Set in Iceland, Agnes travels to her family's home country to get to the bottom of a 40-year-old murder mystery.

The book was well written and very atmospheric. Agnes was there to find out the truth about her grandmother's death long before she was born. She was working with a journalist when a new story breaks. A woman went missing from the same place 40 years later, and it is feared the cases are connected.

i enjoyed the setting and the writing, but the plot of the story was too attenuated to hold my attention and that is a personal opinion. I just couldn't get into a murder mystery about a woman who died more than 30 years before the main character was born. I get that it was her family history, and it was important to her, but it felt too attenuated to me.

Overall, I would recommend people give this a chance if they are into Icelandic noir and creepy atmospheric stories.

The Lost House by Melissa Larsen left me absolutely breathless!

I felt like I was on the journey with Agnes to uncover her family's Icelandic roots, which are overshadowed by a brutal 40 year old double homicide, the ultimate cold case. Her arrival at the frozen homestead coincides with another disappearance, a reflection of the tragedy that tore her family apart two generations ago, leaving Agnes to decide what's worth fighting for.

The Lost House by Melissa Larsen was one of my favourite books this year.. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book before publication. This mystery based in Iceland. was the ancestral home of Agnes, whose father and grandfather left under mysterious circumstances, 40 years before to California. Agnes, decides to go to Iceland because she wants to find out more about her grandmother and her aunts murder.. Her grandfather had fled taking his young son with him, so most of the people were pretty sure her grandfather had killed his wife and child, because he suspected she was having an affair and the little one was not his. Agnes was determined to clear her grandfather's way. When she arrived in Iceland, the search was on for another young woman named Asa who had gone missing after partying with friends. Agnes meets Nora, a Podcaster who wants to help solve the 40 year old mystery, and possibly help in the search for the missing girl. The more they look into her grandmother's murder, the more it sheds light on the missing girl. And both cases become entwined. So many secrets in the small Iclandic community. Agnes can't believe that the grandfather she knew, could be capable of killing his wife and infant daughter. The more Agnes and Nora investigate the more they uncover. This book is kind of creepy. I love a good mystery and this does not disappoint. Great read for the winter months. I give this book 4.out of 5.

Fascinating and complicated mystery set in a cold and dark Icelandic winter. A 40 year old cold case murder is being investigated by a podcaster, Nora. She connects with Agnes, the granddaughter of the victim and main suspect. Things get complicated quickly when a woman disappears. Dark and twisty mystery.

I received an ARC of this book, and overall I enjoyed it. It was interesting reading a book based in Iceland, that was a first for me. It was a good story, however it was a little slow for me at times. It did have a good twist at the end, and I really felt as though I was inside of the main characters head. The author painted a clear picture of who she was and how she was feeling throughout the whole book. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a unique thriller, and wanting a change of pace from a lot of the usual plot lines!

3.5 stars. A good intriguing cold case murder with some current mystery for the granddaughter to try and unravel the truth about the murder of her grandmother and aunt. Great descriptive writing for the Icelandic wintery scene. It was nice that we were having a bit of a wintry mix a couple of the days I was reading this.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press/Minotaur Books for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Lost House presented as a gripping icy thriller. The blurb sounded amazing. The author does an amazing job at describing the scene and there were times when I felt I was in Iceland so major points there however the sorry never pulled me in. I kept going because I wanted to see how it ended as the book did have parts that interested me. The ending wrapped up well so for those that can make it to the end you will be happy.

I do think that everyone should form their own opinion on this book as I may not be the target audience or in the minority. I will recommend this book to my group. 2.5 rounded up.

I loved this tense, character-driven mystery. The pace of the novel is excellent and the mystery is absorbing. The characters, especially the main character, Agnes, have depth and authenticity. The sense of place, remote countryside in Iceland, pervades the novel, and the chill, forbidding atmosphere increases the eerie quality of the narrative as it moves toward its climax and resolution. Agnes's journey towards wholeness and restored relationships is believable and touching; I was rooting for her all the way. I'll definitely seek out more from this author.

I enjoyed this slow burn murder mystery.

A woman and child were brutally killed in Bifrost, Iceland forty years ago. The husband was immediately a suspect, but he departed the country with his son, leaving the case unresolved. Fast forward to the present, and Agnus, the man's granddaughter, travels to Iceland to clear her grandfather's name. Still recovering from his death and a devastating injury, Agnus teams up with Nora, a true crime podcaster, to investigate and solve the murder once and for all, only to come across another potential murder.

