The Lost House by Melissa Larsen is a haunting and atmospheric mystery that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Forty years ago, a woman and her infant daughter were found dead under mysterious circumstances in the snowy Icelandic landscape, with the father, now deceased, the prime suspect. Despite no evidence and no arrests, the case remains unsolved and the suspicion of his guilt persists—until his granddaughter, Agnes, decides to uncover the truth.

Agnes, still reeling from the death of her grandfather and a recent personal injury, seeks closure by accepting an invitation to be interviewed by true crime podcaster Nora Carver. Together, they travel to the remote town of Bifröst, where the tragedy occurred, hoping to clear her grandfather’s name. But things take a dark turn when a local girl goes missing the same weekend Agnes arrives, throwing the investigation into chaos. The town becomes a place of both danger and secrets, as Agnes and Nora dig into the past and present, uncovering shocking twists along the way.

Larsen masterfully builds tension and intrigue against the stark, unforgiving Icelandic winter, immersing readers in a world full of mystery and suspense. The exploration of family, guilt, and the lengths people will go to protect their secrets adds emotional depth to the thrilling plot. The Lost House is a dark, captivating read with unexpected twists and a chilling atmosphere that will keep mystery lovers hooked until the very last page.

"Something terrible happened to her."
“A man happened to her."

"...We all carry our own individual truths...our own reasoning for our actions...we distort facts to suit our images of ourselves, and we do this so often that eventually, the lie becomes the truth."

Many of us are feeling the bitter cold this winter. It slows us down. Everything is an effort as the cold drains our energy. It's fascinating to read and listen to The Lost House, by vividly descriptive mystery author Melissa Larsen, bring the physicality of everything frozen around you to this Icelandic murder mystery.

Agnes, 27 years old, suffers a life altering accident leaving her popping pain pills and reevaluating her life. When a true crime podcaster invites Agnes on her podcast to discuss the unsolved murder in her family known as The Frozen Madonna Case (which would be an awesome title for this book), Agnes hops on a plane to Iceland to find out the truth of this cold case.

Forty years ago, her grandfather's wife and infant daughter were found frozen in the lake. His wife's throat was slashed and the baby drowned next to her. With the town believing her grandfather Einar capable of this brutality he took his 9 year old son Magnus (Agnes' father) and moved to California.

Visiting the family home, talking to townsfolk who still believe Einar is guilty, and hearing rumors of affairs, has Agnes ready to run back home. It gets worse when a local woman disappears and Agnes is their number one suspect.

The incomparable voice actress Saskia Maarleveld captures the chilling atmosphere surrounding the town and its people with her uncanny acting abilities.
The Lost House will find you chilled to the bone.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review

I really enjoyed this! The suspense is well done and I liked the writing style. The chapters are short which I enjoyed. The ending was good and I was intrigued throughout. If you enjoy thrillers, I would highly recommend this! I was approved for both the audiobook and the ebook and followed along in the ebook as I was listening to the audiobook and would recommend either format, whichever you prefer. The audiobook narration is fantastic! Special Thank You to Melissa Larsen, St Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the rural snowy Icelandic setting of this book. It's an excellent example of a Nordic Noir thriller. The author did a fantastic job portraying the feelings of isolation, and the writing is beautifully atmospheric. It's a little slow paced, but it held my attention all the way through. That was due in part to the narration of Saskia Maarleveld. Her voice has a haunting quality to it that helps to set the stage and build tension.

This is a perfect book for a cold winter day. The story is engrossing, and the mystery is well plotted.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley, for this complimentary copy. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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 40th anniversary of a cold case double murder in Iceland is fast approaching, and it is to be the subject of the popular podcast's upcoming season. Agnes, the granddaughter of the woman who was found buried in snow with her baby back in 1979, is traveling from California to Iceland to be interviewed for the podcast and see her family's native land. Her grandfather fled to the U.S. with Agnes' father because he was suspected of killing his wife and daughter. Agnes doesn't want to believe that he could have done it, but the evidence seems to be mounting against him. After a young woman goes missing from Agnes' family's abandoned home during a party, Agnes becomes entangled in that investigation as well.

