Forty years ago in Bifröst, Iceland, a young mother was found dead in the snow holding her infant daughter. Her throat had been cut and the baby drowned. The husband was the main suspect, but he had an alibi. Even though he was never charged, public opinion found him guilty, so he moved to California with his nine year old son, Magnus. Einar Pálsson is now dead, but his granddaughter, Agnes, wants to know what really happened. She is invited to Iceland by Nora, to participate in a podcast about "The Madonna and Child". Agnes is not in good shape. She had a serious injury and is addicted to opioids, is dealing with a breakup and now her father is not speaking to her. He also thinks his father is guilty. When she arrives, she finds out that the podcast has shifted focus. Ása, a young woman, has gone missing after a party in the old farmhouse where Einar and his wife had lived. Everyone is out looking for her, but now it seems like it might be a recovery instead of finding her alive. Will Agnes find out who killed her grandmother and aunt? Will Ása be found alive?

This was an extremely atmospheric mystery, with lots of chills along the way. Agnes meets the man who found her grandmother's body and he is sure that her grandfather didn't kill her. He was just a boy, so noone really listened to him. The more Agnes and him talk, the more information he has that causes her to question events. There is a storm raging, it is freezing and anyone left out for too long will freeze to death and another person who has returned to Bifröst is renovating her family farmhouse. I found parts of this book a bit drawn out, and I had to reel myself in a few times as I wandered while listening, but I'm glad I did. The characters were all interesting, many with flaws, but very likable. With a slow buildup, it is important to stick with the story, as the last half will take you for a ride. The mystery is solved, but not by the police. There is danger, heart pounding action and a great ending to bring the story to a satisfying conclusion. The audiobook was narrated by Saskia Maarleveld and she does an amazing job with this story. She gives voice to the various characters and adds just enough expression and emotion to pull you into the story. If you like an atmospheric mystery, then I recommend The Lost House.

Let’s talk about the narrator first—because sometimes they truly make or break an audiobook. And in The Lost House, the narrator’s soothing, captivating voice pulls you into the heart of the Icelandic cold, making you feel the weight of the snowstorms and isolation. Her delivery is mesmerizing, perfectly weaving a story that kept me glued to my headphones.

Now, the story itself? Absolutely haunting and beautifully written. We follow Agnes, a young woman still grappling with the death of her beloved grandfather. Her family’s dark past—specifically the unsolved murder of her grandmother and infant aunt—is something they avoid speaking about, but Agnes feels a deep need to uncover the truth. She takes a risky trip to her family’s home in Iceland to be part of a podcast investigating those very murders, despite her father’s objections.

But things take an even darker turn when a young woman in the village goes missing, and Agnes, despite her own injuries, finds herself drawn into the search. As she connects with this woman, her own personal and family mysteries begin to intertwine with the present-day disappearance. The book masterfully alternates between the past and present, unraveling a chilling tale of loss, grief, and self-discovery.

Agnes is such a complex character—flawed, yet full of strength—on a journey of self-realization she doesn’t even fully recognize yet. I couldn’t stop listening, and found myself completely absorbed, finishing the last four hours in one sitting.

If you love thrillers, mysteries, or stories with rich, complex characters, The Lost House is a must-read. Huge thanks to Melissa Larsen, Macmillan Audio, and Minotaur Books for the ARC audiobook.

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A twisty thriller that slowly unravels a murder case long gone cold, this story will keep you guessing. It is set in a small town in Iceland, following a young woman with family ties to the area who agrees to investigate the murder of her grandmother with a famous podcast host. She find out more than she bargained for when all fingers point to her beloved grandfather as a murderer. Agnes isn’t over his death, and has some secrets of her own that threaten to destroy the new friendships she creates. The narrator uses an amazing accent to voice all the characters and it enriches the story so much.

This slow-burn mystery set in Iceland was an engaging read. I appreciated the depth of the main character, who’s grappling with heavy issues like the death of her grandfather and her struggles with substance abuse. She journeys to Iceland to uncover the truth and hopefully clear her grandfather’s name.

