Pick this book up if you love all things wintry and murder mysteries. I always enjoy when there’s a true crime podcast angle to a story and this was a very unique take on that theme. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me interested!

Agnes travels to Iceland to unravel the story behind the death of her grandmother and infant aunt. There was never an arrest, but her grandfather and father fled Iceland for California and never spoke of it again. Now that her beloved grandfather has died, Agnes agrees to participate in a podcast delving into her family's story. Grieving her grandfather and still recuperating from a terrible injury, Agnes isn't perhaps in the best state of mind to bring all this up, but she is determined to uncover the truth once and for all.

There are a lot of characters to keep straight in this book, both from current times and those in the past, and it got confusing for me occasionally. But the idea behind this is so compelling and the setting is a character itself so I couldn't help but keep reading. I read this over a rainy and cold weekend and it definitely tied me more to the story! Agnes is troubled for sure and her lack of knowledge of the area and the language made her more of an outsider to her own story.

This started a little slow for me, but once it gets going, it goes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Melissa Larsen’s "The Lost House" is a gripping and atmospheric thriller set in the sleepy Icelandic town of Bifröst, where two horrific crimes, fifty years apart, intertwine in a web of mystery and obsession.

Agnes Glin feels trapped in her current existence, so when the chance to uncover her family's dark past arises in the form of a true crime podcast, she jumps at the opportunity. Agnes' grandfather was the chief suspect in one of Iceland's most notorious unsolved cases: the murder of his wife and infant daughter, which was immortalized in a haunting photograph. As Agnes and podcaster Nora Carver adjust to the eerie, isolated environment, the town is rocked by another mysterious disappearance resembling the 1974 crime.

Larsen expertly weaves psychological depth and vivid character portraits into the narrative, creating a sense of foreboding that grips the reader. The dynamic between the driven Nora and the hesitant Agnes adds tension and intrigue, making for a compelling read. With its measured pace and intricate plot, "The Lost House" delivers a twisty tale full of surprises and effective undertones of menace, resembling the best of Nordic noir.

In "The Lost House," Larsen has crafted a haunting whodunit that keeps readers on edge, delving into the complexities of family secrets and the dark shadows of the past. It's a smart, engaging, and unforgettable novel that will leave a lasting impression.

I was graciously given an advanced copy of the Lost House by Melissa Larsen from Netgalley and Minotaur books.
This book made me cold. The premise of the book is that there were two murders that happened in Iceland 50 years ago and the murderer was never convicted. A woman who believes that her grandfather was the killer makes a trip back to Iceland to essentially prove whether or not he did it. However, when she gets there, a college student goes missing at a party at the ‘murder house’ so everyone starts to wonder if the two incidents are related. Did I mention she goes up there in the middle of winter? That my friends is why it made me so cold.
One of my favorite parts about this book is that it is set in Iceland. My husband and I went there last year, so when the author was explaining Reykjavik I could picture it. She also accurately described the landscape and just the sense of ‘nothingness’ you get when you get out of the city.
As a mom I was not sure if I could read a book all about a murdered mother and child, but the book is not graphic, and it more talks about the people and relationships surrounding the incident instead of the murder itself. It was a good mystery that kept you guessing.

This intriguing Icelandic mystery involves two Americans—a podcaster and the granddaughter of a supposed murderer—interacting with the people in a small Icelandic community.

Everyone but the MC has believed for 40 years that her grandfather murdered her grandmother and aunt. Did he really do it, though? This book has several twists and turns, and it ends in a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

3.5 stars, rounded up for the setting. I wanted to read this thriller primarily because it’s set in Iceland, the most amazing place I have ever been. And the setting and sense of the people and place was very well done and I really enjoyed that part. The mystery here was less successful for me, prolly cause I disliked the FMC, Agnes, so very much (she was hooked on pain pills, her motivations felt off to me and she was not the brightest tool in the shed). I found it hard to like ANY character, actually, so that made parts of this a bit of a slog. However, the ending and resolution was decent though, so a mixed review from me. My thanks to Net Galley & the publisher for my advanced readers copy, I sincerely appreciate it.

