I enjoyed this true crime podcast novel that is set in Iceland and looks into the cold case of a murdered mother and baby. The story is a slow burn told from multiple POVs. The writing is atmospheric and really pulls at the heart strings as the murdered woman’s granddaughter grapples with being in her family’s home town for the first time.

I’m now going to go back to read Larsen’s debut novel, Shutter and I look forward to her future books!

great book and I loved the action and the romance . I loved seeing the friends and family. I loved that they were able to figure things out. Overall a great book .

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

I love the Nordic noir genre and books set in Iceland, so I was really excited to get started with this one. It has a dark, chilling atmosphere that’s perfect for reading this time of year. While I appreciated the plot and atmospheric setting, I found it difficult to connect with the characters which ultimately influenced my enjoyment of the book.

I absolutely LOVED the setting of this book. The mystery was there, the characters were nicely done, loved the ending. Will read more from this author for sure.

📚 PUBLICATION WEEK BOOK REVIEW 📚

The Lost House By Melissa Larsen
Publication Date: January 14, 2025
Publisher: St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
(Rounded Up To 5⭐)

📚MY REVIEW:

If you're a fan of atmospheric slow burn thrillers, allow me to introduce you to your next read. Set in Iceland, The Lost House is the PERFECT read for these cold winter months. Once I started, I couldn't read this book fast enough!

The frigidly cold weather feels almost like it's a character in this read, and it entwines so beautifully with the chilling storylines and the cold detached vibes of the main character, Agnes. The writing in this book so brilliantly foreshadows its conclusion, but provides only a trail of meager bread crumbs as the story unfolds. While much of the book takes place in one period of time, there are a couple chapters that offer a dual timeline to provide a tiny glimpse into more of the backstory.

All her life, Agnes has known that her grandfather, Einar, and father, Magnus, abruptly left Iceland after the brutal murders of Agnes' grandmother and Agnes' namesake aunt (who was just an infant), to begin their lives anew in California. Agnes has also known that her grandfather was rumored to have committed these murders and then run from Iceland to avoid prosecution. However, Einar was more of a father to Agnes than her own father was, and she has always believed Einar was innocent. A year after Einar's death, Agnes agrees to travel to Iceland to participate in a podcast about the brutal murders because she wants to prove her grandfather's innocence once and for all.

This was one of the most atmospheric books I've ever read! The slow-burning mystery created an almost tangible intrigue, and there was a guardedness to Agnes that captivated me. I read this book as quickly as I could, because I simply had to figure out the truth behind the mystery that has shackled Agnes' family with notoriety for all these years.

This book is a captivating and slow-burning dark horse amidst the onslaught of new releases that happened on January 14th. But don't miss this one if you love slow-burn thrillers, locked room vibes, and unique remote settings. A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this advanced e-copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!

#TheLostHouse #MelissaLarsen #MinotaurBooks #StMartinsPress #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #ARC #thrilleraddict #thrillerlover #slowburnthrillers #booklover #bookreviews #bookrecs #bookrecommendations

This was an easy read, that I finished in two days, but I didn't feel a strong connection to any of the characters. Nora, the podcaster, felt weird in a "you're to connected to a stranger" and seemed aggressive towards people she needed, Agnes was floating through life with no direction or real anchor; granted she had a lot change and happen within the last year. The plot was a little slow until the last quarter or so when pieces started falling into place and the resolution to the decades long mystery was finally solved. The ending jumped ahead without much of a bridge from there to here. An average read, enjoyable enough, something different, but not a book that has me racing to reach Larsen's backlist.
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Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

An Icelandic thriller that revolves around an unsolved murder. Agnes has hit a low point in her life when a podcaster reaches out for Agnes’s help with uncovering the truth behind the deaths of Agnes’s grandmother and aunt. Agnes’s flies to Iceland (without a return ticket) to uncover the truth and find herself. What she doesn’t expect is to be embroiled in another crime.

Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
Agnes returns to her family's home in Bifrost, Iceland to clear her grandfather's name of any involvement with the murder of his wife and daughter. Although no arrests were ever made, everyone suspected Einar who eventually fled to California with his son Magnus. Agnes doesn't believe her father would let her grow up around a murderer, but it seems she's the only one convinced of Einar's innocence. Agnes meets with a popular true crime podcaster to give her side of the story, but Nora is occupied with another case in Bifrost- the recent disappearance of a young girl who is presumed dead. Agnes wonders if the two cases could possibly be connected.

It's an entertaining read, and helped get me out of a reading slump. There are a lot of twists to keep you guessing. I really enjoyed Agnes' character, she's pretty relatable, and I liked how throughout the story we see her start to doubt her own judgement. Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advance reader copy.

The Lost House by Melissa Larsen follows Agnes, whose grandmother and aunt were murdered in Iceland forty years ago. Despite rumors accusing her grandfather, Agnes is determined to uncover the truth, traveling to Bifrost to investigate. Struggling with her own emotional and physical challenges, Agnes finds herself in a tense, chilling atmosphere where danger feels ever-present. The audiobook, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, perfectly complements the somber tone of the story, enhancing the feeling of mistrust and suspicion. With a compelling mystery and a sense of impending danger, the novel immerses readers in a cold, haunting setting.

