A chilling journey through family secrets set in the icy landscapes of Iceland. The story is suspenseful as past and present are weaved together. The atmospheric setting is eerie and is a perfect backdrop for this mystery.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel. Larsen is truly a fantastic writer who weaves a twisted and yet somewhat chilling story. This novel took the reader on a journey through a land and with characters that were vibrant and tragic. The story was heartbreaking and gripping in its universal story that people will go to great lengths for those they love.

Thanks to NetGalley for this read.

I was intrigued by the premise, but the setting in Iceland tripped me up. Toss in a slow paced read and some rather meh characters it wasn’t a hit for me.

This book wasn’t it for me. I was really excited for a twisty mystery with an immersive atmospheric setting and I was presented with the opposite. I really did not enjoy any of the characters and the romance made the story very disjointed. Unfortunately the plot just fell apart after about 20%. I am all for a DNF, but I chose to stick with it just incase something miraculous happened. It did not.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for this eArc of The Lost House.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for advanced copy for honest review.

The Lost House is on everyone's radar. Agnes heads back to Iceland to clear her grandfather's name. She meets up with Nora who has a true crime podcast and willing to do an interview one year after Agnes' grandfather death. While there a local girl goes missing, and now Nora and Agnes try to piece together the clues but come up with a lot more questions than answers. The Lost House is January's Crime by the Book pick. 4 stars, recommend!

A woman returns to her ancestral home to try to clear her grandfather's name from a long-standing suspicion of murdering his wife. However, once she is there, a local girl goes missing and realizes something might still be going on.

I love mysteries, but this one did not draw me in like a good mystery should. I am not sure exactly what it was, but the writing didn't create that suspense or need to know what happens feeling.

Thank you to Net Galley for early copy of The Lost House by Melissa Larsen. I thought this book was really good and I was definitely interested the whole way through. Trying to figure out if Agnes grandfather committed that horrible crime or not with her family. I will say it could have been a little shorter but other then that it was good. Maybe more with Nora's podcast which I really didn't feel there was any at all since Nora only talked to a few people but nothing really happened with that podcast.
Glad also that there was a twist towards the end to make all of us second guess ourselves!
Overall it was a good read, I would def read more by Melissa in the future.
3.5 stars For me.

Agnes takes a trip to her family’s past. She meets a podcaster and talk about the history of her family’s murders. They also try to figure out who committed the crimes. The Was so good I couldn’t put it down.

I thought this book was just going to be a thriller, but it was so much more than that. The description of place is amazing, it transports the reader to rural Iceland in winter. The main character dealing with personal tragedy, uncovering family secrets, and finding out her true self reminded me of book Weyward. This was a truly captivating story. My only complaint is that the ending felted a bit rushed.

It is enjoyable to read books that take place in other locations. Recently it seems, there are good ones that take place in Iceland, like this one. You can feel the cold and the isolation in the small towns that are featured. And different cultures and ways of thinking. It adds to the suspense of the novel as Agnes travels to Bifrost to find out the truth of whether the grandfather she loved killed his wife and daughter 40 years ago. Not only is this a thriller, murder mystery (both with the murder long ago and a missing woman in present times), it is a story of a young woman looking to find her roots and truth and what she wants in life after her terrible accident.

I enjoyed traveling along with Agnes and could feel her pain and emotions very easily, struggling whether to end all the suffering, or find something worthwhile to hang on to. It coincided very well with the cold and snow and storms in the small town of Bifrost where secrets, lies, and hidden truths abide. This was a good book and went by quickly as I raced to find out all the secrets and missing Asa before more death happened.

The Lost House by Melissa Larsen was SLOW. And not even in a “slow burn, let’s savor every bit of this story” way. It was just slow. Literally nothing happened the entire time, other than Agnes being extremely unlikable. She had a tragic backstory, and a limp from some mysterious injury - but I found as a reader, I didn’t care. It just made her more annoying.

Agnes meets up with podcaster Nora in Iceland, in the hometown of her ancestors… where her father and grandfather were run out after being accused of the gruesome murder of her grandmother and infant Aunt. This is a very famous cold case, and she grew up not believing her grandfather could have been guilty… but now that she’s in Iceland, following clues and talking to locals, she’s starting to think everything she knew about her family was wrong. Then, when another Icelandic girl goes missing, the podcast takes a turn.

