Struggled a bit to get through this one, but glad I stuck it out to the end.

The story line gets a little muddled but basically Agnes goes back to the family home, against her father’s pleas to stay stateside, where her grandmother and aunt were found brutally murdered.

There is a secondary story happening with another character names Asa, who goes missing, but it’s hard to tell if it’s a kidnapping scenario or a runaway scenario at first.

Will Asa be found safely? Does Agnes find out who truly murdered her family?

This book was a pleasant surprise.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, as it was a quick read and a good time.

This Nordic Noir suspense novel revolves around two mysteries: a family tragedy in 1979 in which a young mother and her infant daughter are discovered dead in the snow in Bifröst, Iceland. The mother’s neck was slit. The murderer was never found. In 2019, a local girl goes missing in the same tiny village in Iceland. There are suspicions that this missing girl is somehow connected to the 40-year-old cold case. I typically enjoy noir novels, and the premise is intriguing, but this one did not pique my attention.

On the 40th anniversary of a double murder, Agnes, the American granddaughter of the presumed killer but never convicted, goes to Bifröst to participate in a podcast about the homicide. She has always believed that her grandfather is innocent, but very few agree. The author’s vivid descriptions of the harsh Icelandic landscape add an eerie element, heightening the suspense. However, I did not feel that Nora, the podcaster, or Agnes’ sexuality added anything to the story. The characters are all one-dimensional, and the plot needs more depth and complexity. I have been told that I am a tough reviewer, and you may enjoy “The Lost House” more than I did.

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. If you like an atmospheric mystery, then I recommend The Lost House.

Agnes is leaving her life in California behind to travel back to her family's native home in Iceland. This is not a normal return to ancestral roots and find yourself, though. Agnes is returning for the 40th anniversary of her grandmother and aunt's unsolved murder. To be on a podcast and to hopefully prove to herself (and everyone else) that her beloved grandfather is not the murderer as has been suspected by everyone for years. In the frigid winter of Bifrost, Anges is hit with a lot of cold, hard truths and has to learn to dig deep if she is going to set the record straight.

3.5/5

I felt the writing was a little disjointed and crudely translated maybe at times, but it didn't deter me from loving the journey this book took me on.

The chilling setting of Iceland along with an interesting plot of a woman seeking the true story of her family's past and the determination to clear her grandfather's name takes the reader on a unique journey of keeping an open mind.

The strongest points of her writing has to be the imagery she's able to create where I can completely picture the entirety of the story and find it to be truly engaging.

Highly recommend this unique thriller!

I love a Nordic #thriller, and this one I genuinely really enjoyed. Podcasts, murder mysteries, Icelandic landscapes, grief, addiction, and more – this one is heavy, but a fast paced #read that I would highly recommend.

•

Agnes is a California native, whose father and grandfather were essentially exiled from their home in Iceland, following the brutal and devastating mother of her grandmother and her infant child – a crime that the community and almost everyone with knowledge of it is convinced her beloved grandfather is responsible for, evading justice with his escape to America.

•

Forty years after the gruesome event, Agnes is reeling with a devastating break-up, a traumatic and brutally painful injury that has left her in the throes of addiction and barely able to function, and the recent death of her grandfather, a father figure to her that she loved deeply, despite her knowledge of what she knows the public in Iceland believe him to be capable of.

•

Desperate to clear his name and to seek answers, Agnes agrees to travel back to Iceland to meet and work with a podcaster dead set on solving this decades old mystery. Upon her arrival, though, Agnes discovers another woman is missing, and the scene of the crime appears to be the same house in which her grandmother and her child lost their lives. As Agnes becomes wrapped up in the mysterious, along with the odd assortment of connections and characters she encounters on her trip home, she realizes that the truth hurts, and that her life, along with the life of the newly missing woman, may be in grave danger.

This was an enjoyable read with a really cool setting and interesting mystery. At times I felt the plot was a little slow but overall the writing was able to hold my attention.
I think this one is definitely worth reading and I'd read more from this author in the future.

Delayed review! If you like thrillers, you may enjoy this one! I had an opportunity to meet the author and hear her speak about writing this book and it definitely gave me more insight and depth. I was kept on my toes trying to figure out what was going on. At times you were unsure how reliable to narrator was due to her still recovering from her grandfather's death as well as her severe injury. It's available now, so check it out!


Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the opporunity to read this ARC of "The Lost House" by Melissa Larsen

Much thanks to @macmillan.audio for access to this audiobook as well as @stmartinspress for access to the ebook via @netgalley. The narrator Saskia Maarleveld breathed life into these words that kept me engaged.

The Lost House is set in Iceland which is an ideal environment for this story about Agnes returning to her family’s old home to investigate a brutal murder that happened in her family.

If you liked The Serial Killer’s Guide to San Francisco you’ll most likely enjoy this one. Characters in both stories are involved in finding out the truth about their grandfathers- whether or not they were murderers. I found the story idea interesting, but it was a little slow moving.