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the chance to read The lost house by Melissa Larsen. The author is new to me, and the summary and setting in Iceland is what drew me to requesting it. The suspenseful mystery was interesting and the author was successful in creating a bleak setting, but I did find the pacing of the plot slow, and I had a hard time connecting to the characters. Overall a good mystery with twists that should be appeal to readers.

The Lost House was an excellent wintery thriller. Set in Iceland during the brutal cold, snowy, and dark winter. The Lost House takes us into the life of our main character, Agnes, as she explores her families tragic past and attempts to reconcile that with the family she knows, a distant father and a loving grandfather. A loving grandfather believed to have killed his wife and baby daughter.

Agnes travels from California to her families ancestral home in Iceland after being contacted by a podcaster doing a story on her family. When she arrives, she learns that a young woman has gone missing after being at a party in the families abandoned home. Looking into her families past and the disappearance of this young woman puts Agnes in danger. And Agnes is already fighting her own demons.

This story was such an atmospheric, slow burn thriller. The authour managed to build up so much tension with the descriptions of the cold and harsh winter landscape and with the secondary characters who all seemed to have secrets.

I did not guess the ending, the authour kept me second guessing my thoughts right up until the end.

While it was a slow burn, it was a very captivating story, so I read through it pretty quickly.

If you are a fan of wintery atmospheric thrillers, you should add this to your reading list.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the advanced digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

This book is eerie and twisty, atmospheric and cold. Like I felt cold while reading it. The mystery is divine. Stellar.

The Lost House
By: Melissa Larsen

4 Stars

Would you still love a family member if they committed a heinous act? Agnes is searching for the answer to this as her family's past comes rushing to her present. Her grandfather was suspected of murdering his wife and child. He was never charged, leaving only one real question. Was he innocent, or did he kill them? Now Agnes, after a life changing accident, goes rushing to her homeland of Iceland and is shocked to find out all the secrets it holds. While battling her own personal demons, she also has to battle the demons of the past.

This was a very interesting story, bringing past and present together in a well written and descriptive way. I loved the Icelandic background and all the wonderful characters. Why did I picture Thor as a viking, haha? This story was shrouded in a mysterious fog from start to finish. It kept me guessing till the end. It was descriptive and intriguing. It was murder and secrecy. It was hope and the future. It threw in bits of romance while being dramatic and mysterious. Overall, it was a thrilling read.


*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

The strength of this story in it's chilly atmosphere. Set against an Icelandic winter, we're dropped into the middle of a forty year old cold case of the Frozen Madonna and Child. Agnes, who is the granddaughter of the murdered woman, is working with a podcaster to exonerated her grandfather.
She has a fierce loyalty to her grandfather and, after his death, she has started to spiral. Despite her father's grievances, Agnes ingratiates herself into the case and continues to spiral even further.

This is a slow burn mystery that will chill you to the bone (and not just because of the cold weather). There's so much darkness. Larsen also explores issues of suicidal ideations and addiction, which added layers to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Lost House by Melissa Larsen, for me this was a slow moving book and one I found it very hard to get caught up into. It did improve some more toward the end of the book. Having said that I would still recommend this to others because I realize not everyone enjoys the same type of books.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

The Lost House by Melissa Larsen is a suspenseful mystery thriller that takes place in Iceland. It follows FMC Agnes who returns to her family’s old home to investigate a brutal murder that happened in her family. I really liked the setting of the book. The book was very well-written but it felt a bit slow at times. Overall, I enjoyed this story.
Thank you, NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

The Lost House has a fabulous plot but ultimately didn’t have enough substance to keep me interested. It feels much more character based and I just didn’t feel the connection to the FMC enough to care.

What I liked:
•Atmospheric
•Two separate mysteries
•Locked room aspect
•Answer to the secondary mystery was a great twist.

What I didn’t like:
•The characters
•The pacing was extremely slow
•The answer to the main mystery was anticlimactic and lackluster

I have shared this review on Amazon, StoryGraph, Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7088432137

And Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/DE5OvrvJ9wz/?igsh=MTBhd28wczM4bWd4Ng==

Perfect book for winter reading, the Icelandic setting makes you want to bundle under all the blankets and stay warm. Loved the setting and descriptions of the landscape, tolerated the characters. None of them (with the exception of Ingvar) were very likeable. I never felt a connection that would make me care about what happened to any of them in the end. The book moved a bit slowly in some places, but it built up to a satisfying climax.


Possible spoiler…
What happened to Nora? Did she just disappear 2/3 of the way through? I remember her leaving to interview Thor Senior again, but she never reappeared for the climax and ending?

Thanks to Melissa Larsen, Minotaur and St Martin’s Press for the advance readers copy.

At 40% DNF for me… I’m not sure if it was a me issue or a book issue. I didn’t realize going into this that the book had the podcast element. I am not a fan of mystery/thrillers that revolve around a podcast. I probably sure have research more into this before accepting the ARC. It was easy to read but I got to a point where it just didn’t interest me any longer. Thanks Netgally and St Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for a honest review ❤️