My first Melissa Larsen novel but definitely not my last. Fantastic setting and characters. All round enjoyable read, nice cozy mystery.
Thank you NetGalley, Melissa Larsen and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this book

"In Melissa Larsen's The Lost House comes the mesmerizing story of a young woman with a haunting past who returns to her ancestral home in Iceland to investigate a gruesome murder in her family.

Forty years ago, a young woman and her infant daughter were found buried in the cold Icelandic snow, lying together as peacefully as though sleeping. Except the mother's throat had been slashed and the infant drowned. The case was never solved. There were no arrests, no conviction. Just a suspicion turned into a certainty: the husband did it. When he took his son and fled halfway across the world to California, it was proof enough of his guilt.

Now, nearly half a century later and a year after his death, his granddaughter, Agnes, is ready to clear her grandfather's name once and for all. Still recovering from his death and a devastating injury, Agnes wants nothing more than an excuse to escape the shambles of her once-stable life - which is why she so readily accepts true crime expert Nora Carver's invitation to be interviewed for her popular podcast. Agnes packs a bag and hops on a last-minute flight to the remote town of Bifröst, Iceland, where Nora is staying, where Agnes's father grew up, and where, supposedly, her grandfather slaughtered his wife and infant daughter.

Is it merely coincidence that a local girl goes missing the very same weekend Agnes arrives? Suddenly, Agnes and Nora's investigation is turned upside down, and everyone in the small Icelandic town is once again a suspect. Seeking to unearth old and new truths alike, Agnes finds herself drawn into a web of secrets that threaten the redemption she is hell-bent on delivering, and even her life - discovering how far a person will go to protect their family, their safety, and their secrets.

Set against an unforgiving Icelandic winter landscape, The Lost House is a chilling and razor-sharp mystery packed with jaw-dropping twists that will leave you breathless."

A true crime podcast, a family mystery, and Iceland? Sold!

“The Lost House” is a thriller that follows a character who is not just trying to solve her own family mystery; along the way, she discovers and learns about her own emotional strength and perseverance.

As a young man, Agnes’ grandfather had to leave Iceland due to the accusations of unaliving his wife and baby. He took his son, Agnes’ father, to the States to escape but never spoke of Iceland or the incident. However, Agnes’ father always believed that he did. After Agnes’ grandfather passes, she is brought back to Iceland due to unfortunate events there while trying to recover from the personal challenges she is struggling with.

Author Melissa Larsen introduces several characters to establish a “who has done it” scenario, which I thought was uncomplicated. “The Lost House” wasn’t as dark and haunting as I thought it would be compared to what I usually read. I found Agnes’s internal struggle woven into the plot a bit tricky as I wanted more about her grandfather and grandmother’s past to be elaborated. But overall, I was entertained.

The Lost House is a very good mystery/suspense read and well worth your time. Larsen does a great job of putting you in the scene, bitter-cold Iceland. And that's not the only thing that will give you chills in this book!

Agnes returns to her family's small hometown in Iceland one year after her grandfather's death. His young wife and infant daughter were murdered there 40 years ago. The case was never solved, but the townspeople don't need answers, they all believe he killed them. Her grandfather took his son and moved to America, never to return. When Agnes is given the opportunity to work with a true crime podcaster who is conducting interviews with the townspeople and is determined to officially close the cold case, she jumps at the chance in hopes of clearing her grandfather's name.

The weekend that Agnes arrives in Iceland, a local girl goes missing. Now there are two crimes to be solved, though this time everyone in town is considered a suspect. The author does a fine job of interlacing the two stories.

The plot is well done with surprises along the way. Characters are well-developed and interesting. A delightful read from an author I plan to keep an eye on.

My thanks to Minotaur Books for granting me access to a DRC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given. Publication is 1/14/25.

I enjoyed reading The Lost House. I love the author's vivid descriptions of the scenery and the setting, which makes it an ideal read on chilly winter days. While the plot progression could have been faster, it never felt dull. It was a well-crafted mystery that wrapped up nicely. All in all, it was a pleasant mystery novel to lose myself in.

