
Member Reviews

Rating: 4/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.
Agnes is on a mission to clear her grandfather’s name for once and for all. 40 years ago, her grandfather was accused of murdering his wife and infant daughter, after no arrests or conviction he left Iceland for America. When Nora, a true crime podcaster, asks her to speak up on her grandfather's unsolved case in Iceland, she jumps on the plan to see what she can do to help clear his name but when she gets there, she finds out that another girl has gone missing, and they have no leads. With the help of Nora, Agnes gets to solving this twisting and turning mystery.
I really liked this suspenseful murder mystery. I loved how the author wrote this chilling, winter book. You will feel the cold of the snow, feel the ice-covered roads. I loved that the author wrote about the different places that Agnes’s father played and where her grandfather used to live. I liked how this thriller/mystery checked all my boxes; the plot was thrilling and suspenseful, I loved that it was twisting and turning and that it felt you on the edge of your seat. I liked that the author made sure that the side characters didn’t feel like side characters to me. I found the depth of the darkness in this book to have been done right. The characters were well written, and the author writes them, they will feel like they’re people who you know and are real. I found Agnes the easiest to connect with and I loved that she was determined to the truth no matter what.
I received the audio for this book as well and I thought the narrative Saskia Maarleveld did a perfect job. She has the best voice to bring this thriller to life for the readers and will keep you on your toes/edge of the seat.
I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin Press and Mcmillian for the opportunity to review this book.

This book provided some good nailbiting moments. I am disappointed that it didn't show up as an LGBTQ subcategory as I would not have requested it. I do not have issues with the community, but prefer not to read details about their sexual life. The story could have been well developed without those descriptors. The fact that the lead character recovered from a suicide attempt is also a string that I feel the author could have pulled on more.

Thank you so much @macmillan_audio for this audio book as a part of your influencer program! 🖤 Pub Date: OUT NOW ❄️
This book follows Agnes, a young woman who is was contacted by Nora, a podcast host, to go back to her ancestral home in Iceland where the gruesome murder of grandmother & her baby, her father's sibling, took place. Her grandfather was always suspected for the murders but was never convicted of the crime & always maintained his innocence.
The same weekend that Agnes arrives, a young woman goes missing. Are these two crimes connected? Did her grandfather who she loved fiercely commit these horrific murders? That's what you're here to find out.
I liked the storyline of the book, the setting being that it was remote is always a plus for me, but the story really didn't do anything for me. For some reason, I really wasn't the biggest fan of Agnes. I don't think I really liked anyone that much in the story which made it hard for me to actually care about what happened & why. There were a bunch of characters & listening the audio, I got confused a lot. In my opinion-- it was hard to follow.
The ending confused me a bit too because since there were so many characters & things going on (the missing woman & all her friends + everyone talking about the past murder) I was a bit underwhelmed when the truth was revealed.
I do feel like I might have had a different opinion if I read this in print so if this sounds appealing to you-- I might skip the audio & read it!

The story unwinds at a leisurely pace and has a good sense of place. It took me a few chapters before I could completely get into the story and characters. Ultimately as the story unrolled and as the pieces fell into place it became thrilling and I got excited for the ending.
The narrator had a gentle, easygoing tone with good characterization. The writing style was simplistic, however, and switched between dialogue and action scenes with little exposition, making the audiobook a little challenging at times to follow. I imagine that this would be a better book to read than to listen to.