As for the mystery itself, it was fairly predictable. It wasn’t hard to figure out who the culprit was or their motivations. There was also a romance subplot and it provided a glimmer of hope and happiness for the protagonist, which felt fitting given everything she was dealing with. Overall, I thought the book was fine. It dragged a bit in places and the predictability kept it from standing out, but it was still a solid read.

This book really disappointed me. I was hoping for a good mystery thriller set in remote Iceland. Unfortunately I was let down. I felt like it should've had more intrigue and more to the story. I kept reading hoping for more, yet, it never came. Maybe it's because I didn't connect with Agnes at all. She was hooked on painkillers and would be zoning out going to another topic or place completely irrelevant to whomever was talking. Lots of small repetitive details. Good storyline overall, just wasn't a fan of the execution. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I just finished The Lost House by Melissa Larsen and here are my thoughts.

Agnes has a dark family history. The murder of her grandmother and her aunt who was just a baby… no clues, no arrests… just 50 years of pain. After her grandfather dies, she travels back to the country her father moved away from.. The town has never forgotten the fact that they all still think that her grandfather was guilty…

I got the audiobook of this one from @netgalley and @minotaurbooks and it was done very well.
My biggest issue was the pacing. It was a tad slow and it’s lucky I was listening opposed to physically reading because I don’t think I would have kept going. The author weaved in a current mystery with the old mystery and honestly, I get why but it didn’t work well for me.

Now the characters were great. I feel like that's where the magic was and the narrator did an awesome job. She kinda saved the day for me. I liked the plot, the idea of a cold case and a family member wanting to know more. I liked the landscape of where the book was set as well.

Something didn’t jell with all the components and had the pace been faster, it might have worked, it had all the right elements. I didn’t feel it was much of a horror and it didn’t really tick the thriller genre for me either. The spark was missing I think..

3.5 stars

My opinions are my own.

Out now.

When I read the summary of this book and it's setting of Iceland, I was super excited to read it. However, that was short lived as I just didn't find myself returning to read this one after starting. Podcast novels are wildly popular at the moment, solving "frozen" cases. I did like hearing all the names pronounced for me narrated by Saskia Maarleveld since this isn't a language I hear often in the USA. After getting about 50% through the book, I decided that this wasn't the time for me to enjoy this one and to move on to another.  Maybe it was currently being in a cold winter? Could it have been the current political climate that just exhausts you? Not sure, but don't let my DNF cause you to not give this one a try.


Thank you to Melissa Larsen, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the ALC (Advanced Listening Copy) of this book in exchange for an honest review!

A captivating Nordic noir thriller with a satisfying conclusion. The beginning started a little slow, but it picked up as the story progressed. Initially I did not care for the FMC Agnes, as her life is a little messy. But as the story unfolds and the reader learns her backstory, I started to empathize and root for her.
My favorite aspect of the story was the setting. The unique and beautiful landscape of Iceland is perfectly described and acts as almost a character itself. The author's ability to describe the backdrop/scene allowed me to picture the story in my mind like a movie. I listened to the audiobook while simultaneously read the book, adding to my visualization of the story. The audiobook also helped with some of the pronunciation of names/places. Saskia Maarleveld, who narrates the book, does a great job differentiating between the many characters.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press & Macmillan Audio for the eARC and audiobook. All opinions are my own.

My NetGalley shelf app wasn’t working right so i had to uninstall it and I lost all my saved audiobooks so I didn’t get to listen to it before it was archived :( but I’m gonna buy the book because I’ve only heard great things about this one!

A year ago, Agnes’s beloved grandfather died. Forty years before that, he was accused of murdering his wife and infant daughter in the remote Icelandic community of Bifröst where his family lived. No one was ever arrested, and the case was never solved, but the fact that he fled Iceland for California with his surviving son (Agnes’s father) was enough to convince everyone of his guilt. Now, recovering from a serious injury that left her life in shambles, Agnes has traveled to Iceland to be interviewed by a podcaster named Nora Carver who is investigating the cold-case murders of her grandmother and aunt. Agnes is hoping to clear her grandfather’s name, but shortly after she arrives, a local woman goes missing – leaving Agnes and Nora searching for the truth in a labyrinth of secrets and lies.

