dual timelines of a 40 year old murder case and a current missing persons
-dysfunctional families hiding secrets and lies
-character driven slow burns
-twists and turns that keep you guessing

My rating 3.85 out of 5

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Minotaur for this eARC that will be published January 14 2025.

The Lost House is an incredible whodunit with so many missing pieces that when the puzzle is finally put together, well you just have to gasp! You will fall in love with the main character, flaws and all and root for her with your last breath! The second character in this story is its location, Iceland. Through Larsen's amazing writing, you will see the beauty and feel the frozen temperatures. But most of all, this is a twisty thriller you won't be able to put down!

Agnes has come to Iceland to find out if her late grandfather really did kill his wife (her grandmother, and his infant daughter, her father's sister). You see, over forty years ago he was accused of murdering his wife and drowning his daughter in the freezing dead of winter. The accusations at the time so undeniable that he took her father, a young boy at the time, and they left their beloved homeland and moved as far away as possible to California.

Agnes never wanted to believe he was a murderer, although her father made no bones about his thoughts. It was the law in their house to never discuss what happened and when she tried, she was always angrily rebuffed. As for her grandfather, he too would never speak of what happened just pleading with Agnes that she will always love him right?

Now, a criminal podcaster named Nora Carver has invited her to Iceland to see the house her grandfather and father grew up in (which is still a notorious place... for parties) and be interviewed and watch as Nora interviews those who are left who witnessed what had happened all those years ago. Her father, upset that she would even consider going, wants nothing to do with her but Agnes has finally recovered from a horrible accident which almost killed her a year ago and her grandfather's passing still very new convinces her she needs to put all this to rest, whatever the outcome.

As Agnes tries to adjust to not only the freezing snowy weather conditions but also visiting the house and area where the murder took place, she begins to grapple with her still unresolved anxieties. To add to this, she discovers the weekend prior, a local girl disappeared after a drinking party and has not been seen since.

She begins the interviews with Nora and listens in on other interviews from witnesses from many years ago, Agnes starts to lose hope that her grandfather is innocent. She also takes interest in the missing girl's story and with Nora begins to look into this terrible case which most people believe was either an accident from drinking too much and wandering away or suicide.

But everybody has secrets, including Agnes herself. She is afraid of digging too deep because of her fears coming true, but something feels off and she can't explain what. The closer Agnes gets, the more frightened she feels. Is she being played? or is she the next victim or in danger? Is this all worth trying to exonerate a dead man?

The Lost House is a "chilling" thriller with an intense plot as well as an incredibly suspenseful story with an imaginative breathtaking backdrop.

Thank you #NetGalley #MinataurBooks #MelissaLarsen #TheLostHouse for the advanced copy.

Every winter I find myself drawn to snowy thrillers and Gothic fiction. Perhaps this is why Melissa Larsen‘s new book, The Lost House, was so appealing to me. Set in Iceland, it delves into 40-year-old cold case, here a family drama that 27-year-old Agnes has grown up with, spurred on by a new missing person case that might be connected.

Why I Chose This Book:
I first heard about The Lost House in The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 13, which appeared on NetGalley a few months ago. I was instantly hooked and sent in my ARC request. Lately I particularly love books set in Iceland, with its harsh yet beautiful setting fully of mystery. This looked like exactly the kind of book I’d enjoy.

What I Liked:
- Setting in a rural Iceland town
- Agnes is a slightly unreliable narrator, with her addiction to pain medication
- The 40-year-old murder case isn’t just a past crime; it’s what Agnes has grown up with in her small family. What secrets have her father and grandfather been keeping all these years?
- Putting heart into a cold case. How will Agnes be affected once she knows the truth? Will it change her love of her late grandfather?
- Current missing person case paralleling the cold case
- Agnes is bisexual
- How a true crime podcast brings out the truth

Final Thoughts
The Lost House was exactly the kind of stark, wintery mystery I was craving at this time of year. It grapples with how well you know your loved ones, dealing with loss, overcoming life-changing accidents and addiction, and finding your place amidst the harsh realities around you. I loved the setting in Iceland and the unembellished, even cold descriptions. I only wish the ending had been a bit fuller. This was a great read, and I will look out for more books from Melissa Larsen.