I appreciated the author's use of description. I could feel Agnus’s pain and her withdrawal symptoms as she was feeling them. I could also feel the brutality of the Icelandic winter, which seemed like its own character in the story.

Thank You St. Martin's Press for sending me this ARC through NetGalley

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

It was really slow to start and eventually picked up. I would consider it a thriller, the only suspenseful part was at the end. It was okay.

The Lost House was, unfortunately, a let down for me. Larsen's vivid descriptions of the bleak and frigid Icelandic landscape set the tone well, and the plot itself is intriguing; a decades-long unsolved mystery and a new podcast featuring the granddaughter of the alleged murderer is a great setup. However, all of the characters are pretty unlikeable, the pacing is slow for the first two parts of the book, and there's a lot of repetition regarding the knee and ankle injury of Agnes, the main character, which was tiresome. The ending nicely wrapped up the mystery and provided a fair bit of action, but it took too long to get to that point and I probably would've given up on this one if I hadn't received an ARC. 2.5 stars rounded up because the ending is good if readers can make it there.

This is so amazing! I really felt for our girl. Her relationship with her grandpa defined her life, but now she is visiting his home to investigate the murder of her grandmother. As she unpacks things she experiences so much pain and also encounters so much danger. The ending was perfect!

This is a read only in the winter book because the setting of Bifrost, Iceland. and all of the snow made me feel so cold! I thought the podcast was a good plot device to get her to go this area. The book is a little slow going at times but I felt like the mystery was solid.

4 stars

I really enjoyed this chilling (sorry!) tale and the mysteries and answers included in it!

Agnes has a complicated past and present. 40 years ago, her Icelandic grandfather was accused of killing his wife and their young child (her grandmother and aunt). His departure to the US does not offer much in the way of solid PR for his case. Now that he has passed, Agnes has come to Iceland to unravel the mystery and to discover if this man she adored could possibly have been responsible for the crime so many are certain he committed.

This premise is fascinating, but it is only made better by Agnes's more recent personal demons. Also, the setting and the ancillary characters add so much to Agnes's quest for answers. She's just a riveting character in my opinion (especially for the genre), and all of the details make for a solidly engaging listen. I liked getting snippets of her grandfather through her memories, too.

I'll be back for more from this author and recommend this read for a cold winter's day.

My favorite part of THE LOST HOUSE by Melissa Larsen, was the descriptions of Iceland. The extreme conditions of that area added to the uniqueness of the novel.

This mystery begins forty years ago when a mother and baby are found buried in the snow in Iceland. The mother’s throat had been cut, but the baby had been drowned. All suspicions fall on the husband, who had fled to California with their surviving son.

Years after the double murder, Agnes. the granddaughter, is trying to clear her grandfather’s name. And she, herself, is recovering from an injury. Agnes returns Iceland for an interview with old friend and podcaster, for Nora Carver. That same week, another local girl goes missing.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Lost House.

Fifty years ago, Agnes' grandmother and aunt were found murdered on her beloved grandfather's property. She has returned to her homeland, Iceland, to clear her grandfather's name with the help of a podcast host.

This time away is also a reprieve from the loss of her grandfather and her own personal setbacks; a harrowing injury and the slow, painful recovery of which she is still struggling with.

As she balances the pain of her personal life and conflicting emotions for her grandfather, Agnes discovers she will have to tap into an inner strength she never knew she had to realize life is worth living.

The Icelandic setting is the best part of the narrative.

I was in Iceland in March and the stark beauty and frigid wintery landscapes are stunning. Especially the cold. Wow, was it cold!

I'll never complain about East Coast winters again.

The narrative is a slow burn; nothing much happens and it's not hard to guess whodunit.

The mystery behind the tragic deaths is almost a backseat to Agnes and her troubles; a realistic, flawed, deeply damaged character whom is both deeply relatable and also deeply annoying.

We're in her head a lot and her head is nothing but the same roundabout memories; the loss of her partner, the accident that almost killed her, her fractured relationship with her dad.

I know most of us have repetitive thoughts like this all the time, stuff that keeps us bogged down in our sorrow, grief, and anger, but the pacing dragged even more as we read about Agnes droning on and on about the same old things.