There sure is a lot to unpack with this book, and a lot of different characters to keep track of. Agnes is a very complicated, well-formed main character who is fighting her own demons during the trip to Iceland. She had a good relationship with her grandfather, now deceased, and is struggling with the idea that he might have killed her grandmother and aunt. Nora, the podcast host, was someone I found it difficult to figure out and I couldn't decide whether I liked her or not as she is one of those "celebrity" true crime podcasters that I've grown to dislike. The rest of the cast of characters really rounded the story out well.

I felt like the pacing of the novel was a bit too slow at times, with endless streams of dialogue. It seemed like there were a lot of different possible suspects in the two cases, but the reveal at the end was quite unexpected.

I've heard this audiobook narrator before and she's not my favorite, a little bland. I assume her Icelandic accents were accurate, but I've never heard anyone from that country speaking, so I can't say for sure.

All in all, a decent story.

My first read by Larsen. I found it lacking and hard to finish. I wouldn't recommend. The Lost House by Melissa Larsen.

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

Audiobook
The narrator for this The Lost House, Saskia Maarleveld, was perfectly matched for the book’s tone. She brought out the bleak outlook as well as the heart hidden underneath. Her main narration was generally low and near the edge of vocal fry, but it worked for this story.

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.

I had not read anything by Melissa Larsen previously, but twisty and creepy The Lost House made me want to grab anything that she writes!!

This Nordic noir thriller set in Iceland was so creepy. A woman and her infant were found murdered in the snow four decades ago. Our FMC Agnes returns to her ancestral land and hopes to clear her accused grandfather's name. When Agnes arrives in Bifrost, a young girl goes missing at the same time. The weather added to the discomfort and the reader was kept right in the thick of the story.

Saskia Maarleveld is magical, as always. She brings such life to characters and helps to keep them separate in my head. I adore everything that she narrates, and this was no different.

This book was, ok. It felt like a not great movie that you enjoy watching with your friends while shouting at it and throwing popcorn. The decisions of the FL had me wanting to bash my head against the wall, and it seemed like everything happened too fast. It was crammed into 10 days of time, so things that would take time to build up, like trust and relationships, happened at lightning speed. I had a strong guess for who the murderer was about half way through the book, but that didn't ruin the climax. I will say that the last quarter of the book is the strongest part, once the ball really got rolling for the final confrontation things got fun and I enjoyed the ride. There were a lot of different conflicts going on, the cold case mystery, the podcast, the FL physical health and mental health issues, substance abuse, a missing girl, and then half way through a messy relationship gets added to the mix. It just felt like too much all at once.

I listened to the audiobook and have to say that the reader was really good with the voices. There were times I was almost convinced they'd changed narrators for the mens' voices. I can't say whether or not her Icelandic accent was any good, but it did differentiate the locals from the tourists. I listened to this audiobook through NetGalley.

The Lost House follows Agnes, the granddaughter of a murdered woman from 40 years ago, in which her grandfather was accused of the crime. Agnes has returned to the place where the crime occurred, determined to prove her grandfather’s innocence. Ultimately the crime was never solved, although speculations ran wild. When Agnes comes to investigate, another young lady disappears during that same week. It is hard to believe that this is a coincidence.

Narration for the audiobook was impeccable!

Overall, The Lost House is an enjoyable book if you’re a fan of slow-burn psychological dramas. It was a decent read with moments of suspense and intrigue.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

In the snowy cold of rural Iceland, Agnes’ grandmother and aunt were found murdered and frozen with the moniker of the Icelandic Madonna and Child. Now, thirty years later Agnes has returned when a true crime podcaster has picked up the case to prove once and for all who murdered them. Was it Agnes’ grandfather like everyone thinks, or was it someone else? To complicate things, when Agnes arrives she hears that another young woman had gone missing. This thriller will give you all the chills, just like that cold snow.

