This intriguing Icelandic mystery involves two Americans—a podcaster and the granddaughter of a supposed murderer—interacting with the people in a small Icelandic community.

Everyone but the MC has believed for 40 years that her grandfather murdered her grandmother and aunt. Did he really do it, though? This book has several twists and turns, and it ends in a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

3.5 stars, rounded up for the setting. I wanted to read this thriller primarily because it’s set in Iceland, the most amazing place I have ever been. And the setting and sense of the people and place was very well done and I really enjoyed that part. The mystery here was less successful for me, prolly cause I disliked the FMC, Agnes, so very much (she was hooked on pain pills, her motivations felt off to me and she was not the brightest tool in the shed). I found it hard to like ANY character, actually, so that made parts of this a bit of a slog. However, the ending and resolution was decent though, so a mixed review from me. My thanks to Net Galley & the publisher for my advanced readers copy, I sincerely appreciate it.

Rugged. Stark. COLD. Beautiful. Thinly populated. These are some of the adjectives I gathered from this book regarding Iceland, and having been there, I couldn't agree more. And my opinion of this book, unlike the stable landscape, changed constantly throughout the book. Agnes strikes me as a weak, unlikeable character who really doesn't know where she's headed or why. She felt hollow to me, not a 3 dimensional character and while her grief regarding the death of her grandfather is understandable, it flavors her entire being to where I feel she is barely functioning. Her inner strength finally starts to reveal itself towards the end. Nora was a bit better, but I could never be certain if she was in love with Agnes or just truly wanted to be helpful. Being in love with Agnes would help to explain a lot. The men, for the most part, were confusing and also not completely fleshed out, in my opinion. Oskar, all we see is hostility. Ingvar, sweet but does he have an ulterior motive? The Thors, we don't see enough of them for my taste and don't really understand much about them. In the final analysis, I enjoyed the story and the ending, but the meat of it left me slightly wanting.

This ARC was provided by NetGalley and the publisher, the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own.

The Lost House was a slow burn of a novel. While it wasn’t as suspenseful as I prefer, overall, I liked the book. At times, I felt that the writing was a little disjointed and didn’t see the point of some of the characters (including the podcaster). The Icelandic setting was different and added a nice atmospheric tone. One thing that does get kind of annoying, and has been mentioned by other reviewers, is how often we have to read about Agnes’s leg.

I read this book in one day. It’s a riveting story taking place in Iceland. ! The narrator did an incredible job drawing me in, making me eager to find out what happened next and who the killer was! By the end, I couldn't stop reading; I was on the edge of my seat! Thank you Macmillan and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen and review this one!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc of this book.

We start off learning 40 years in the past. There was a gruesome murder of a mother and baby found murdered in the snows of Iceland. It was assumed that the husband/father murdered them at the time, and the husband fled to California with the surviving child, a son.

We then cut to the future to Agnes the man's granddaughter, and she is trying to clear his name of the murder after his death as her experience with him was one in which she could never imagine him harming someone, let alone family. She returns to Iceland, and the murders are well known in the country . She meets a podcaster interested in interviewing her and also figuring out a new mystery of a girl gone missing recently.

This was an entertaining story, with a little bit of a predictable ending and a slow middle, but overall, a good read. The book was very atmospheric set in Iceland, and the author helped to make you feel you were there trudging through the snow, feeling the cold wind blow while still bundled in layers. Unfortunately the parts where it dragged it dragged to where my mind would wander and I did consider DNFing at one point, but I'm glad I didn't because even though it was kind of predicable it did end well.

The Lost House was just oozing with Icelandic atmosphere, but missing some of the tension that it needed. This book really gave you the feel of Iceland: the frozen fields, the wind, the deadly terrain. It also had a great plot premise.

But it suffered because there wasn't enough action. It was really slow and not that exciting up until about the 200 page mark. I kept waiting because the story had all of the elements of excitement. It doesn't make sense that it was boring.

I figured out the twist pretty early on, but I still loved the reveal. I wish it was a better ride to get there.

An interesting premise for this dark thriller set in Iceland.

Agnes, born in California and recovering from a bad leg injury, journeys back to her family's home in Iceland after her grandfather dies. Her grandmother and aunt had been found dead in the snow 40 years before - a case that had never been solved - but the suspicion had fallen on her grandfather. When he took his surviving son and fled to California, that increased the suspicion that he was the killer.

Agnes agrees to be interviewed by Nora, who runs a podcast and is investigating the decades old murder. Agnes hopes to be able to prove that her grandfather is innocent. Shortly after she arrives in Iceland, another woman, Asa, goes missing from the house in a similar fashion, and the race is on to find her.

This is a slow burner of a novel, and it was a little too slow for me during the middle of the book. I did love the setting, the dark and brooding landscape, the cold and snow - all of which provided such an atmospheric backdrop. Agnes and Nora interview the locals to try and discover what happened, but Agnes is a little cold herself - she seems to be stirring up bad memories of the past and doesn't seem too concerned about the effects that has on others. She is dealing with her own demons as she struggles to discover the truth.

Murder. Podcasts. Family secrets and mysteries. Agnes flies from California to Iceland to dig into all these things and finds more than she bargained for.

This book has many moving pieces, but they all come together in the end. The pieces made it an attention-keeping read. And the writing style made it easy to keep turning pages until I had read for so long that I lost track of time.

Agnes is an amazing character. Her development continues throughout the book, which I love. So many times, the main character remains stagnant, but Agnes evolves with every chapter.

I received a free copy of, The Lost House, by Melissa Larsen, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Agnes's grandfather was accused of murdering his wife and baby, now Agnes wants to clear his name. This novel is set in Iceland, a great place for a thriller.

