Secrets and lies-and Iceland. Agnes is in Iceland at the invitation of Nora, a true crime podcaster who is delving into the old mystery of the murder of Agnes' grandmother and baby aunt, possibly at the hands of her beloved grandfather. And Asa, a young woman has gone missing. Larsen weaves these two together in a way that doesn't really work until the end (no spoilers). She spools out information slowly (a little too slowly), especially with regard to Agnes and her leg. The leg becomes almost another character as not a page or two passes without a reference the pain Agnes is suffering. The answers she seeks about her family are hard won but....no spoilers. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I wanted to like this more than I did and I put that down to Agnes, who I found hard to root for. And I would have liked more about Nora.

The Lost House is a gripping psychological thriller that kept me hooked from the very first page. The author, Melissa Larsen, has written a story with intriguing characters using the Icelandic setting to enhance the sense of mystery. Agnes Glin's journey is both haunting and exciting as she uncovers family secrets and faces the truth about her grandfather, accused in an unsolved case involving the murder of his wife and child. The suspense is intense! Just when you think you know what's going on, Larsen throws in a surprise twist.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader copy. I would give it more than 5 stars if I could! I really enjoyed the novel and would highly recommend it to readers who are looking for an edge-of-your seat thriller.

Agnes, broken-hearted from the death of her grandfather and the breakup with her ex, travels to Iceland, which may have cost her the one person left in her corner: her father. Agnes will find herself freezing and surrounded by breath-taking views and a lot of snow, to be apart of Nora's podcast focused on Agnes' family history.

It's cold and dark, twisty and perfectly addictive. Agnes is in a foreign country where her phone doesn't work, she doesn't speak the language, and due to an injury, unable to get around. In other words, she's at the mercy of Nora and those she meets around Bifröst--complete strangers, really. And when another woman goes missing mere days prior to Agnes' arrival, Agnes can't help but find herself wrapped up in the mystery in more ways than one.

It was dark, it was chilling, but oh-so-perfect! Every time I put the book down, all I could think about was picking it back up.

Agnes has just lost her grandfather, has a difficult relationship with her father, recently broke up with her girlfriend and still recovering from a horrific accident she has become addicted to pain killers.

When she is contacted by a podcast that is investigating the murder of her grandmother and aunt in Iceland before her family fled to America. Her grandfather has always been the main suspect and everyone in the small town in Iceland believes he was the culprit. She decides to go to Iceland and try to figure out what really happened.

When she gets there she sees a missing poster for a girl who looks remarkably like her. This missing case seems to take priority over the cold case of her grandmother.

This is well done mystery set in a remote location in a small town. All evidence points one way but Agnes has a feeling the new case and the old case may be connected. I found the book very readable and switched over to the audio for the second half and found the narrator to be engaging. This is more the slower, darker pace of a nordic thriller than the typical mystery. But I'm a huge Scandi Noir fan so it was perfect. Great way to start the year.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so tragic to me! Forty years ago, a young mother and her child were found murdered in the Icelandic snow in a small town. The husband was of course the main suspect and he fled with his other child, a young son. The case was never solved.

Fast forward to today, and the granddaughter of the man who fled, Agnes, heads to the scene of the crime to see if she can figure out what happened, along with a true crimes podcast host, Nora.

The weekend that Agnes arrives, a young girl goes missing. Is this coincidence or is it tied to the tragedy from so long ago.

Told in different periods throughout the book, filled with twists and turns, love and tragedy, this was a lovely book and I'm looking forward to more from this author!

A riveting, well-paced murder mystery thriller. I connected with the main character, Agnes, with her flaws, chronic pain, and her family's dark backstory. Despite her pain from a bad injury to her knee and leg, and convinced of her grandfather's innocence, Agnes makes the trip from California to Bifröst, Iceland to meet with a podcaster digging into her grandmother and great aunt's cold case. She meets distant relatives and new friends, many of them holding pieces of the puzzle to solving the mystery. Her journey to the truth is difficult and riddled with obstacles, and I loved how the mystery unfolded. I highly recommend this book for fans of Nordic thrillers and murder mysteries.