This story was both intriguing and interesting. A 40 year old mystery that’s told in the present. This was a good read and sad at times. Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the advanced copy.

Full transparency: I listened to this on audiobook. Highly recommend if that’s your thing.

This was a very character driven mystery novel, which are statistically my favorite kind. Our main character is complex and flawed, but you’re still inclined to root for her in her quest for answers. The little romance side plot didn’t really do it for me but to each their own. The twist wasn’t anything groundbreaking, but it was extremely well executed. I loved the atmosphere and how it was portrayed by the author. As mentioned in the authors note, you can tell she has a real love and appreciation for the area. Ultimately this isn’t a story that is going to stay with me forever but it was definitely worth the read!

, The Lost House, involves a woman going to her family homeland of Iceland with a true crime podcaster to find out, once and for all if her grandfather killed her grandmother (and is fiction).

The Lost House was my favorite of these two by far. First, I loved the cold winter setting of Iceland. Agnes, after suffering a devastating accident that has made walking painful and opioids her drug of choice and the death of her beloved grandfather, has come to rural Iceland to work with a podcaster in solving her grandmother’s murder. A task made more complicated by the recent disappearance of another young woman who looks almost identical to Agnes. This is the perfect isolation thriller, and it truly seems like so many people could be guilty of both or either murder throughout the book. It’s also an absolute coming of age story for Agnes, who is trying to find her place in two worlds that don’t seem to want her as a gay woman, someone with chronic pain, and a woman who doesn’t really know her place in her family. Towards the end I did figure out some of the twists, but not all and all in all I really loved this brand new thriller!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

This slow burn mystery travels to Iceland as a young woman still recovering from a serious injury meets with a true crime podcaster in the town where her grandmother and infant aunt were brutally murdered 40 years ago. Is her now deceased grandfather truly the murderer everyone thought he was, or are there more secrets entombed below the ice and snow?

This was a good story. It doesn't have the noir feel of many Nordic crime stories and reads more like a family mystery. I definitely felt the cold atmosphere and isolation within the story, and it was a perfect pick for an Ohio snow day.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for the #AdvanceReviewCopy

Release Date: January 2025
Genre: Murder Mystery

Summary: Being raised by her loving grandfather, Agnus doesn’t believe in the rumours that haunted her grandfather for 40 years, the ones who insinuate he killed his wife and baby daughter back in Iceland. After his passing, Angus leaves her troubled American life
and sets on a journey through the icy-cold landscape to prove his innocence. What Agnus isn’t prepared for is to also end up centre of another missing girl’s case.

My Thoughts: Set in Iceland, this mystery brings all the cold chills. The descriptions of the landscape were vivid and added to the book’s dark, spooky vibe!
It was, overall, a good story and I liked it but didn’t love it as I expected I would.
The mystery was strong and kept me guessing as clues unfolded but the addition of the missing girl felt too unrelated and almost like it was added just to beef things up. This made the story a bit too long, and the main mystery, secondary.

The characters were all just okay. There wasn’t anyone I particularly cared too much about and that made it so I wanted more from the story itself.

If you’re a patient reader and don’t mind the main mystery shared with another one, give this a try.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this atmospheric Icelandic thriller in this book we follow Agnes. A woman whose grandfather was accused of a famous murder from 40 years ago. After her grandfathers death she decided to travel to Iceland to prove his innocence but secrets and family drama keep Agnes guessing. This book had a very entertaining story the podcast points of the book really helped keep me engaged throughout. There were also these interlude sections that would go back that could get a little confusing. My main issue with this book were the characters I did not like Agnes at all she read as annoying and the parts about the struggle with addiction felt like it didn’t really push the story anywhere but it kept getting brought up. Now if you are a fan of a more atmospheric read this book is up your alley. I read this book when we were having a cold snap and it brought the cold to life in this book. This is my first book by this author but hope to read more from them in the future.