The Icelandic atmosphere and world-building were spectacular in The Lost House. Agnes herself got on my nerves and was tough to sympathize with. I found her the least interesting of the characters, finding more fleshed-out perspectives and backgrounds elsewhere. I found the pace slow, sometimes repetitive, and meandering, but I do recognize that those were likely intentional choices and they served the purpose of the plot well. I will say I did see many of the twists/reveals coming and had surmised the conclusion/ending previously, but it did not take away from my enjoyment of the finale or the book itself. I found this one hard to put down and incredibly fun to read.

Thank you to St Martin's Press for the ARC.

Melissa Larsen's The Lost House is a gripping mystery that intertwines a decades-old family tragedy with a fresh disappearance in a small Icelandic town. The story follows Agnes, a determined granddaughter seeking to clear her grandfather’s name, as she joins a true crime podcaster in unraveling the truth behind her family’s dark past. Set against the hauntingly beautiful yet unforgiving Icelandic winter, the narrative builds an atmospheric tension as old secrets resurface and new dangers emerge. The twists are razor-sharp and relentless, pulling readers into a web of lies, betrayal, and the lengths people will go to protect their own. Perfect for fans of cold-case mysteries and atmospheric thrillers, The Lost House is as chilling as the icy landscape it portrays.

I've been devouring everything by Ragnar Jonasson for years, love Olaf Olafson, Arnaldur Indridison. -So when I saw a book set in Iceland, I snapped it up. Melissa Larsen doesn't appear to be Icelandic born, but I suspect she's visited and done some research, because her descriptions of the landscape and people seem to fit right in with native authors I've read.

The Lost House's creepy suspense also fits in with some of my favorite Icelandic novels. All the characters are nicely flawed, and it's hard to tell who the bad guy is until the very end. This was a very satisfying mystery what grabs from the first "I hope I haunt you" to the final resolution. Well done, Larsen.

A murder mystery set in Iceland.

This book was a page turner but fell flat for me at the end.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-copy.

I love a book set in Iceland! And I love a book about a true crime podcast!

This book did not disappoint.

This was a page turner, with the writing style, the dark, atmospheric landscape and the plot and pacing. Perfection!

Agnes travels to Iceland from California on a journey to find the truth about her grandfather. Did he really kill her grandmother and infant aunt? The works through it with the help of the podcaster.

Check this one out!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

I'm not normally a mystery/thriller person, and I've never been a huge fan of true crime, so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this. But the synopsis really pulled me in, and I'm so glad I tried this one - I truly couldn't put it down. Forty years ago, a woman and her infant are found frozen in the Iceland tundra, the woman's throat slit and the baby apparently drowned. The small town of Bifrost immediately assumes the woman's husband did it, although he is never charged, and he flees to America with his son. In present day, the man's granddaughter, Agnes, travels to Bifrost after his death to prove his innocence with the help of a true crime podcaster. Of course, the weekend she arrives, a woman who looks exactly like the women killed decades ago goes missing.

This was a page-turner for sure - I finished it in one day despite the fact that it was Thanksgiving lol, oops - but more than that, Agnes' character growth and her connections with the others involved were really moving and interesting. The twists felt unpredictable, and the stakes felt high both because of the missing woman but also because of Agnes' relationship with her grandfather and desire to understand what really happened. The setting was incredibly atmospheric and spooky, and the writing was gorgeous. The last quarter of the book was amazing and moved so fast, and I was so satisfied at the end. Highly recommend this one.