❄️THE LOST HOUSE❄️ by @melissalarsenauthor was a thrilling puzzle box set in a wintery landscape that gave me chills! Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publishers, @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the audio and e-ARCs.
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Agnes touches down in Keflavik for the first time after decades of hearing the harrowing story of her family's tragic past. Her grandfather fled Iceland 40 years earlier with Agnes's young father in tow after his wife and newborn daughter were found frozen, the matriarch with a slit across her throat.
Agnes is in Iceland to meet with Nora, a host of the podcast The End who is doing a story on her family and the village they lived in for the 40th anniversary. The two enjoy a tepid reception from a town that has made up their minds that Agnes's grandfather was the killer all those years ago. Can Agnes find evidence that the grandfather she has always known and loved is not a killer?
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This was my kind of thriller! Small town gossip, citizen sleuths, and a locked-in style cold weather landscape made this one shine. The podcast angle is certainly becoming a normal thriller theme and I enjoyed the way the two characters with dueling agendas played against and in collaboration with each other. Loved the ending twist!
My main complaint was that I am over the protagonist as druggie/mental health sufferer that can't ever trust themselves. Makes for good thrillers I guess, but just not my fave. I also probably could have gone without the romance aspect but points for it being sapphic!
I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves cold weather thrillers, dusting off cold cases, redemption ARCs, and Icelandic culture.

This is an atmospheric haunting mystery that gave me chills. Throughout this gripping story is a strong sense of foreboding. This is a story that will stay with you long after you are finished reading. Chilling, compelling, and suspenseful describe this original absorbing story. The narration brought the story to life while adding an element of intensity and emotion. Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my audiobook.

Very thoroughly written with amazing twists. This book has just enough suspense to keep you guessing.

The Lost House is the perfect cold-weather (or honestly anytime) book to curl up with and fall into the mystery. What did happen to Agnes's grandmother? How did she and her baby daughter end up frozen on the snow, and, in the current time period, where is Asa? The dual time periods, but somehow connected, in a way that isn't clear almost until the end is so addictive that I found myself frantically swiping left. Right from the very first line, "I hope I haunt you", I needed to know. When the true villain was finally revealed...perfect. The fact that the audio version is narrated by one of my favs, the incredibly talented Saskia Maarlevald, took what it already a great book and added that extra something.

Out now! Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the audiobook to read and review.
I'm giving it 4 stars for how beautifully written, dark yet uplifting this novel is.
This is pretty heavy at times. It's beautifully and descriptively written. It gets dark and then it gets less dark. There are friendships forged and relationships broken. This was such a great read!
I love this narrator. She did a great job with pacing and it was easy to stay 'in' the story with her telling. Between the writing and the narration the scenes are really brought to life in the mind. The chilling atmosphere (literally, it's freezing in Bifrost), the odd characters and the tense, thrilling moments were so clear in my mind. The mystery of the mother and daughter found frozen 40 years earlier is at the center of the story but there are so many other relationships uncovered and secrets exposed throughout. I couldn't get through this fast enough!
I think if I have one tiny nitpicky thing -- there is only one (that I can remember???) podcast "episode" in the story. I do love mixed media in novels so another/ more podcast episodes would have been fun but it didn't take too much away from the story either, as I understand Nora was still in the process of investigating during the whole novel.

A cold and snowy winter thriller. The Lost House follows Agnes as she travels from California to Iceland to help Nora, a crime podcast journalist, figure out the mystery of who actually killed her grandmother and infant aunt many years prior. They also stumble onto another missing person case while there, this one just happening. It kept me guessing and engaged. Definitely a worthwhile read!

🎧 Book Review 🎧 In the land of fire and ice, Icelandic myths and lore hide in the crevices of the marvelous and unique landscape that is so majestic that it simply takes your breath away. Melissa Larsen explores a macabre side of this idyllic island in her latest book, The Lost House. This atmospheric novel captivates readers, journeying along with Agnes, a young American woman with familial ties to Iceland. As she finally visits her ancestral Ísland, she digs deeper than she could have anticipated into a decades long murder mystery that has sullied her family history, and become a cult-like obsession for many. The Lost House is an absolutely beautifully written, gripping novel that explores generational trauma, loss, and the hope to start anew amidst the enchantingly magical landscape of Iceland in the winter.

So I almost DNF this because I was bored and getting annoyed with the MC, but the ending was worth it.