The Lost House
3⭐️

Agnes is traveling from California to Iceland to meet with a podcaster, Nora, to discuss the brutal murder of Agnes’s grandmother and aunt 40 years earlier. It’s Agnes’s first time traveling to the land her family originated from. Her grandfather died a year earlier and Agnes was extremely close to him. He cared for her and loved her unconditionally. So, it’s makes the possibility of him being a murderer that much harder to accept. A whole town is confident he was the killer and it adds to Agnes’s ongoing internal spiral. It doesn’t help that another young woman has just gone missing and she was last seen at the original “murder house”.

This was very well written. It’s told from Agnes’s POV and follows her internal struggles as she desperately tries to find answers to her family’s past. This is a slower moving mystery. While the writing was great, it was a little too slow to keep me engrossed. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a snowy atmosphere, psychological mystery, and intertwining storylines in a small town.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This review will be shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date Jan 14 2025

After her grandfather's death and her own serious injury, a woman travels to Iceland to discover the truth behind the story of the murders of her grandmother and infant aunt. She partners with a podcaster who facilitates meetings with people who have personal knowledge of the mystery. Fans of Nordic Noir are likely to enjoy it.

Emotional tale of a young woman looking for answers to her family's past. When Agnes decides to go to Iceland to explore the ancient murder of her grandmother and aunt, she defies her father and sets out on a quest that may destroy the bond that she has with the person closest to her, her deceased grandfather. The author expertly portrayed the feelings of trepidation, fear, hope and love that afflicted Agnes as she embarked on this mission alone in a strange and cold country. I enjoyed the land and the people in the small community. Nora was a strong and focused central character that kept the investigation and storyline on track. I also very much enjoyed the way clues were uncovered, almost like tripping over the information. Many surprises and twists, including the tie to a current missing person case, kept me riveted. I not only enjoyed the tale, but now also yearn to experience Iceland for myself!

Get a blanket and a cup of coffee and be prepared to be fully immersed in this story. Agnes is a down on her luck twenty something year old living in California. Her family left Iceland 40 years ago after the unsolved murder of her grandmother and aunt. Although never charged with the crime her grandfather was the only suspect. After his passing she teams up with a podcaster and heads to Iceland to clear his name. I really had no clue what to think about the 40 year old mystery and the recent disappearance. I couldn’t stop turning the pages and was rooting for Agnes the whole way. This was a beautifully written story about family, tragedy, triumph, and finding yourself. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Bleak, barren, dark, and freezing are words I would use to describe this Nordic Noir thriller. I enjoyed the slow burn of this story of Agnes, who travels to Iceland to speak on a podcast, hoping to prove her grandfather’s innocence about a decades long murder of her aunt and grandmother. While she is there, a young woman goes missing and the townspeople are desperate for answers.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book prior to release, as an ARC.
I have always loved the Icelandic setting and stories by another Icelandic author, so I was excited to have an opportunity to read this one as it appeared to be in the same setting.
The story line did not disappoint. I am not going to repeat what happens in the story (as so many other reviewers always do?) as that is part of the synopsis of the book! I thoroughly enjoyed the setting in the cold mysterious Icelandic atmosphere. It makes the story setting even more perfect and appears even more suspenseful. I have not read anything by this author prior and she did not disappoint!! The characters were for the most part likeable and relatable and definitely developed throughout the story. I liked the protagonist who set out to clear her grandpa's name.
The setting of the story was well described, making it possible to picture yourself in the story and environment. That is always a big pet peave of mine...I have to be able to see myself in the story...and this author does it perfectly. The narrative was well built out and not far fetched. Some parts were a little slow and I was hoping for a quicker solution but it made the story still great.
This author definitely made it a great interesting story that the reader will not want to quit!

This is an engrossing Nordic noir with interesting characters and good Icelandic atmosphere that made me feel the cold climate.

Lost House
4 Stars
It's fast-paced and addictive. The author pulls you through the scenes with alacrity and vivid details. The main character is perhaps a beneficiary of legacy trauma and lacks social skills. The character evolves (or devolves) as the writer puts you through her thought process, pain, reflections, and major insecurities. You don't love the character immediately; instead, you unravel along with her and accept her awkwardness. I will follow this author.

This was a fascinating book about a cold case in Iceland. Agnes is contacted by Nora, a podcast host, to see if she would like to go to Iceland with her to dig into the cold case of who killed Agnes’ grandmother and aunt? Years ago Agnes’ grandmother and aunt were murdered and left out in the snow. All assumed that her grandfather Einar must have done it, but he was never charged. Einar took his son, Agnes’ father, and fled to America. Agnes is determined to go and visit the place where it all happened, and to try to prove her grandfather’s innocence. But, once there a young woman who also looks like her grandmother and her goes missing, and the town is reeling from another tragedy to hit them. As Agnes works to dig into the past and try to prove her grandfather’s innocence, so many things come to light that make her question everything. A powerful book about pain, love, and loss. I received and ARC, and this is my honest review.

"The Lost House" is a haunting story of murder and mystery, truth and assumptions, and one woman's desire to find the truth.

I found this book to be incredibly slow. I love a solid slow burn, atmospheric read but "The Lost House" saved the very best for the last 25% and I felt like it was too late to really make this a great novel. I loved the location in the book; isolated and wintery, snow cover Iceland. I was able to feel the way the weather impacted the story. For me, it was the writing style of Larsen that was hard for me to get loss in. I felt as if is much of the book is runaway thoughts from the main character.

I will say that I didn't see the twist coming and truly did enjoy the end of the book. It was full of emotion and closure, making "The Lost House" a worthy read.