This one was a good mystery, but not super suspenseful or thrilling. It did cover some sensitive subjects (addiction & suicide). Overall it was a nice story, just not suspenseful enough for me. It was well written, a good story.

The audio version did not improve my initial thoughts on the book from when I had previously read it. I found it easier to read than listen. The narrator was well spoken and had a good pace, this one’s just not for me.

While we just celebrated the Winter Solstice, there is still time to enjoy this Nordic noir slow burn thriller this winter. There’s 3 stories to follow:

1. Forty years ago, a woman and her infant are found frozen and suspicious landed on the husband, who then fled Iceland to California with his surviving son. // 2. Agnes, the granddaughter of the suspected murderer, leaves California and heads to Iceland for the first time to find once and for all who was really responsible. Agnes has troubles of her own that gives character development. // 3. Coincidentally during Agnes’ visit, a local girl goes missing. Is there a connection?

Each character played a part, exuding Icelandic approach. You feel the winter darkness throughout the novel... solid twist towards the end!

The Lost House takes place in Iceland and I loved how Larsen truly transported me. The scenery she created was astonishing and a character in and of itself. It's also a mystery that's a two for one - Agnes' family tragedy from forty years ago implicating her grandfather as a murderer and the current mystery of a missing local girl.

There is a lot of history woven into the pages of The Lost House and it was important to keep names and timelines straight, which felt somewhat challenging at times with the audio. This may have been a better choice for a physical/ebook read rather than the audio, though I did think the narrator did a good job. It was just a complex story with a lot of moving pieces and characters and backstories. The audio was also fairly long, clocking in at 10 hours, which could give another push for reading rather than listening.

The writing was really well done with this one but it was a slower plot. There wasn't a ton of action - just researching and conversation and Agnes struggling with her pain and addiction.

Overall, I enjoyed this story but I'm not sure it will stick with me. Thank you to MacMillan Audio, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the copy.

Settle in for an atmospheric, Scandi-noir mystery, with a menacing pall hanging over the protagonists, searching for answers from the past.

Agnes travels to Iceland in order to participate in a podcast concerning her family and hopes to answer questions about her grandfather's notorious past. Upon arrival in Bifröst, Agnes sees that a young woman has disappeared and that it may be connected to her family's unfortunate past.

This is definitely a neat read, especially if you like the icy atmosphere and seclusion of rural Iceland. The central mystery is intriguing enough on its own, but with the added mystery of the missing woman, the reader gets wrapped up in the connections between the two and the possibility that they're linked. Definitely a good read!

I received a free audiobook copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Just couldn't get into this one... usually love Saskia Maarleveld and can get into anything she narrates, but this one just wasn't doing it for me. The writing wasn't working and I felt confused from the start. Not opposed to revisiting this one day but just wasn't working for me right now.

I really struggled to engage with this book. I switched between the audio and ebook and neither of them clicked. The book moved very slowly, too slowly for a mystery in my opinion. I started to get bored during many different parts of the book. It felt like nothing was actually happening through the majority of the book and I was able to guess the ending pretty early on. The book was very repetitive which only added to my frustration. All that being said, the setting of this story is CREEPY!! Seriously, the perfect setting for any thriller/mystery. A dark, snowy and remote town in Iceland gives the chill factor. The descriptions were incredibly well done, making me feel like I jumped right into the book. I feel like some of the pieces were there to make for a creepy read, but unfortunately other parts fell flat. Very mixed reviews on this one, so I would love to hear your different thoughts!

Agnes just lost her grandfather, who decades earlier fled from Iceland with his young son when his wife and daughter were murdered. When Nora, a podcast personality, wants to interview Agnes, she packs up and heads to Iceland, where a girl has coincidentally gone missing. Together they work to uncover secrets, both past and present, to help solve these cases.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copies.

This book was a slow build and took some time for me to get into, but the ending is absolutely worth sticking it out for! Initially this presents as more of a retelling of a cold case (though everyone knows who did it) but it turns into a huge active scene.
The audio was fantastic and especially helpful for the words/names in a language I don't speak.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author Melissa Larsen, and Macmillan audio for my advance copy of this audiobook.