This was a pretty solid listen. I really enjoyed the narrator and feel like her accents and inflections really elevated the listening experience.
I liked the general plot a lot. Agnes was a compelling character and exploring her family’s history in her ancestral home was intriguing and chilling. I’m always a fan of mysteries where seeming unrelated events start to become more and more connected and this book did it so well. The plot did drag a bit and despite generally enjoying a slow burn I could feel myself losing interest at times. I liked how everything played out though and the ending was very fitting and left me quite satisfied.

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Pub Date: 1/14
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I always love a good Nordic noir thriller. They just hit the spot during the cold winter months for me.
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The Lost House was everything I wanted and needed in a Nordic noir during these frigid temps in PA. Right from the start I fell in love with the premise of this story. Agnes returns to Iceland with a podcast producer Nora to discuss a 40 year old mystery involving a mother and infant. The day Agnes arrives another girl goes missing. Agnes and Nora decide to investigate on their own.
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I was so invested in this story right from the start. I loved the idea of the murders and the missing girl being potentially related. I loved the atmospheric writing - making me literally chilled to the bone while I was reading. The characters were great and the pacing was spot on between a steady to a fast and thrilling pace. The twists were placed perfectly and I felt that the ending was perfect for this story.
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I listened to this one via audiobook and Saskia Maarleveld was fantastic. I literally couldn’t put this one down. I think this was great! Highly recommend the audiobook.
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Overall, this was a fantastic Nordic noir and it is perfect for the cold winters! I loved this thrilling, atmospheric mystery! Make sure to check this one out! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Melissa Larsen and MacMillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

The Lost House by Melissa Larsen was both suspenseful and atmospheric. It was set in the frigid terrain of Iceland with plentiful snow, sometimes producing blizzard like conditions and limited sunshine. A place where neighbors lived far apart yet maintained a sense of familiarity. The town of Bifrost had been the site a horrific murder mystery that occurred forty years in the past. There was never conclusive evidence to prove who the murderer was but the people of Bifrost never wavered from their suspicions despite the lack of evidence to provide a guilty verdict. The suspect and his young son vanished and made their way to California. They never looked back nor returned.
Agnes Glin had arrived in Iceland on the fortieth anniversary of the notorious murder mystery that her grandfather had been suspected of committing. It had been Agnes’s grandmother and aunt who had been murdered all those years ago. Her grandfather had been accused of the crime but no evidence ever proved that he was responsible for murdering his wife and infant daughter. Agnes had been invited to come to Iceland by Nora Carver, a true-crime podcaster. Nora Carver wanted to open up this cold case and interview the people who had been alive at the time of the murder. She was hoping to uncover some clues that had never surfaced before. She invited Agnes to join her so that she could interview her and gain her perspective on how she felt about her grandfather’s role in the murders. It was the perfect time for Agnes to visit Iceland for her very first time. Her grandfather had recently died and Agnes had recently ended a long term relationship with her girlfriend. She wanted more than anything to clear her grandfather’s name once and for all. Just as Agnes arrived in Iceland, she learned that a young women had gone missing. There had been a party at her grandfather’s long ago abandoned home to commemorate the murder that had occurred forty years ago in the past. The young woman who had gone missing had received a phone call that night just before she had left the party and had not been seen or heard from since then. Did the woman want to disappear or was foul play involved? Could there be another murder case in Bifrost? Search parties were organized and led to help find her. Would Agnes find out the truth about what happened to grandmother and aunt all those years ago? Was the grandfather Agnes came to love and respect capable of murder?
I listened to the audiobook of The Lost House by Melissa Larsen that was brilliantly narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. Her voice was perfect for this atmospheric narration. She easily distinguished between the characters various voices. I found it a little slow in the beginning but the ending made up for that in spades. The ending had me sitting at the edge of my seat holding my breath. It was quite satisfying. This was the first book that I have read by Melissa Larsen but it will not be my last. I rec this book to anyone who enjoys a good murder mystery set in Iceland.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of The Lost House by Melissa Larsen through Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My first five-star thriller of 2025: The Lost House by Melissa Larsen!
Immediately after finishing, I wondered what exactly I loved about this book but as is the case sometimes, it's not the one thing that worked so well - it's everything! With dark undertones and a mysterious plot, I was simply held captive by this story!
I had a love-hate relationship with main character Agnes; I was amazed by her tenacity, put off by her (almost) naivety, felt for her during times of need and related to her in a way I still can't pinpoint. Her character worked so perfectly within the confines of this story, and her personality somehow helped shape the harsh atmosphere of this Icelandic-based thriller.
I'm a sucker for alternative media within a book, and it's even better when their addition adds to the overall atmosphere of the audiobook! True crime podcast snippets from "The End" are full production value and instantly create the tone for this book! Set to chilling music and with appropriate sound effects, this chapter is sure to send shivers down your spine!
Saskia Maarleveld's voice was the perfect pairing for this addictive and atmospheric book! Her voice added this breathiness to the story, deepening the chilling effect Laren's words already captured. I'm not even sure my description will even make sense, but Maarleveld effortlessly created such an airy gust, complimenting the vast tundra within the story. Perfect narrator choice!
I want to call this a Nordic noir, but it seems just slightly adjacent to that sub-genre, not quite touching the police/investigator aspect in typical fashion... but the bones that make up this type of thriller are all there! This book is cold, dark, chilling and atmospheric; it's realistic and real-world based; it's gripping, immersive and disturbing.
In short: add this to your winter TBR right away!
Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