Not just the wintery and icy setting in Iceland gives you the chills in this haunting novel. Part mystery and part family drama, this story - though slow burning yet incredibly atmospheric - had me hooked from the beginning to the end. I liked the main character, Agnes, for her love of her grandfather, her loyalty towards her family and her perseverance in finding the truth.
Agnes and her father live in California, their ancestors came from Iceland. 40 years ago, Agnes’s grandmother and aunt (then just a baby) were murdered in the small Icelandic town of Bifroest, and everyone immediately concluded that her grandfather did it, especially when he skipped town with his son Magnus shortly after the bodies were found. His guilt was never proven and the case went cold but now, after all this time, Nora, a true crime enthusiast and podcast host in Los Angeles, wants to find the truth and invites Agnes to join her in Iceland to participate. Shortly after their arrival, a young woman disappears without a trace. A coincidence?
I highly enjoyed the writing style and could feel Agnes’s desperation and at the same time her fear to find the truth, like she is on an emotional roller coaster. The characters were authentic and well developed. The author perfectly described how grief can affect generations and how family dynamics shape around it. I felt for Agnes the whole time and wanted her to find relief and inner peace. The end was like a firework! I will definitely look for other novels from this author and highly recommend The Lost House.
I would like to thank Netgalley, St Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and Ms Melissa Larsen for gifting me an advance copy. I truly enjoyed the opportunity to read it, and the above is my own opinion and honest review.

I have always wanted to go to Iceland and I felt like I was there during this book. Love the description of the country. This book took a minute to hold my attention but there were some twists/turns that were good.

This book took me awhile to get into as it's a very slow burn. Once I did get into it I enjoyed it and it kept me guessing throughout. However, because of how long it took me to get into it I can only give it 3 stars. This book may just not have been for me but I do think others should give it a chance as the plot was intriguing.

This book is a slow burn. It's atmospheric and evocative, and I felt I got to know Iceland as well as the characters. The characters were complex and guarded, making it hard to feel you know much about them enough to root for them, but I think that was part of the vibe of the book. This is Nordic Noir for sure, and if that's your jam, you'll love this one. For me, based on the blurb I was expecting more action and suspense, and while I enjoyed the setting, things just moved too slowly for me.

I love the Scandavian type thrillers and this one is no exception.
The plot was engaging, the main character likeable, and there were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing.

B+/4⭐️

Thanks Netgalley and Minotaur for my advanced copy.

THE LOST HOUSE by Melissa Larsen drew me in with its synopsis and setting in Iceland. The story started out very strong and had me hooked early on, but I felt that it slowed down in the middle before picking up speed in the last 15%.

Our characters are hard to root for, but I think that is the author’s goal. I have no problem reading a book centered around unlikeable characters, but if you do, this probably isn’t the book for you. There didn’t seem to be a lot of substantial growth in our characters but Larsen definitely crafted characters that perpetuated the uncertainty around who our culprit was. Our main character was a fantastic unreliable narrator in a way that progressed the plot forward.

Up until the end, I truly wasn’t sure who our murderer was and even after the reveal I found myself questioning.

Overall, if you’re looking for an atmospheric, winter read, then I recommend giving THE LOST HOUSE a try!

Agnes Glin is perhaps at the lowest point in her life when she arrives in Iceland, the country her father and late grandfather emigrated from some forty years earlier. While she’s thrilled to finally be in the land of her ancestors, she also has misgivings. Her father Magnus, for one, strongly disapproves of the project for which she’s flown out by herself to Reykjavik before driving to his former hometown.

Decades ago, Agnes’ grandmother Marie was found in a snowbank, brutally slaughtered and clutching the drowned body of her infant daughter, Agnes’ namesake. Everyone immediately believed that Einar, Agnes’ grandfather, had killed his much younger wife. While he was never charged with murder, the hostility of his neighbors eventually led Einar to take his older child Magnus and emigrate to America. Magnus grew up, married and had a daughter whom he named Agnes in turn.

Magnus was not the best father, so Agnes got most of her paternal guidance from her grandfather instead. When she finally discovered why they’d left Iceland, she was aghast. There was no way she could reconcile the image of her kind, loving grandfather with a monster who killed his wife and daughter. When Nora Carver, an influential podcaster, invites her to Iceland to tell her family’s side of the story, she jumps at the chance, even though her father is very much against it. Einar has been dead for over a year and Magnus sees no point in rehashing old rumors. But the more time Agnes spends with Nora as they interview the people who knew Marie, the more Agnes feels that she has to defend her gentle grandfather. As Nora says to a somewhat hostile interviewee:

QUOTE
“Tell me about Einar. Her husband.”

“Soulless.”

The sun takes its last breath, then vanishes behind the hills, leaving the room in a sudden, incomplete darkness. The fireplace casts the room in what should be a cozy haze, but it seems like all the color has drained from the room. Soulless. The man who raised her. Agnes should be demanding answers from this woman who seems to know everything about her grandparents’ marriage. But she’s incapable of speech.