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!!

3.5 / 5 stars. What a unique and interesting story. In the beginning I found it tricky to keep up with some characters having the same name, but after I got into the story it was easy to follow. This is a good mystery and I was surprised by the twist near the end. It had interesting characters and I liked that it took place in a cold place. It set the perfect scene for a winter read.

This was an ok thriller. I liked it in concept: a woman goes back to Iceland to explore more about what happened in the unsolved case of her grandmother and infant aunt's deaths. She meets up with a true crime podcaster who is covering the mystery and meanwhile another woman goes missing in the winter cold. I like the true crime podcaster trope, even though I'm not that into podcasts and I don't follow true crime. The podcaster here was weirdly gleeful, which I found jarring. The bigger problem was that while the mystery was compelling, the tension never quite built up, and, as a result, I was never fully immersed in the story. I was expecting the winter to be more a character in the story than it really was.


A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Melissa Larsen, and Macmillion Audio for the audiobook! A great listen narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. This thrilling story is full of twists and set in the captivating landscape of Iceland. I loved how the past intertwined with the present, and the outcome completely blew me away!

The synopsis sounded so good, I usually love winter type thrillers but this one just fell flat for me. It was missing something and I was not able to connect to any characters. I was not able to push through.

An excellent audio! Definitely helpful with all the pronunciations too. A first from this author, I really enjoyed the story. The audio was great. It really brought the characters to life. The pacing was good. I slowed it down to 1.25x on this one as the narrator was a bit faster speaking than others. I appreciate that. The transitions between chapters were smooth and the narrator read with excellent intonation. I felt like the story flowed well and went quickly.

Agnes, recovering from a major surgery, is down on her luck in northern Cali. Her father, originally from Iceland, immigrated to the US when his father fled from his home country after being accused of killing his wife and infant daughter. They were found in the snow, frozen in time like snow angels. Nora, a popular podcaster, invites Agnes back to her hometown to visit the scene of the crime. While there Agnes learns all about her past and perhaps her future.

I would definitely read more from this author.

I absolutely enjoyed this book! If you want to start the year off with a great atmospheric thriller, this would be it. Along the same vibe with Listen For the Lie by Amy Tintera, The Lost House holds the same thrilling read as that. The plot was really fun to get into and the characters were well developed. There were definitely a few times where I changed my mind guessing who was the main culprit. Whenever that happened, I knew I was in for a great book.

I was able to get this as an audiobook and it was done well with the voices and just giving the feel of Iceland. The words came out so fantastically with the audio by Saaskia Maaleveld. My attention stayed on high alert throughout the entire things so I hope the author continues on this trajectory. Great story, great mystery, and a great reveal.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Saskia Maarleveld did an amazing job narrorating with her raspy voice and the nordic accents. This novel was a slow burn. I think that it could have been significantly shorter with the MC focusing less time on resolving her feelings about her family. The last 20% of the book was much quicker paced than the first 80% of the novel. It was difficult for me to get through this at times as it was a little repetitive with nothing really going on to progress the story.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advancer copy in exchange for an honest review. Who doesn't love a dark wintery thriller set in Iceland about a decades old murder? Sign me up... I was excited to read this but unfortunately as much as I did like the story, I found it slow overall and repetitive. I still liked the story, and will definitely try reading something else by the author.

I usually love thrillers and horror set in winter, especially in an Icelandic setting. Unfortunately this one fell flat. I couldn't connect to the characters or the plot.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

I read this one over winter break and it brought the perfect vibes for this time of year. Agnes is still in recovery from an accident of her own when she decides to return to the childhood home of her father in Iceland. Her father and grandfather moved from Iceland to the US when he was just a boy after the mysterious death of her father's mother and infant sister. They were found dead in the snow and the only suspect was Agnes's grandfather. Even though there was never any proof, the whole town assumed he did it. Agnes is now traveling to Iceland to see what truths she can uncover only to find on her arrival that another woman has gone missing.

