Midnight in Soap Lake

How it reads

Midnight in Soap Lake is mystery (small-town mystery, specifically), and its dominant mood is eerie. It's atmospheric and uncanny, with a sense that something is wrong. The pace is moderate — neither a page-turner nor a slow burn — so it holds up whether you read it in long sittings or short ones.

It's set in a small town setting, in the present day, told in the third person, staying close to one character. Its central concerns are secrets, loss and grief and family. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending resolves happily. At 416 pages it's an ordinary novel's length. It's a hidden gem — known to relatively few readers.