The Lost House is a dramatic yet heartfelt story that still maintains a dark and mysterious vibe. I applaud the complexity that the author attempted…and pulled off brilliantly! The book mixes: a woman lost without the answers she craves about her family, a 30-year-old cold case, and a current day missing person. If not executed correctly, this could be one gigantic mess of a book, but it was really well done.

All the plot lines blended together seamlessly and the emotions of the main character added depth and a human connection that is refreshing for this genre of book! A very engaging and hard to put down crime fiction novel! I recommend to fans of the genre!

I received a free digital copy of The Lost House from the publisher, all opinions are my own .

The use of Iceland and its harsh winter landscape adds an eerie element, a la True Detective: Night County, and heightens the suspense. I was definitely intrigued enough to want to see the conclusion of the mystery. The novel's pace is often slow and repetitive. This impacted the overall reading experience for me. There were certain chapters that I began to feel impatient and wanted to skip to the conclusion. It is a decent read for those who enjoy suspense.

Thanks to to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me with an advanced electronic copy of this novel.

I am pleasantly surprised by The Lost House by Melissa Larsen. I went into it expecting a basic thriller - something entertaining, but maybe a bit far fetched or lacking in depth. What I got was a slow-moving, atmospheric character study of a young woman trying to make sense of her life.

Forty years ago, Agnes’ grandfather allegedly murdered his wife and their infant daughter, leaving them in the snow to be discovered by neighbors. Although he was never convicted of the crime, he was damned by public opinion and left his small town to start a new life in America. Now, in the wake of her grandfather’s recent death, Agnes comes to Iceland for the first time in her life to help contribute to a true crime podcast about her family’s darkest moment. Days before Agnes arrives, a young woman goes missing, pitching this small Icelandic town into memories of the last horrible crime that happened on their watch.

The Lost House moves slowly and really puts you into the mind of Agnes. Agnes has spent the last year recovering from a devastating leg injury that left her both vulnerable and addicted to opioids - an addiction she’s trying to break. So much of this story relies on Agnes’ internal conflicts - wrestling with her addiction while also striving to clear her grandfather’s name.

In many ways, the storytelling of this book felt reminiscent of Notes on An Execution; the crime is a big piece of the plot, but Larsen pushes readers to think more about the humanity of those impacted rather than the crime itself.

The beginning was a bit repetitive; it took me getting about 30% in before I was hooked. But once I was hooked, I couldn’t put this down. I thought the ending was superb. I could see some people not liking Agnes, but I think that’s sort of the point - she’s a complicated character dealing with different levels of trauma. I thought Larsen was masterful in the way she portrayed Agnes’ pain, both physical and mental.

Overall, I recommend this to people who like slow, character-driven mysteries.

This Nordic thriller is steeped in intrigue. Recovering from a life changing injury, Agnes Glin flies to Iceland to meet up with true crime podcaster Nora Carver in Bifrost to clear her family name while she isn’t working. Forty years prior the small town believed her grandfather brutally murdered not only her grandmother, but her infant aunt as well. Agnes simply cannot make that compute. The man, who was like a second father to her when her own was emotionally remote, couldn’t possibly have committed such a violent crime, could he?

Upon arrival Agnes discovers yet another young woman, Asa, gone missing and presumed dead. This new investigation derails Agnes and Nora’s plans to solve her family’s cold case and causes the whole town to be on edge. The relentless winter does nothing to ease the tension building as the whole town bands together to search for Asa.

Agnes is a compelling protagonist who is dealing with a lot both physically and emotionally throughout the story, often making the reader question her reliability as a narrator. The unforgiving Icelandic winter provides the perfect backdrop to this chilling story (the fact that I finished the book on a snowy day made it even more atmospheric). Like most thrillers/mysteries, The Lost House is a bit of a slow burn with a fast-paced twisty ending. If noir thrillers are your thing, this book will not disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and of course the author Melissa Larsen for the advanced copy of the book. The Lost House is out on January 14th. All opinions are my own.

