This novel is an atmospheric Nordic Noir. Agnes Glin leaves her house in California to return to an ancestral home in Iceland that her grandfather fled after the horrific discovery of his wife and child buried together in the snow in 1979. The local authorities could never gather enough evidence to bring any official charges. In the eyes of the community, Einar Palsson was guilty and left town with his son and that blight firmly on his name. To Agnes, Einar was a gentle and loving grandfather who could never have committed such a brutal crime. Agnes returns to Bifrost with the hope of clearing her grandfather’s name along with the help of Nora, a true crime podcast journalist covering the 40-year-old murder. Upon her timely return, the small town is once again rocked by the mysterious disappearance of a local young woman, and a frantic search in the bitter cold ensues. Lock the doors and make yourself a hot cup of tea, the subsequent investigations are chilling in more ways than one.
I thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of The Lost House for my unbiased evaluation. 3 stars