The Lost House is an intensely atmospheric multigenerational mystery, with a setting so vivid I could practically feel the icy chill of the Icelandic landscape in my bones. I’m always drawn to novels about isolated, insular communities, and I thought Melissa Larsen conveyed that aspect of Bifröst incredibly well. The townspeople are wary of strangers and keep to themselves, which adds an interesting layer of conflict when outsiders Agnes and Nora try to make inroads. There’s lots of thought-provoking commentary about the sensationalism of true crime, and the characters are complex: Through Agnes, Larsen introduces themes of addiction, grief, healing, and the bonds of family. It’s clear that Larsen plotted the book deliberately, balancing two mysteries and two timelines in the narrative, and she did it well because I never got lost in the various strands of the story – and I liked the way the mysteries began to converge as the book neared its conclusion. All that said, however, The Lost House is an incredibly slow burn and meanders a bit too much on the way to that conclusion. I think the pacing of the book could’ve been a bit tighter without sacrificing character development or the book’s themes.

I listened to the audio version, and Saskia Maarleveld did an incredible job with all of the Icelandic pronunciations. Something about the huskiness of her voice was so suitable for this dark, chilling mystery. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the complimentary reading opportunity.

The Lost House is an atmospheric and compelling nordic noir thriller by Melissa Larsen.The story is set in Iceland where, forty years previously, a woman and her infant daughter were murdered. The case has remained unsolved and her husband, the main suspect, moved to United States shortly after the murders. He has recently died and, as the anniversary approaches, Agnes, his granddaughter, is invited to Iceland to take part in a podcast. She immediately accepts, determined to prove, once and for all, his innocence. But, the same weekend she arrives in Iceland, a local girl goes missing and she quickly finds herself swept up into the investigation.

The pace of the tale tends to be a bit slow at the beginning but this gives time to introduce the many characters and lay out all aspects of the old case. It also gives time to weave together the strands of the two crimes which Larsen does masterfully. A very engrossing and suspenseful read. This is my first novel by Larsen but it definitely will not be my last. I read an eARC of this book while listening to the audiobook narrated by Saskia Maarleveld who does an amazing job infusing individual life into the many characters.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press & Macmillan Audio for the eARC and audiobook in exchange for an honest review

“Sometimes you lie for stupid reasons, and then it gets out of your control. It becomes bigger than you know.”

Now that Wisconsin has snow, it’s the perfect time to pick up this mystery set in the cold and snow Iceland. This one is described as a thriller, but it is not that fast paced, and the tension does not pick up until the end. If you expect a slow burn mystery in a secluded setting and like true crime novels, you will enjoy this one!

It is a quiet, understated mystery that tackles some big things like tragic injury, addiction and family betrayal. Additionally, the descriptions of Iceland were breath-taking and atmospheric. The writing was captivating and while I had my suspicions, I had to keep reading to figure it out. No, I did not skip to the end like I normally do!

I could really relate to the main character because of the way she struggled with her leg pain after injury, especially when doctors and others told her she should be able to move past it. This is my personal plea to find a doctor that believes you and looks for ways to treat the pain (or at least improve it) and not mask it with pain killers or tell you mind over matter.

While I understood the podcast element to get Agnes to Iceland, I felt like it was not fully developed and left hanging at the end. Nora, the podcast host bothered me (maybe she was supposed to) and overall, I would have like to see this become a bigger part of the story and have a stronger conclusion.

Thank you to @netgalley, @minotau_books and @Macmillan.audio for the eARC and audio ARC. This was my first immersive read, and it really helped with the names, character line up and pronunciations! Saskia Maarleveld had the perfect tone and cadence to make this mystery come to life!