3.5 stars - This was a bit of a wild ride and I was totally here for it. This was my 1st book by Melissa Larsen but will not be my last, I will be adding all of her books to my TBR.

I finished THE LOST HOUSE by MELISSA LARSON today — eagerly gobbling up this atmospheric mystery.
With its chilly (and chilling) Icelandic setting + past and present mysteries + a true crime podcast element — I was in from the minute I heard about this book. I love a complicated past + a complicated present + challenging family dynamics + dark characters.
Agnes arrives in Iceland to investigate a gruesome murder in her family & to clear her grandfather’s name. Forty years ago a young mother is found buried in the snow, with her infant daughter. They looked peaceful. But upon closer inspection they find the woman’s throat was slashed and the infant drowned.
The case was never solved. But that didn’t stop suspicion from falling to Agnes’s grandfather. He left Iceland for California, intent on starting over. But the town never forgot.
Now, true crime expert Nora Carver invites Agnes to be interviewed for her upcoming podcast which is set on solving the mystery. Booking a one-way ticket to Bifröst, Iceland, Agnes is happy for the excuse to escape her own life and to find the truth.
But when a local girl goes missing, the town is once again shattered. And as Nora and Agnes investigate both mysteries they find everyone is a suspect. And someone is intent on making sure old secrets stay buried.
This book was so incredibly tense and atmospheric. I really enjoyed the unfolding of both mysteries and the characters were so well drawn. I could feel the emotion, the desperation and the pain as they all navigated their way through the story. A lot of complicated grief here woven into an excellent mystery.
Huge thanks to Macmillan Audio, Minotaur Books and NetGalley I really enjoyed Saskia Maarleveld’s narration.

I loved the setting and premise of this book, many of the scenes about the true crime podcast were well done and engaging. Unfortunately I found the book a bit of a slog to get through and I think it’s because it was trying to do too much, which really messed with the pacing. I ended up getting an audio version and listened on 2x speed. (Audio was well done, just needed to speed it up to keep interest with pacing)
It’s as much a coming-of-age book (with a big focus on diverse sexual orientation) as it is a mystery - so sometimes it felt like I was suspending my reading of a mystery to read a different book. I think if you’re looking for a coming of age book which delves into complex family dynamics and the impacts of family secrets, then this would be a good fit.

I enjoyed this story, though even more than the story, I got caught up in the setting. The frozen Icelandic scenery felt real and increased the stakes. The narration allowed for us to pause and let the story breath while also creating a sense of urgency. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed this story to read in a book format, but the audiobook really brought it to life.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.