Rugged. Stark. COLD. Beautiful. Thinly populated. These are some of the adjectives I gathered from this book regarding Iceland, and having been there, I couldn't agree more. And my opinion of this book, unlike the stable landscape, changed constantly throughout the book. Agnes strikes me as a weak, unlikeable character who really doesn't know where she's headed or why. She felt hollow to me, not a 3 dimensional character and while her grief regarding the death of her grandfather is understandable, it flavors her entire being to where I feel she is barely functioning. Her inner strength finally starts to reveal itself towards the end. Nora was a bit better, but I could never be certain if she was in love with Agnes or just truly wanted to be helpful. Being in love with Agnes would help to explain a lot. The men, for the most part, were confusing and also not completely fleshed out, in my opinion. Oskar, all we see is hostility. Ingvar, sweet but does he have an ulterior motive? The Thors, we don't see enough of them for my taste and don't really understand much about them. In the final analysis, I enjoyed the story and the ending, but the meat of it left me slightly wanting.

This ARC was provided by NetGalley and the publisher, the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own.

The Lost House was a slow burn of a novel. While it wasn’t as suspenseful as I prefer, overall, I liked the book. At times, I felt that the writing was a little disjointed and didn’t see the point of some of the characters (including the podcaster). The Icelandic setting was different and added a nice atmospheric tone. One thing that does get kind of annoying, and has been mentioned by other reviewers, is how often we have to read about Agnes’s leg.

I read this book in one day. It’s a riveting story taking place in Iceland. ! The narrator did an incredible job drawing me in, making me eager to find out what happened next and who the killer was! By the end, I couldn't stop reading; I was on the edge of my seat! Thank you Macmillan and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen and review this one!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc of this book.

We start off learning 40 years in the past. There was a gruesome murder of a mother and baby found murdered in the snows of Iceland. It was assumed that the husband/father murdered them at the time, and the husband fled to California with the surviving child, a son.

We then cut to the future to Agnes the man's granddaughter, and she is trying to clear his name of the murder after his death as her experience with him was one in which she could never imagine him harming someone, let alone family. She returns to Iceland, and the murders are well known in the country . She meets a podcaster interested in interviewing her and also figuring out a new mystery of a girl gone missing recently.

This was an entertaining story, with a little bit of a predictable ending and a slow middle, but overall, a good read. The book was very atmospheric set in Iceland, and the author helped to make you feel you were there trudging through the snow, feeling the cold wind blow while still bundled in layers. Unfortunately the parts where it dragged it dragged to where my mind would wander and I did consider DNFing at one point, but I'm glad I didn't because even though it was kind of predicable it did end well.

The Lost House was just oozing with Icelandic atmosphere, but missing some of the tension that it needed. This book really gave you the feel of Iceland: the frozen fields, the wind, the deadly terrain. It also had a great plot premise.

But it suffered because there wasn't enough action. It was really slow and not that exciting up until about the 200 page mark. I kept waiting because the story had all of the elements of excitement. It doesn't make sense that it was boring.

I figured out the twist pretty early on, but I still loved the reveal. I wish it was a better ride to get there.

An interesting premise for this dark thriller set in Iceland.

Agnes, born in California and recovering from a bad leg injury, journeys back to her family's home in Iceland after her grandfather dies. Her grandmother and aunt had been found dead in the snow 40 years before - a case that had never been solved - but the suspicion had fallen on her grandfather. When he took his surviving son and fled to California, that increased the suspicion that he was the killer.

Agnes agrees to be interviewed by Nora, who runs a podcast and is investigating the decades old murder. Agnes hopes to be able to prove that her grandfather is innocent. Shortly after she arrives in Iceland, another woman, Asa, goes missing from the house in a similar fashion, and the race is on to find her.

This is a slow burner of a novel, and it was a little too slow for me during the middle of the book. I did love the setting, the dark and brooding landscape, the cold and snow - all of which provided such an atmospheric backdrop. Agnes and Nora interview the locals to try and discover what happened, but Agnes is a little cold herself - she seems to be stirring up bad memories of the past and doesn't seem too concerned about the effects that has on others. She is dealing with her own demons as she struggles to discover the truth.

Murder. Podcasts. Family secrets and mysteries. Agnes flies from California to Iceland to dig into all these things and finds more than she bargained for.