This is an interesting book particularly the location, Iceland, and that it's freezing cold during the time the story takes place, and since I live in a country that is currently going through a cold spell, I could relate. Agnes has accepted the invitation of a true crime podcaster, Nora, to come to Iceland from California to be interviewed about the unsolved mystery of her grandmother and aunt, both who had been killed some 40 years ago. Her grandfather and father had moved to California not long after their deaths which made the locals suspect the grandfather for doing the deed. To say there is a bit of culture shock is a bit of an understatement, Agnes has never experienced cold such as she lands in, nor snow/ice and language barrier. Some people can speak English sparingly and Agnes has zero ability to speak their language. Another young woman goes missing as soon as Agnes has arrived and Nora wants to be involved in the search for her and talk to the locals, the young woman was at a party that had taken place in the house where Agnes' grandfather and father lived, which had been abandoned but still accessed by locals for a party around the time the killings took place. There is a bit of back story about the young woman that had gone missing, she had been seeing someone and was trying to break it off. I really like both Nora and Agnes, Nora is no nonsense and determined to find answers, no matter who she upsets. Agnes is dealing with an opioid addiction, she had seriously damaged her leg/knee and can't walk far or sit without pain. I would recommend if you enjoy books that take place in cold climates. Thanks to #Netgalley and #StMartins Press for the ARC.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel.

I LOVE Icelandic mysteries. Rich, atmospheric, dark, and captivating. This book had it all. Absolutely PERFECT to read on these short winter days!

I love murder mysteries set in Iceland. They are usually dark and atmospheric, and I love envisioning the landscape. THE LOST HOUSE is both of those things. Even though Melissa Larsen doesn't live in Iceland, she does an excellent job of taking the reader there.

Forty years ago, the unsolved murder of a woman and infant daughter cast doubt on the woman's husband. Although there was no proof, he was ostracized by the town and cemented their beliefs of his guilt by fleeing the country with his young son. Now, his granddaughter, Agnes, has joined a true-crime podcaster, Nora, in investigating the crime. Agnes hopes to clear her grandfather, while Nora wants a good story.

Coinciding with Agnes and Nora's arrival, a local girl, Asa, goes missing. Agnes and Nora get caught up in the search for Asa, and in doing so, they find that many of the people surrounding Asa have ties to that long-ago murder. By digging into what happened to Asa, Agnes and Nora uncover secrets that may help solve that old murder.

This is a slow-burn story rich in atmosphere and characters. I liked both Agnes and Nora, and their relationship was interesting, although I often couldn't believe Nora's patience--there were times I wanted to wring Agnes's neck. The pacing at the beginning was slow, but the story was interesting enough that I kept reading, and I'm glad I did. The ending was worth it. 3.5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is January 14, 2025.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Jan. 14, 2025
“Shutter” author Melissa Larsen transports readers to a snowy town in Iceland for her newest novel, “The Last House”.
In a small Icelandic town, forty years ago, a young child came across a woman and an infant, dead in the snow in what was later discovered to be a grisly murder. The entire community blamed the woman’s husband, causing him to flee to the United States, never once claiming innocence. Now, Agnes receives a message from Nora, a podcaster, who wants to highlight the long-ago murders on her podcast and Agnes accepts because, after all, she is the presumed murderer’s granddaughter. As much as Agnes wants to clear her grandfather’s name, she also is desperate to escape California, recovering from a tragic accident and heartbreak, but she doesn’t expect to be immediately immersed in the case of another missing young girl- the details of which are very similar to the forty-year-old cold case.
Agnes is a protagonist with complicated family secrets, one of which of course is that her grandfather is believed to be a killer. That was all the premise I needed before grabbing at the chance to read Larsen’s “House”. Narrated by Agnes as she navigates the cold case forty years later, there are occasional snippets where readers hear from other characters (one of whom is unnamed, for obvious reasons). Larsen’s novel delves into the “podcast genre” that is becoming so popular these days, but adds a bit of exotic flavour with her cold yet breathtaking Icelandic setting.
There are quite a few suspects right off the hop that jump out at you, but the guessing-game in this novel is by far the best part. Twist after twist, the gripping plot captivates, until the unexpected ending delivers the final blow. Once I started “House”, there was no turning back.
Agnes is the kind of character that is relatable to anyone, mostly for her humanity and utter brokenness. Physically and emotionally, Agnes is looking to escape the world she knows and winds up immersed in a strange world, trying to solve a missing person’s case. She is the ideal character to cheer for, and I bonded with her from the start.
Although I had planned to check out Larsen’s debut, “Shutter”, I have yet to do so and it is always hit-or-miss for me to be introduced to an author with their sophomore novel. However, Larsen’s writing is enchanting, her characters endearing and her plot is suspenseful and thrilling. I look forward to reading more from Larsen (and hopefully, finally, getting a chance to read “Shutter”).