This was a good mystery, both present and past. It was interesting to have a relative of the suspect be the one to look into the events that occurred. Agnes is an unreliable narrator of sorts which adds to the ambiguity of everything going on. The setting has a small-town, locked room feel due to the remote location of the town and the severe winter weather. The audio was well-done and kept me intrigued. It never lost me despite the various characters included in the story.

Overall, I enjoyed this book for the atmosphere and the vibes. It was a quick read perfect for an afternoon of escape during break. If you are looking for a mystery/thriller with wintery vibes, you may want to pick this one up.

This book follows Agnes, who sets out to Iceland in order to try and solve a 40 year old case in which her grandfather is known to have killed her grandmother. She wants to clear the family name, and while she’s there, gets mixed up in a new missing persons case that some locals believe is tied to the case of her grandmother.

The story started out really strong, but at some point felt very repetitive to me. I was intrigued to find out the answers, and everything was laid out neatly at the end with no unknown answers, but I still felt it was lacking something. I wouldn’t discourage the read, but it wasn’t a story that will stick with me.

3⭐️

Pub date 01.14.25

Thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books for my e-arc and Macmillan Audio for my ALC. #MacAudio2024

The Lost House (Audiobook) by Melissa Larsen (Goodreads Author)
with Saskia Maarleveld (Narrator)
Colleen Chi-Girl on GoodReads - My rating: 5 of 5 *****
GR Bookshelves: 2024, audio, california, contemporary, crime-mysteries, iceland, netgalley, read, thrillers, women-centered
I debated between 4 or 5 🌟 and really enjoyed this dark, compelling, Icelandic novel so much that I gave it a"5". This thriller was just a great wrap up for my end of year novels.
Expected publication January 14, 2025 - have fun with this one.

Oh my word, did I enjoy this novel/audiobook! It was the right mix of everything from the setting with the creepy, dark, and freezing weather, the beautiful, modern, new home to stay in, while in its backyard is her family's original farmhouse. It is dark, thrilling and full of intrigue.

Agnes arrives in Iceland with a good attitude, but it's clear that normal walking is a very difficult task for her. Picture anyone trying to walk in ice and snow and the dark, and you'll feel a lot of empathy for Agnes. (You'll find out more about her injury as the tale enfolds.) Why did her father ever agree that his only daughter, in her condition, should go to his hometown in Iceland to discuss the murder of her grandmother and the baby (who would've been her aunt)?! And don't forget that Agnes' dad is the young boy who escaped, with his father, to sunny Calf. where Agnes was born and raised. BTW, his father is obviously Agnes' grandfather and was someone whom Agnes adored. But Grandfather is also the same man.... who possibly? probably? savagely murdered his beautiful, young wife and baby girl. So much mystery and intrigue...I couldn't put it down.

Agnes meets the podcast true-crime queen Nora Carver in Iceland and they, who are about the same age, hit it off. Nora is sympathetic to how hard it must be for Agnes to be in this small town where her Grandfather is hated, and she befriends Agnes. The secondary characters are introduced and they're well developed, quirky, interesting, and maybe have issues telling the truth. The setting gets even better and the plot moves quickly and with excitement. Saskia Maarleveld was marvelous as the narrator of all the characters, and her voice and vibe kept me on the edge...

Without giving more of the story away, I didn't go into it thinking it would be a 4 or 5 * book....I'm just glad it was. This won't disappoint!

Publisher's Blurb:
-Forty years ago, a young woman and her infant daughter were found buried in the cold Icelandic snow...the mother’s throat had been slashed and the infant drowned. The case was never solved. 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. Still recovering from his death and (her own) devastating injury, Agnes wants nothing more than to escape her once-stable life. She accepts true crime expert Nora Carver’s invitation to be interviewed for her popular podcast (in Iceland of course). 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 murdered his wife and infant daughter.

Thank you to MacMillan audiobooks, NetGalley, and the author for my ARC - my review is my own.