The Lost House - by Melissa Larsen (Hardcover)

About the Book

"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 Bifrèost, 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 thriller packed with jaw-dropping twists that will leave you breathless"--

Book Synopsis

*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 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.

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.

Review Quotes

*Indie Next Pick, January 2025*
LGBTQ Reads, Most Anticipated Adult Fiction of 2025

"Superb... The characters are all conflicted and vividly drawn, the milieu is pitch-perfect and the resolution is by turns heartbreaking and strangely uplifting. The Lost House is the first must-read thriller of 2025."
--BookPage, starred review

"This atmospheric, slow-paced suspense from Larsen will appeal to readers who enjoy descriptive crime novels set in isolated Nordic countries." --Library Journal

"With its measured pace, psychological depth, and vivid portraits of people and places, Larsen's atmospheric thriller resembles Nordic noir... A haunting whodunit with effective undertones of menace." --Kirkus Reviews

"Atmospheric...Larsen seamlessly interweaves Agnes's path toward self-discovery with her and Nora's investigation." --Publishers Weekly

"Larsen strikes the right notes here for fans of Scandinavian thrillers, contrasting the forbidding environment with intense relationships and revealing the village's crimes through the lenses of loneliness and family dysfunction. A winning recommendation for readers seeking a snowy thriller with LGBTQ+ themes and a satisfying, redemptive ending." --Booklist

"Larsen infuses The Lost House with a vivid look at Iceland so chilling one can almost feel the cold wind. The Lost House is filled with strong characters that Larsen has carefully sculpted...Larsen deftly makes The Lost House a succinct story of families, their secrets and the interest in true crime." --South Florida Sun Sentinel

"A chilling meditation on the human ramifications of the true crime industry, Melissa Larsen turns her piercing gaze to Icelandic noir. The Lost House explores inheritance, pain, loneliness, and survival, with a breathless murder mystery like an icy current running through. With this masterful novel, Larsen positions herself to become a giant of literary suspense." --Danya Kukafka, bestselling author of Notes on an Execution

"A notorious long-ago crime and an unfolding new one converge in the isolated confines of small-town Iceland, in a riveting story that's at once chilling and warmhearted and scary and sexy. A great read." --Chris Pavone, New York Times bestselling author of Two Nights in Lisbon

"The Lost House is a deeply atmospheric, layered thriller in which long-buried secrets threaten to overturn the present. With uncompromising intelligence and empathy, Melissa Larsen crafts complex characters and explores what happens when real people become caught in sensational true-crime tales--all amid a mesmerizing, unforgiving Icelandic winter." --Clémence Michallon, internationally bestselling author of The Quiet Tenant

"A chilling suspense that will keep you up through the long Icelandic night. Melissa Larsen's prose is as sharp as an ice-pick and her story will thaw your heart." --Carol Goodman, Two-time winner of the Mary Higgins Clark Award and author of Return to Wyldcliffe Heights

"An atmospheric stunner of a novel, an addictive and deeply considered excavation of family secrets and silence. Larsen's novel is a thing of wonder. I didn't want it to ever end." --Danielle Trussoni, New York Times bestselling author of The Puzzle Master

"A trip down memory lane but make it murdery. 'Chilling' doesn't scratch the surface of Melissa Larsen's Icelandic mystery where one family's ancestral secrets are even harsher than the elements. A triumph by a true talent." --Hannah Morrissey, author of Hello, Transcriber

"Full of sweeping landscapes and chilling details, The Lost House is replete with family secrets, dark legacies, and the terrifying depths humans will go to in order to keep what's theirs. For fans of Ragnar Jonasson and Patricia Highsmith, The Lost House is not to be missed!" --Jennifer Herrera, author of The Hunter

"Readers will love exploring the icy surfaces and compelling depths of Melissa Larsen's gorgeously written suspense novel, The Lost House. Set in moody and mysterious Iceland, this propulsive read features a heartfelt look at generational trauma with true crime culture twists and an expertly crafted exploration of uncovering family secrets buried in the snow." --Vanessa Lillie, USA Today bestselling author of Blood Sisters

"Tightly plotted, rich with heart and heft, Melissa Larsen's smart and suspenseful The Lost House examines how you can deeply love someone and still not truly know them--how searching for the truth can both enliven and unravel a person. A book so beautifully written and full of atmosphere, I was instantly transported to the haunted, ethereal landscapes of rural Iceland, to a town where secrets are laid bare and sins of the past come into sharp relief. A brilliant, thrilling read." --Samantha Jayne Allen, author of Pay Dirt Road

About the Author

MELISSA LARSEN is the USA Today bestselling author of The Lost House and Shutter. She received her M.F.A. from Columbia University and her B.A. from New York University. When she isn't traveling somewhere to research her next novel--and somehow hurting herself in the process--she lives in New York City and teaches creative writing.