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This story follows Agnes as she travels to Iceland to see her ancestral homeland and explore the circumstances under which her late grandfather fled the country after the murder of his wife and infant daughter with his young son, Magnus, her father, in tow. Magnus has always refused to speak of the events and disapproves of her choice to travel to his previous home in Bifröst, Iceland where she will be interviewed by a true crime podcaster for the fortieth anniversary of their deaths. Shortly before Agness arrives, a young woman goes missing from a party adding more tension to the local community.

I found this to be a slow-moving mystery with a few suspenseful moments and a very atmospheric setting. I think readers who enjoy Scandinavian or Nordic Noir will really enjoy this one. It was filled with a community of suspicious and gossipy characters that made a lot of assumptions, some with secrets of their own and motives to keep those secrets to the detriment of both investigations. I thought I knew who did it from the beginning, but I was second guessing myself throughout. One of the twists had me gasping aloud and excitedly exclaiming “yes!”. The only issue I had with the story was keeping all the names straight. There were several characters with the same name or similar names that I kept getting confused.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Saskia Maarleveld and referenced the names using a digital review copy. This is probably my favorite narrator, and I thought she did a fantastic job with the characters, names, drama and suspense. I definitely recommend this format if you’re an audiobook listener.

Thank you to Netgalley, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for a copy provided for an honest review.

Thank you so much to @melissalarsenauthor & @minotaur_books for my advanced reading copy as well as @macmillan.audio for my advanced listening copy.

I first met @melissalarsenauthor at Thrillerfest last year then I got to hang out with her at Iceland Noir and I swear, all the authors that write super dark and messed up books are the absolute nicest people. So when Melissa sent me her newest book I was ECSTATIC. Then when I left Iceland she told me that her book was perfect to pick up whenever I missed Iceland and she was not wrong. Melissa does Iceland so much justice with her newest book, I honestly felt transported back with Agnes and Nora trying to figure out this cold case.

The story follows Agnes, granddaughter of Einar Pálsson (who is thought to have murdered his wife and daughter), now visiting the town of Bifröst in Iceland. She has agreed to be interviewed by Nora Carver, host of a popular true crime podcast. 40 years ago, Einar is the prime suspect when his wife and daughter are found frozen and buried in the Icelandic snow. His wife’s throat slashed and the infant drowned.

Now, a local girl has gone missing the same weekend Agnes arrives and everything changes.

Melissa absolutely killed it with the tension, suspense and atmosphere. I’ve been listening to the audiobook when I can’t have the physical book out and Saskia Maarleveld does such a wonderful job of narrating. She had the perfect voice for an Icelandic thriller (if that makes sense). This is the perfect book to curl up in front of a fireplace and be whisked away to the cold depths of Iceland.

Thanks, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for the review copies. I liked the narrator for the audiobook, but switched to the e-book in order to skim faster The story was too slow and repetitive to hold my interest. The setting was fascinating, though!

*The Lost House* by Melissa Larsen is an atmospheric, slow-burning mystery that delivers on its chilling premise. The setting in Iceland’s stark, snowy landscape was beautifully described and added to the haunting, isolated tone of the story. Agnes’s journey to uncover her family’s dark secrets, while grappling with her own losses and traumas, made for an emotionally gripping narrative.

The twists and turns kept me engaged, even if some were a bit predictable. The true crime podcast angle added a modern touch, and I enjoyed the dynamic between Agnes and Nora as their investigation unraveled more than they bargained for. The local girl’s disappearance cleverly tied the past and present mysteries together, heightening the suspense.

While the pacing was a bit uneven at times, the richly developed characters and the intricate web of secrets made it a worthwhile read. Fans of cold-case thrillers and Nordic noir will find much to love here.

