Agnes is the granddaughter of the infamous Icelandic Dahlia. Her grandmother and infant child were found frozen in the snow 40 years ago. It almost looked like an accident, but her throat was slashed. Everyone believes that Agnes's grandfather did it, but as someone who adored him, she can't believe it's true. So she ends up in Iceland working alongside true crime podcaster, Nora in the hopes that they'll uncover the true killer once and for all. But the podcast is put on hold when a woman goes missing, and the only thing more dangerous than the arctic temperatures is the town's inhabitants.

As somone who considers herself a Mary Shelley fan, she loves a good atmospheric book, and that's exactly what you get here. You are immediately plunged into this frightening and frozen small town full of suspicious residents. This book focuses more on Agnes than Nora which is fine with me because I liked Agnes better as a character. While this book had a few issues (for example Nora just vanished at the end), it was a compelling read, and I'd certainly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. As always, Saskia Maarleveld was an enjoyable narrator.

The Lost House by Melissa Larsen is the story of Agnus, the American born grand daughter of an Icelandic family infamous for the murder of her grandmother and baby aunt. The murder known as the Frozen Madonna, is now the subject of a true crime podcast hosted by Nora Carver. Agnus, suffering from a painkiller addition agrees to go to Iceland indefinitely to be interviewed and help Nora. Her grandfather was the only suspect in the murders, and Agnus desperately wants to prove he is innocent. Upon arrival to Iceland, Nora shares the news that a Girl has gone missing after attending an anniversary party “at the murder house.” Together Nora and Agnus interview distant relatives, friends and neighbors to try and find the missing girl, and who killed “The Frozen Madonna.”

I enjoyed this book, and looked forward to listening. It has a steady pace, good narration and sounds quality. It can get confusing at times with the many people who are introduced, all with Icelandic names. People who love psychology thrillers and mysteries will enjoy this book.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the advanced audiobook through NetGallery in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a solid book. A small town mystery is uncovered by a podcaster and a young woman who has connection to the mystery. While uncovering secrets of the past mystery, this duo find themselves in the middle of a new mystery. You get two mysteries in one! Some of the book was slow for me, still a good listen. Thank you, NetGalley.

I loved the setting of this book, the harsh weather and remote town in Iceland made for a spooky atmospheric read. It was too much of a slow burn for me. I was dying to know what happened and wish we had gotten there sooner.


Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I tried. I did finish the book but it took a lot of back and forth between the book and the audiobook. Usually, I get a sense of darkness and tension rom this setting. This time I found myself fighting boredom. There was an old and a new mystery. Neither were approached in a way that had any real tension. No one seemed terribly concerned with the presently missing woman and no one even seemed a little reliable when discussing the past. I pushed through.

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.