Saskia Maarleveld did an excellent job with this narration! It was a single POV story but she did an excellent job making it clear in the dialogue who was speaking and giving the characters distinct voices and accents when appropriate. She is such an engaging narrator and she really brought Melissa's story to life! I was on the edge of my seat through the whole book and I love that it felt like a great mix of a mystery and a thriller.

I absolutely loved this one! It was hard to put down and it was hard to go to work because I wanted to be home reading this book. This is my first “Scandinavian Noir” thriller and I will have to be reading more because I really enjoyed the style. It was dark, emotional, and just beautifully written.

I was looking forward to this book, as some of the best mysteries that I've read are similarly atmospheric and isolated. Overall, this one came close to hitting the mark for me, but there was still some pieces that fell flat for me.

The book revolves around Agnes, whose family has a troubling history. Agnes' grandmother and baby were found dead 40 years prior, and the community has always thought that Agnes' grandfather was guilty of their murder. Her grandfather played a huge role in raising her, so Agnes has always thought he was innocent and finds the opportunity to go to Iceland to try to clear his name.

The characters and the relationships between them semi dragged the plot to a slower pace. Agnes' troubled history was hovered on in a repetitive way and made it hard for her story line to progress past her history. The mystery and the pacing of it carried the book well. Overall, it was paced well - made the reader curious from the get go and kept them guessing until the final reveal at the very end.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. The narrator was very consistent in the reading of the book and allowed for the book to be engaging and entertaining for the entire experience. I would recommend this to the readers that I think would enjoy this type of atmospheric mystery.

Thank you @netgalley Another book cover that grabbed my attention! This book takes place primarily in frigid Iceland! Family drama, a mother/baby murder, a missing girl as soon as Agnes arrives in town, small town secrets sprinkled with a little love. What more could you want!? It was a fantastic book with entertaining narration!

For some reason, my winter is never complete until I read a good mystery set in a desolate winter location, it gives the story an atmosphere that feels barren and cold, sometimes almost frightening. I find that snow absorbs the sounds somewhat, making it seem almost silent, knowing that adds a bit of " no one can hear you scream " aspect to the story. The Lost House by Melissa Larsen ticked every box, with its wintery location in Iceland.

Larsen was absolute perfection at describing the scenery, the location, and the characters, it all drew me in quickly, and reaching for a fluffy blanket to shield me from the frosty air I imagined as I listened along.

Probably the thing I liked least, and please know, when I say this, it wasn't a dislike that would make me not want to continue reading, or even give the book a lower rating, this is purely on me. The book includes a podcast, and in the past few years, it feels like every book I pick up centers around a podcast and I am just tired of that aspect of a story, it feels overdone to me personally. However, I am sure plenty love this in a book.

Anyway, Agnes goes to Iceland to appear on a podcast to speak about the murder of her grandmother and aunt. Her grandfather was the suspect in their murders and she is trying to clear his name. While she is there, a girl also goes missing, so she and the podcast host set out to find her.

The mystery is well crafted and the story has plenty of suspense that drives the plot and brings the characters out of the pages into a plausible situation. Speaking of characters, there are several, and you will have a hard time trying to decide if they are trustworthy or not.

The Lost House is entertaining and well written, and I look forward to reading what Larsen puts out next.

While I enjoyed the narrator and was impressed with how she handled all the Icelandic names this book was a miss for me. It dragged and took me way too long to get through. The narrator did great I just wasn’t a fan of the book itself.

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.

After reading the description for The Lost House, I was excited to listen to this audiobook for the snowy, Icelandic setting. The plot and characters, however, could not hold my attention despite returning to this one several times.

The characters did not grab any emotion from me and the story seemed to drag on for longer than needed while not providing much new information.

Some things I did enjoy were the dynamic between Nora and Agnes and the Icelandic visual descriptions made me feel a part of the journey. The narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, did a great job with the voices of different characters and I enjoyed that aspect.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Melissa Larsen for this arc!