Agnes Glin travels to a small town in Iceland to take part in a podcast that focuses on the murder of her grandmother and her aunt as a baby) that took place 40 years earlier. The chief suspect of these murders, Agnes’ grandfather, was never convicted and has recently died, and one of the reasons Agnes participates in the podcast is to try to help clear her grandfather’s name. What follows is a really slow burn of a mystery, too much of a slow burn for my taste. But what great atmosphere the story has! The setting in a small town in cold, snowy Iceland — with very short days and long nights — adds to the suspense and creepiness. All in all, this was an interesting and good read.

"The Lost House" by Melissa Larsen was the perfect book to read during a snowstorm! Set in Iceland, Agnes agrees to be interviewed for a true crime podcast regarding a cold case where her grandfather is the chief suspect. This book is atmospheric and chilling, with several twists I didn't see coming. The plot is multilayered and kept my interest from the first page until the last. The slow pace added to the suspense and, when the simmering tensions finally boiled over at the climax of the storyline, I could finally relax and unclench my jaw in relief.

The only things that keep this from being a four star read for me are the "instalove" trope (I guess I am too jaded to believe two people can instantly fall for each other) and the repeated descriptions of Agnes's leg injury-we get it, her leg hurts.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this enjoyable book.

I was very excited to get an ARC of this title after seeing it raved about by Crime By The Book. I love books set in Nordic countries as the setting provides an atmosphere of dreary isolation. This novel is set in a remote town in Iceland, with a decades old murder, and hidden family history. It ticks all the boxes for me with the nordic noir genre, however it still felt a bit off. I would have liked to have had more of a dual timeline. Overall it was a thrilling page turner for me, even though I identified the character a little over halfway through. Larsen developed the characters and storyline deep enough for you to become attached, but not so much that you get bogged down in the details. I can't wait to grab her backlist title Shutter!

This story is a bonus that offers two mysteries in one book. I really enjoyed the setting in a small Icelandic village. While the plot and mysteries were the focus of the book, I wished for more description of the setting and better development of the characters since this is a place that I have never visited. That being said, the plot and the solving of both the decades-old murders and the current disappearance of a young woman was very well written. The story was fast-paced and entertaining and kept me searching for connections. The protagonist, Agnes was to be admired in her convictions and determination but she was one of those characters that made me want to admonish her to stop putting herself in stupid dangerous situations. I found the character of the podcaster, Nora to be very unlikable and I really think that the inclusion of a podcaster as a means to “set the stage” and get the protagonist involved has been overdone. I’m looking for something more creative now to get everyone in place. And I found Nora’s motives to be confusing and some of the things that she did were never explained (no spoilers). But as for the big picture, these criticisms are minor compared to the overall enjoyment of story and I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of the mystery genre and especially for the unique setting.

Interesting book Not only was it
A mystery but it taught me much about the cold landscape of Iceland. Agnes leave’s California to be interviewed for a podcast about a long ago unsolved murder of her grandmother. The people she meets along the way will become characters not to be forgotten. Agnes is damaged in more ways than just her physical problems caused by an accident in the water. Her fragile psyche is tested each day in Iceland. I found this book a little long and wordy but definitely a book that entertained me and kept me interested. A Good read for sure.

I couldn’t read The Lost House fast enough! We meet Agnes, the granddaughter of a man accused of killing his wife and daughter 40 years ago. She goes to Iceland to talk to a podcaster to clear her grandfather’s name and finds herself confronted with ghosts of the past she didn’t want to encounter. There are so many unexpected twists in the book – including a current missing woman. Thanks, NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the eARC.

This story is going to throw you in for a crazy ride. When Agnes goes to Iceland to be interviewed, she never expects her whole life to be turned upside down. I was a bit confused trying to keep track of the introduced characters. The storytelling was great, and I enjoyed learning little bits of the culture and how people did things in the small town. There were some pretty intense moments in the story where you don't know what direction things will go.

