The Lost House

By Melissa Larsen

Book Overview

*A USA Today bestseller*

In Melissa Larsen's The Lost House comes the mesmerizing story of a young woman with a haunting past who returns to her ancestral home in Iceland to investigate a gruesome murder in her family.

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 Bifr st, 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.

Set against an unforgiving Icelandic winter landscape, The Lost House is a chilling and razor-sharp mystery packed with jaw-dropping twists that will leave you breathless.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250332877
• ISBN13: 9781250332875
• Release Date: January 2025
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Finding the truth in the lost house

It is enjoyable to read books that take place in other locations. Recently it seems, there are good ones that take place in Iceland, like this one. You can feel the cold and the isolation in the small towns that are featured. And different cultures and ways of thinking. It adds to the suspense of the novel as Agnes travels to Bifrost to find out the truth of whether the grandfather she loved killed his wife and daughter 40 years ago. Not only is this a thriller, murder mystery (both with the murder long ago and a missing woman in present times), it is a story of a young woman looking to find her roots and truth and what she wants in life after her terrible accident. I enjoyed traveling along with Agnes and could feel her pain and emotions very easily, struggling whether to end all the suffering, or find something worthwhile to hang on to. It coincided very well with the cold and snow and storms in the small town of Bifrost where secrets, lies, and hidden truths abide. This was a good book and went by quickly as I raced to find out all the secrets and missing Asa before more death happened.