This book has many moving pieces, but they all come together in the end. The pieces made it an attention-keeping read. And the writing style made it easy to keep turning pages until I had read for so long that I lost track of time.

Agnes is an amazing character. Her development continues throughout the book, which I love. So many times, the main character remains stagnant, but Agnes evolves with every chapter.

I received a free copy of, The Lost House, by Melissa Larsen, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Agnes's grandfather was accused of murdering his wife and baby, now Agnes wants to clear his name. This novel is set in Iceland, a great place for a thriller.

The Lost House
3⭐️

Agnes is traveling from California to Iceland to meet with a podcaster, Nora, to discuss the brutal murder of Agnes’s grandmother and aunt 40 years earlier. It’s Agnes’s first time traveling to the land her family originated from. Her grandfather died a year earlier and Agnes was extremely close to him. He cared for her and loved her unconditionally. So, it’s makes the possibility of him being a murderer that much harder to accept. A whole town is confident he was the killer and it adds to Agnes’s ongoing internal spiral. It doesn’t help that another young woman has just gone missing and she was last seen at the original “murder house”.

This was very well written. It’s told from Agnes’s POV and follows her internal struggles as she desperately tries to find answers to her family’s past. This is a slower moving mystery. While the writing was great, it was a little too slow to keep me engrossed. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a snowy atmosphere, psychological mystery, and intertwining storylines in a small town.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This review will be shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date Jan 14 2025

After her grandfather's death and her own serious injury, a woman travels to Iceland to discover the truth behind the story of the murders of her grandmother and infant aunt. She partners with a podcaster who facilitates meetings with people who have personal knowledge of the mystery. Fans of Nordic Noir are likely to enjoy it.

Emotional tale of a young woman looking for answers to her family's past. When Agnes decides to go to Iceland to explore the ancient murder of her grandmother and aunt, she defies her father and sets out on a quest that may destroy the bond that she has with the person closest to her, her deceased grandfather. The author expertly portrayed the feelings of trepidation, fear, hope and love that afflicted Agnes as she embarked on this mission alone in a strange and cold country. I enjoyed the land and the people in the small community. Nora was a strong and focused central character that kept the investigation and storyline on track. I also very much enjoyed the way clues were uncovered, almost like tripping over the information. Many surprises and twists, including the tie to a current missing person case, kept me riveted. I not only enjoyed the tale, but now also yearn to experience Iceland for myself!

Get a blanket and a cup of coffee and be prepared to be fully immersed in this story. Agnes is a down on her luck twenty something year old living in California. Her family left Iceland 40 years ago after the unsolved murder of her grandmother and aunt. Although never charged with the crime her grandfather was the only suspect. After his passing she teams up with a podcaster and heads to Iceland to clear his name. I really had no clue what to think about the 40 year old mystery and the recent disappearance. I couldn’t stop turning the pages and was rooting for Agnes the whole way. This was a beautifully written story about family, tragedy, triumph, and finding yourself. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Bleak, barren, dark, and freezing are words I would use to describe this Nordic Noir thriller. I enjoyed the slow burn of this story of Agnes, who travels to Iceland to speak on a podcast, hoping to prove her grandfather’s innocence about a decades long murder of her aunt and grandmother. While she is there, a young woman goes missing and the townspeople are desperate for answers.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book prior to release, as an ARC.
I have always loved the Icelandic setting and stories by another Icelandic author, so I was excited to have an opportunity to read this one as it appeared to be in the same setting.
The story line did not disappoint. I am not going to repeat what happens in the story (as so many other reviewers always do?) as that is part of the synopsis of the book! I thoroughly enjoyed the setting in the cold mysterious Icelandic atmosphere. It makes the story setting even more perfect and appears even more suspenseful. I have not read anything by this author prior and she did not disappoint!! The characters were for the most part likeable and relatable and definitely developed throughout the story. I liked the protagonist who set out to clear her grandpa's name.
The setting of the story was well described, making it possible to picture yourself in the story and environment. That is always a big pet peave of mine...I have to be able to see myself in the story...and this author does it perfectly. The narrative was well built out and not far fetched. Some parts were a little slow and I was hoping for a quicker solution but it made the story still great.
This author definitely made it a great interesting story that the reader will not want to quit!