Thanks to the publisher, Net Galley, and Macmillan Audio for the ARC and ALC!!

I started reading and for the first couple chapters I kept putting the book down. I was unable to focus; I was unable to care about the book. It was too distant in my mind. I gave it one more chance, picking it up and finding it so great that I could not put it down. What an exciting and dramatic mystery. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC. I am beyond excited to have been an early reader. Highly recommended to anyone for its perfect mix of mystery, thriller and drama.

Highly recommend if you like true crime podcasts & gripping murder investigations you won’t be able to put it down! Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur and Melissa for the eARC!

What to expect:
⭐️ Cold case murder
⭐️ Finding out about your past
⭐️ Healing from trauma
⭐️ family history
⭐️ missing persons
⭐️ Finding out who you are along the journey
⭐️ This book does discuss a battle with addiction to opiates

My thoughts:
Holy cow once I started I couldn’t put it down! There was some slight confusion at the beginning when I was mixing up the main characters or thought I had. once it all unfolded I realized it was different POVs.

This story is full of gripping scenes! You will question what has happened and is currently happening. The main story line and the killers identity will blow you away. I truly didn’t see it coming until the last pages. Once I hit part two though I couldn’t stop. I sped read desperately needing to know the end!!

The main characters and secondary characters are deeply developed and well written. The background characters are a mix of people you fall in love with and some you won’t like at all.

The location of Iceland makes it sound so cold but beautiful! I live in a snow climate and love it for 2 days then hate being cold.

All in all the depth of the storyline, the murder and the evolution of the case is full of haunting details, gripping scenes & nail biting moments!

I was a huge fan!!

Synopsis:

Forty years ago, a young woman and her infant daughter were found buried in the cold Icelandic snow, lying together as peacefully as though sleeping. Except the mother’s throat had been slashed and the infant drowned. The case was never solved. There were no arrests, no conviction. Just a suspicion turned into a certainty: the husband did it. When he took his son and fled halfway across the world to California, it was proof enough of his guilt.

Now, nearly half a century later and a year after his death, his granddaughter, Agnes, is ready to clear her grandfather’s name once and for all. Still recovering from his death and a devastating injury, Agnes wants nothing more than an excuse to escape the shambles of her once-stable life—which is why she so readily accepts true crime expert Nora Carver’s invitation to be interviewed for her popular podcast. Agnes packs a bag and hops on a last-minute flight to the remote town of Bifröst, Iceland, where Nora is staying, where Agnes’s father grew up, and where, supposedly, her grandfather slaughtered his wife and infant daughter.

Is it merely coincidence that a local girl goes missing the very same weekend Agnes arrives? Suddenly, Agnes and Nora’s investigation is turned upside down, and everyone in the small Icelandic town is once again a suspect. Seeking to unearth old and new truths alike, Agnes finds herself drawn into a web of secrets that threaten the redemption she is hell-bent on delivering, and even her life—discovering how far a person will go to protect their family, their safety, and their secrets.

I’ve been on a winter thrillers kick lately, and while the setting in this one was bone chilling, I had a bit of an icy reception to the story as a whole.

While I was initially really interested in the true crime podcast angle and interconnected mysteries, the pacing and our main character made me lose interest fast.

The podcast theme doesn’t take up much of the book on the whole. It’s present early on and then dies out the further into the story we go. Almost as an afterthought, and I would’ve loved more of a focus on it. I think this led to some pacing issues as I kept waiting on the next podcast scene just to realize it wasn’t coming for a while, and this made the middle of the story drag for me.

Our main character, Agnes, also wasn’t someone I was really rooting for. She became very repetitive, and while it’s clear she’s struggling, the pain killer addiction and constant reminder of her injury got to be too much for me.

Things that I did like included the Interludes from different viewpoints and the snowy atmosphere and setting ❄️ Having a few other POVs, or the ones that we did get more frequently, I think would've helped keep my interest throughout the middle of the story more. 2.5 stars overall.