But again. Nothing happened. It was like 300+ pages of Agnes limping in the snow. This had so much atmospheric potential… but just fell flat. I would have loved to read this from Nora’s perspective instead. She was kind and interesting… and just not Agnes.

When the “climax” happened, even that wasn’t shocking. And I wouldn’t call anything I read “a twist”.

This fell flat for me.

4.2 stars - Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC audiobook! I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I always read the description to get a sense of the premise and revisit it a few times to fully grasp the plot, characters, and relationships. With a murder that occurred 40 years ago and a storyline spanning three generations, the family dynamics were a bit complex. Adding Icelandic names and cultural elements made it even more challenging to follow, especially when listening to the audiobook. Thankfully, I also had an ARC copy, which allowed me to read the first few chapters—seeing the names in print made a big difference. The book was suspenseful, thrilling, and highly enjoyable! While some parts felt a bit repetitive, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience overall.

Unfortunately, this one was not it for me. I was excited to read this book and was especially intrigued by the Iceland setting. I wish the setting was part of the book more.

I got quite bored at times. It really drags on. I think the book could have been much shorter - if it was, it think it would have been muchhhh better. Characters were unlikeable, plot dragged on, choppy, etc etc. Maybe I found it boring because the MC was looking into something from 30 years before she was born?

This book gave off the perfect vibes for a dark winter read. It takes place in a little town in Iceland, and the author did a wonderful job setting the right tone for this story. Everything was very cold and isolated and ominous.

The MC is Agnes, and she travels to Iceland to help with a podcast based on the murders of her grandmother and aunt. Her grandfather was accused of the murders, but there was never any proof and the case went cold.

Agnes was both a very inspiring character and a very frustrating character. She made a series of stupid decisions, but she also kept pushing forward in very difficult situations. I loved the side characters as well, although I do wish that there was a bit more of a conclusion on Nora, the podcaster.

I was a little disappointed because it was pretty obvious who the villain was quite early on in the story. I’m not good at predicting this stuff, so if I figure it out, you know it’s obvious. But even so, it was still fun to read about and to learn more from the third-act reveal.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for my gifted copy!

This book was such a great read. Agnes travels to Iceland to do a podcast about the murders of her grandmother and aunt, and her grandfather is the one everyone says is guilty.

This story was such a great story, the words flowed so smoothly and the story progressed very nicely. It was over before I wanted it to end!

I would highly recommend this book. Such a great read!

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this advanced reader copy and this is my honest opinion.

3.5 ⭐️ I loved this book.
The scenery is a character. The characters are complex. The story revolves around and old Icelandic tragedy of a woman found (neck slit) holding her dead infant, frozen in the snow. The case was never solved, but new interest forms 40 years later when Nora decides to investigate it for her podcast. Agnes is the granddaughter of the woman mysteriously murdered in the snow, and is looking for answers. She travels to Iceland to be interviewed and to solve the mystery of her grandmothers murder.
This book is just everything you want in a thriller. So good. Larsen is one to watch.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

I had high hopes for this one! The premise is interesting and I was excited to dive into the pages. However, the pacing was sooooo slow. The writing was kind of choppy and didn’t flow, so it was hard to get engaged in. Frankly, by the end I was just glad it was over.

Melissa Larsen's The Lost House was a perfect mystery to read snuggled under my duvet in a snowstorm.

Agnes, recovering from a serious knee injury, travels to Iceland to be interviewed for a podcast. She’s the granddaughter of a man believed to be a notorious killer: her grandfather, Einar, fled Iceland after murdering his wife and baby. But Agnes only knew Einar as her beloved grandfather, and hopes to prove his innocence.

I loved this one, it’s a quiet, character-driven mystery set in a small town in Iceland. I’d recommend it to fans of Clare Mackintosh and Tana French. The atmosphere was so perfect.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for my review copy of this book

Thank you to St. Marten's Press for my copy of THE LOST HOUSE. This one publishes Jan 14.

I enjoyed the characters and the premise of this book but it was a little slow for me. the atmosphere kept me reading even as the plot slowly unraveled before me. I liked the twist which I did not predict, though the ending did feel a little too perfect. I'd still recommend this one!

I liked the main character in this story a lot and hearing about her relationship’s with those around her. I couldn’t solve the mystery of who did what either so that kept me guessing! As a bonus, I’ve never been to Iceland but this books make me want to go!