She sees her grandfather’s hand, reaching for her own. Weeks to the end. He’d said he could feel it coming. It’ll be okay, he’d told her. He was the one who was dying, and he was comforting her.
END QUOTE

Agnes’ quixotic quest to clear her grandfather’s name is further hampered by the leg injury she still hasn’t fully recovered from, and by the painkiller addiction that she can’t quite shake. A further complication arises when a young woman who bears more than a passing resemblance to Agnes disappears from a party at the house where Einar and Magnus once lived. Ása Gunnarsdóttir was young, beautiful and full of secrets. Nora doesn’t believe that Ása’s disappearance is a coincidence, and decides to cover it alongside the historic case. Agnes soon finds herself inextricably enmeshed in the search for Ása, as it promises to reveal the truth about what happened to Marie as well. Will Agnes like what she uncovers though, as she pushes her body past its limits in the Icelandic winter, in a potentially futile effort to prove her beloved grandfather’s innocence?

I was impressed at the sheer number of twists and turns that were packed into this book. It was genuinely suspenseful trying to figure out whodunnit, as Melissa Larsen had me constantly second guessing myself in much the same way that Agnes does. Agnes herself is a sympathetic heroine despite being recklessly impulsive and often making less than great choices. It’s hard, after all, to lose your independence and to be in constant pain. On top of that, the toll of having to constantly perform gratitude for the help that you get is rarely overstated in the public discourse, if stated at all. This goes double when you’re treated less as a human being by your caregivers than as a problem to be solved:

QUOTE
Agnes has been so taken care of in the past year. There have been so many meals prepared for her. So many schedules realigned. Hands guiding her in and out of chairs and medical offices and clinical eyes on her body, judging how she’s moving, how she’s improving. Her father’s half-hearted attempts at meals. Bananas, protein shakes, toast. The consideration, every wash day, to guide her in and out of a routine that used to be mindless and private. Part of Agnes feels infantilized, a child impotently reaching for a too-high counter. And part of her feels so unbelievably tired of saying “thank you.” Burnt out on the gratitude and the care and the appreciation. Nora’s generosity touches Agnes. But it exhausts her, just as much, if not more.
END QUOTE

Ms Larsen’s sophomore work is an impressive follow-up to her debut, Shutter, showcasing her growing mastery of the thriller form. Smart, queer and with excellent disability representation, this is an absorbing crime novel set in a place not often featured in the genre, if largely due to Iceland’s own low crime rate. That doesn’t make this story any less plausible or gripping, as our determined heroine seeks to save both a reputation and at least one life.

3.5 stars
This book was an interesting. A girl is determined to figure out why her grandfather and dad left Iceland after her grandmother and aunt were murdered. They all suspect her grandfather did it. While there a girl goes missing and they think somehow this is connected but they don’t know how.

The Lost House transports readers to a small town in Iceland where Agne's grandfather and father fled from several years prior after her grandmother was brutally murdered and her grandfather was accused of the crime. While I ultimately did enjoy the story, I felt that it was a bit too slow for my taste. It's extremely atmospheric and surprised me with the twist at the end, but I would categorize this as a slow burn for sure. If that's up you alley, you'll enjoy this.

It was a good book.
Thank you Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
3.5/5 stars

Rating: 3.5* of five

I'll always say yes to cold-weather thrillers. After all, I read, then watched, <i>The Terror</i> with the gruntled hygge of a true Northerner. Now you're waving <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bifr%C3%B6st">Bifröst</a> in my face?! Sign me right on up!

The sleuths are, to put it politely, secondary to my enjoyment of the setting. Nora, in particular, grated my nerves like a box-grater does soft cheese. If I met her in meatspace I would either do her grievous bodily harm or turn away in the first moments of listening to her whiny, manipulative BS on her podcast. I was no fonder of Agnes, again finding her crutching of the terrible physical trauma and subsequent drug dependence grounds for whining unpleasant me-me-me behavior. I suffer from grinding chronic pain, am dependent on drugs to continue living, and make a concerted effort not to do what Agnes is helping herself to: Making everything about herself, her pain, her life.

Unpleasant trait in my book. Raised my hackles.

Another hackle-raiser was the author's weird opinion of Icelandic people as credulous...treating Agnes as a sort of avatar or reincarnation of her grandmother, the murder victim, and therefore a carrier of the miasma of bad luck. It seems also a bit on the nose to call the town Bifröst, the name of the rainbow bridge between Earth and the afterlife in Norse myth. I doubt there'd be such a name chosen in Christian Iceland of the nineteenth century or earlier, and the town isn't presented to us as, say, a WWII new-build or something.

Well, anyway, those are the issues that shaved more than a star off my rating...but it's a read I'd tell you to get out of the library soon. I liked the way the author built her atmosphere of distrust at every opportunity. I found it a solid replacement for the identity of the murderer not being in the least surprising.

Bifröst is, <i>pace</i> its nose-thump of a name, a well-realized setting with a readily pictured landscape. It's just enough to get me over the three-star hump. I don't think these characters would, even if they could, draw me into reading a series, but I am not mad I read this book to pleasantly wile away a few hours.