The author has crafted a story so detailed that you feel fully immersed and can visualize the surroundings. Agnes desperately wants to clear her late grandfather's name of a horrific double murder that she knows in her heart he is absolutely innocent. When contacted by a podcaster and looking for a reason to escape her own life she packs a bag and heads to Iceland. It is a dark thriller. Things are not as they seem. Beautifully written with a lot of twists and turns, but at times a little too slow and the ending wasn’t terribly surprising to me. Horrific and creepy, but for me, a bit obvious. Still a good compelling dark dark read. People are never who you think they are.

I enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced and kept me guessing. I hoped for a little more details about the investigation after the twist was revealed, but overall a good book.

The Lost House
Melissa Larsen
Agnes Glin lost her precious grandfather, Elnar Palsson a year and a half ago. She loved him dearly and was still mourning him. She had a surfing accident that shattered her kneecap leaving her in great pain. Agnes is addicted to her pain medications; she attempts to avoid abusing them, but the pain is unbearable. Her life was falling apart.
Her grandfather and father were from Bifrost, Iceland. Forty years ago, Elnar’s wife, Marie and infant daughter were found murdered and buried in the snow. Marie’s throat was cut, and the infant had drowned. The Frozen Madonna case had never been officially closed. Suspicion fell on Elnar but there was no evidence. In small towns rumor and gossip can convict without proof. He was never arrested or charged. He took his son and left Iceland for California. The case was referred to as the Frozen Madonna. When Nora Carver contacted Agnes and invited her to Iceland for an interview on her true crime podcast, Agnes packed her bag and headed for the airport. She saw the opportunity to clear her grandfather’s name.
A girl is missing in Bifrost, could this be connected to her grandmother and aunt’s murder.
The Lost House is a great book to curl up with next to a cozy fire. The fire is a must because this book’s atmosphere is icy cold. In my mind I could see Agnes struggling through the knee-deep snow and the ice-covered roads. Author Melissa Larsen does a superb job of describing Iceland’s weather conditions. While I enjoyed The Lost House, I felt the pace was a bit too slow. The story is told from Agnes’ point of view.
Thank you NetGalley for the review copy.

I may be biased because I *adore* a moody, atmospheric thriller set in a remote, wintry location, but I absolutely loved The Lost House. It was an absolute knockout of a book, a perfectly woven tale of suspense and mystery. From the moment Agnes lands in the remote Icelandic town of Bifröst, the atmosphere is thick with tension and a sense of foreboding that doesn't let up until the final page. Larsen’s vivid descriptions of the Icelandic landscape—cold, harsh, and unforgiving—serve as the perfect backdrop for a story about buried secrets and the dark shadows of family history.

Agnes, a woman still grappling with the recent loss of her grandfather and her own personal trauma, is a deeply complex and relatable protagonist. Her journey to clear her grandfather’s name quickly spirals into something much more sinister when a local girl goes missing during her stay. The narrative expertly weaves between the original family mystery with the new case, keeping you on the edge of your seat.

The book has a tight, layered plot, but it’s the characters that truly make it so compelling. Agnes is flawed, determined, and deeply human—her quest for truth, while trying to piece together her fractured life, is both compelling and heartbreaking. Nora, the true crime podcaster who pulls Agnes into this investigation, is another likeable character, although I wish we'd gotten to delve deeper into her story. The twists in this story are jaw-dropping, and just when you think you’ve figured it out, the rug is pulled from beneath you. The tension builds with every turn, especially as Agnes uncovers the terrifying lengths to which people will go to protect their darkest secrets. By the end, I was in awe of how cleverly everything tied together.

I also loved the setting. The town of Bifröst and its chilling winter setting heightens the tension, adding to the story’s eerie mood. The layers of secrets and betrayal unfold beautifully, creating a completely immersive listening experience.

The Lost House is a five-star book through and through. I loved it. If you're a fan of dark, twisty mysteries with complex characters, this is an absolute must-read.