S. F. Prescott

Atmospheric and filled with suspense.

MELISSA LARSEN is the author of 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.

Published January 14th, 2025.

This book came into my life at just the right time. Desperately in need of a distraction, I became fully immersed in this story, and the lives of the characters in it. A young woman with a haunting past returns to her ancestral home in Iceland to investigate a gruesome murder in her family. I was immediately transported to Iceland’s frozen landscape, and the small town of Bifröst. It’s rare I find a mystery that really grips me, but in this case I was captivated from start to finish. The story felt very character driven, and I cared about Agnus and her quest for the truth about her family’s dark past.

Traveling to her hometown to meet true crime podcaster, Nora, was an interesting angle, and allowed Agnes access to suspects she might not have had otherwise. I was intrigued by Agnes’s past—the murder of her grandmother and aunt—and the more recent missing young woman Asa. The character arcs were fascinating, specifically how they intertwined with Agnus’s family. I definitely had multiple theories about the murder, but had no clue how or if it connected to the more recent crime. The end twist caught me completely off guard but made perfect sense. One particular scene that still haunts me was when Angus fell through the barn floor, breaking her already shattered knee. The ending was very satisfying and there wasn’t one loose end or detail out of place. The pace and plot were perfectly executed, and held my attention throughout.

For readers who enjoy suspense, immersive settings, and complex female protagonists.

Synopsis:

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.