The Icelandic setting of The Lost House steals the show in this book. The freezing snow and unpredictable weather changed the landscape of the book especially in times of great tension. Agnes is struggling and takes hold of a lifeline offered by a podcaster to uncover what really happened forty years ago involving her family. Her grandfather and father have never talked about their time in Iceland so all she knows is what’s been shared in the media and pop culture lore. However, when Agnes arrives in Iceland a local girl goes missing after attending a party and the eerie similarities begin to arise leaving an already struggling Agnes to contend with what she believes to be true completely false.

If you like atmospheric reads then definitely at this book to your tbr. The setting makes this story and its changes ebb like the story itself giving the reader hints of what’s to come.



Thank you publishers and netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback

I definitely liked this from an entertainment perspective. However, I am used to Scandinavian Noir and this does not fit into that category, in my opinion. It's dark, but not that dark. I also clocked the killer pretty early into the narrative, and that is likely not what the author intended, otherwise the book would likely been shorter and with less red herrings. I found the red herrings to be distracting, as in, why are we wasting time on this character when the killer is over there?

As far as straight murder mysteries go, this is good and I would recommend it to mystery readers for sure. But if you're looking for something dark and twisty, this might not be for you.

This was a decent mystery. The setting captivated me immediately. The Icelandic backdrop creates a chilling atmosphere, and the unforgiving winter serves as an excellent location for a mystery story, enhancing the suspense. The story is divided into three sections, alternating between past and present viewpoints. I enjoyed the interview segments where Nora and Agnes spoke with locals about the town's history and the events leading up to the murders. The story also introduced another missing persons case, prompting readers to consider whether the cases are connected. However, I found the mystery surrounding the family murders to be somewhat predictable and the plot unfolds at a very slow pace.

Thank you to NetGallery and to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for giving me a copy.

Agnes Glin leaves her job as a software coder in California to visit Nora Carver in Bifröst, Iceland, and engage in Nora’s true-crime podcast, The End. The new season’s podcast is entitled “the Frozen Madonna” and deals with the death of Agnes’s grandmother and aunt. I want to know more about Agnes, her family, and the deaths.

I find the beginning of this book difficult to read. After the confusion settles, I get to know Agnes’s family. The cold case is warmed up and details are revealed. Thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy.

** four and a half shiny stars

A mesmerizing Nordic mystery, uniquely premised, cleverly plotted, and impossible to put down.

Agnes Glin, our third-person-POV narrator, is twenty-seven years old and has lived her entire life in California, although her heritage on her father’s side is Icelandic. Agnes, with her white-blond hair, is still reeling from a recent traumatic break-up, and an agonizing recovery from a terrible knee injury that has left her with both a limp and a secret addiction to pain killers. Agnes also possesses an even more hideous secret — her past has been clouded by the forty-year-old unsolved Icelandic murder of her grandmother Marie and her infant daughter — where the chief suspect (never charged) is Agnes’s own beloved grandfather Einar.

Alienated from her father, Magnus, (a reclusive engineer with no love lost for his assumed-to-be-murderous father) and dealing with the recent death of her grandfather, Einar, himself, Agnes will make the long voyage to Iceland — where a true-crime blogger, Nora, will host Agnes’s visit in return for her insights, as they laboriously re-examine the unsolved murder with an aim to ultimate closure (and for Agnes, redemption, she hopes, for her much-maligned grandfather).

Evocative and chilling, this story is drenched with black rock, lava fields, ice, and of course, menace - a combination that proves dangerous and deadly as Agnes (in the footsteps of Nora) uncovers a bevy of suspects, more crimes, and even more secrets, in the frigid winter of her homeland.

A terrific read, this is a gripping story with interesting, mysterious, local characters aided by an exotic Nordic setting, and led by a deeply flawed and vulnerable heroine with a fascinating psychological background-story.

A great big thank you to #Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.