Agnes is young, lonely and in extreme pain, physically and emotionally, but when you keep making lousy decisions (and we all do that) it's hard to connect with the character, much less like them.

The biggest trope that annoys me greatly besides the typical cliches (everyone is a hottie, coincidences, everyone has a bad childhood, etc.) is how there's a romance/relationship in every novel.

Characters (in books and in real life) do not need to partner up to be fulfilled.

The silly romance between Agnes and another character was unnecessary and did nothing to move the plot forward.

Maybe the point was to stress how Agnes generally makes poor decisions; the boozing and pill popping, and how this 'relationship' might jeopardize the case of a missing young woman.

Whatever the reason, a romance is not necessary in this book or any of the dozens and dozens I've read in this year alone.

Also, why do people drink so much in books?

Maybe I only notice because I don't drink but when characters are downing two bottles of wine or more at dinner or day drinking, I have to wonder, "What does this say about our society? Or the author(s)?"

The climatic ending sort of redeems Agnes a bit, demonstrates she is resilient and strong, but I didn't feel she's evolved and grown much.

And that HEA-ending threw off the tone of the narrative, not that I was surprised by it.

Also, what is the lost house? Or did I miss that part?

The writing was good, but the mystery isn't the main focus of the narrative.

This is really about Agnes coming to terms with her family, her grandfather, and the choices she's made in her life.

The Lost House was my first book by Melissa Larsen and was a good read for the winter season. The icy, cold setting of Iceland set the tone of the story of an unsolved murder mystery.

Agnes is a woman that has known a little bit about her family's history, but wanted to return to the place that held all the secrets and to hopefully clear her grandfather's name while working with a true crime podcaster (Nora). 40 years ago, Agnes' grandmother and infant were found murdered in the snow. Shortly after, her grandfather and his son (Agnes' father) fled Iceland for America. All clues pointed to her grandfather killing his wife and child, but he wasn't convicted. Nora decides to investigate the cold case on her podcast and Agnes wants to clear her grandfather's name. As they work together to uncover the past and investigate, history and truths are uncovered. And then a current missing woman case begins to intertwine with the past.

First of all, I love a good setting that sets the tone. The small Icelandic town and its inhabitants did that. I also love the true crime podcast aspect because that is current and relatable. Combining those two things along with an old murder mystery along with the current missing woman case added to the heightened suspense. For that, I understood the slow build at the beginning, but that gave way to being repetitive because it was so slow.

While there were some positive aspects, the pacing and an unnecessary relationship that didn't help push the story forward are what drew me out of really enjoying the overall story. I liked the main characters and the fact that Agnes was so flawed and real, but wish more happened in the first 2/3 of the story to amp up my excitement that I felt in the last little bit. Even if I predicted who was connected to everything early on, the eerie, frigid setting was the true highlight in the end.

If you like a mystery suspense that is heavy on the setting, The Lost House is worth checking out.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this novel by Melissa Larsen, beautifully narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 4 stars!
Forty years ago in Iceland, a young mother and her infant daughter were brutally murdered. No one was ever charged, but the community was convinced it was the woman’s husband. When he fled for the US, it proved his guilt to them. In the present, Nora is working on a podcast of the story and the man’s granddaughter, Agnes, has agreed to fly from California to Iceland to participate. Agnes is healing both physically and mentally from an injury and broken relationship, relying on too many pills to get her through the day. She’s also grieving the loss of her beloved grandfather and is eager to prove his innocence. When she arrives, Nora is swept up in a new story of another young woman who has gone missing and enlists Agnes’ help. Are the two cases related?

The stark Icelandic setting and weather were the perfect backdrop for this haunting tale. The small town’s inhabitants have been convinced of the husband’s guilt and have no use for his granddaughter stirring things up. But now there is not one case to investigate, but two, and there are plenty of suspects. I loved having the audiobook to listen to while I read, especially with the different dialect and language. The narration was beautiful and added depth to the story. Perfect winter mystery!

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

If you are looking for a book with a great plot and character development, this is it. I enjoyed the pacing of the story and never felt bored. I finished it quickly too because the way the author constructed the chapters you want to know what is going on with the characters.

The ending was perfect and wraps everything up nicely. I can’t wait to read more by the author in the future.