An entertaining read with a nebulous ending, Midnight in Soap Lake focuses on a woman who has followed her mad scientist husband to his dream research assignment, only for him to be pulled away by another irresistible mystery out of the country. With her career in flux and without knowing anyone in town, Abigail starts taking long walks on her own, where she eventually stumbles across a heartbreaking mystery that will take a complement of town misfits to mostly solve. Read this if you are looking for books about found family or strange towns, or urban legends.

What a weird and quirky delight! I loved this book and got into quickly and easily. I was invested in Abigail's journey, the community of Soap Lake, and the mystery of Tree Top. Hard to out down. This is definitely one of those times where an ARC just won't do...planning on getting a copy to keep!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this one.

This was an okay read. The writing style had some nice moments, and a few scenes stood out, but overall it didn’t leave a strong impression. I liked some of the characters, though I didn’t feel very invested in what happened to them. As a piece of fiction, it had potential, but it didn’t quite come together for me. Not a bad book by any means—just not one that stuck with me after finishing.

3.5* rounded to 4. This is a classic case of don't judge a book by its cover! Once you start reading the book, the cover becomes an amazing visual for the story. Abigail finds herself following her husband's dream of moving to soap lake to conduct research on the strange properties of the water found there- ancient water that as been undisturbed since it's inception. Soon Abigail finds herself alone in the town and begins to connect with some locals, diving into a long unresolved string of crimes, deaths and mysteries that feel related. This book kept me guessing until the last minute, and its ending is plausible and mysterious at the same time. Thank you to #Netgalley and #HarlequinTradePublishing for the arc.

3.5 stars

Liked it, wanted more.

One of the biggest things for me was how strong and intriguing the novel was for the whole first half, or even the first 3 quarters. Ultimately, I was a little disappointed with how it ended. It was so intriguing seeing how everything layered together and trying to figure out where everything was going to land and how it all fit together. It was an enjoyable read. It was twisty and had me guessing. It had a good amount of disconcerting vibes throughout it, I just wanted something more from it at the end. I won't write about any spoilers, but I think if this book seems interesting, pick it up! It pulled me in enough that I had the audiobook and the actual book, and would alternate between the two. (The narration is great for the audio.)

Thank you so much to HTP and The Hive for the gifted copy of this novel! --Long live the world's largest lava lamp....stand. :)

The newest from the author of Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore, and it's still midnight. Strange deaths are happening in this mystical lake, and it was the perfect amount of magic and mystery for this reader. You will get frustrated if you try to understand exactly how everything "works", but if you just go with it, I think you'll find a whole lot to love about Midnight in Soap Lake.

This book stayed with me for a while! I was so drawn in to the characters, and the story was so engaging, I couldn't put this book down. It was such an ethereal setting, with enough atmosphere to make the town atmospheric enough to keep the story moving.

This book is a split timeline, and starts with Abigail, a young woman who moves to Soap Lake with her husband for his research, but is quickly left alone when he accepts another research opportunity in Poland. Feeling alone in their new hometown, Abigail starts exploring the remote town and it's own urban legend, TreeTop. While on a walk, she comes across a young boy, running across the surrounding desert, and then leads her to his mother, Esme, who Abigail discovers has died in her car. Abigail tries to discover what happened to Esme, and how she ended up where she was. The book also tells Esme's story, from her years of growing up in Soap Lake to when she finally left, giving context to the events happening with Abigail.

This was such an enjoyable read; I kept wanting to know more about the town and the people that live there. Abigail comes into her own, and develops her own strength as she connects with her small community. I really enjoyed reading how she gained confidence in herself, as well as Esme's own self-discovery. These two women had such depth to their story, and the sense of foreboding in the town added to my enjoyment of this book.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for my advanced e-book copy, all opinions are my own.

Intriguing and fascinating. Kept me hooked
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Midnight in Soap Lake by Matthew J Sullivan
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In a town by a lake with mysterious properties, two women’s lifes intersect in a dangerous way. Abigail has moved here with her husband, who wants to research the lake. When she finds a young boy in the desert she wants to learn more about his mother, Esme.
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This book was a mysterious little present wrapped in multiple layers.
We follow both Abigail and Esme’s POVs and they were both interesting. What happened fo Esme? Who is TreeTop and is he really dangerous? And why is this lake so interesting to people?
I became more and more intrigued by the story the more I listened. There were some suspenseful moments where I was really worried.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love finding new bizarre little stories, if you do as well then check out this one. I listened to the audio and it was very good.

This was such a strange story that was way out in left Field. A figment of everyone’s imagination was confusing and the magical parts weren’t what I expected. I finally gave up reading it. This book is not for me. .

I'm still not sure if this book was for me. There were times I was really confused as to what was going on. The intermingingly stories was well done but there were times it felt like I either missed something or something was missing. The characters were really well described. You end up really feeling for Asme and what she went through. I can't imagine that happening while babysitting! Overall, it was fine.

Midnight in Soap Lake by Matthew Sullivan is based on a fascinating actual lake! The story is part science fiction, part murder mystery, and part urban legend. I expected a more unusual ending based on the rest of the book. In addition, I finish unsure if I even understand the reasons why behind the mystery. Nevertheless, I am fascinated by the place.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2025/04/midnight-in-soap-lake.html

Reviewed for NetGalley and the Harlequin Trade Publishing's Winter 2025 Blog Tour Program.

well-written, almost felt like it might be a 5 star read, but then the ending ended super vaguely, which could be setting up a sequel or just the ending style it's going for but it doesn't work very well in a mystery. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HarlequinTradePublishing for the book #MidnightInSoapLake by #MatthewSulivan. Abigail has moved to Soap Lake with her husband for research for his job. Soon after they move there he has to take a long trip to Poland for work. She is so alone and soon finds herself tangled in a murder of a young mother. As she delves into finding who is behind this murder, she is putting herself in danger. Can she escape this alive?

An interesting small town mystery with lots of twists and turns. It didn’t keep my interest as I hoped it would since it seemed a bit far fetched with a character made out to be a figment of people’s imagination and a special lake with mythical properties.

Abigail and her husband move to Soap Lake, WA for his research career. The town of Soap Lake is home to many quirky characters and the town holds its secrets close. Abigail soon becomes a part of the town’s mysterious narrative and discovers how dangerous its secrets can be to those who try to uncover them.

The setting initially drew me into the story and I found this to be an intriguing listen. I was invested in the characters and was eager to put together the pieces of their pasts. At the end of the book, though, I felt as if many of my questions were left unanswered. This appeared to be an intentional move by the author, but I was hoping for more resolution.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Audio, and Hanover Square Press for advanced copies of this title (both audio and ebook).

Mystery | Adult
[cover image]
When Abigail’s lake biologist husband Eli takes a job in Washington state, she imagines towering trees, craft beer, and quirky townsfolk. She gets only the quirkiness, and a loneliness that settles in when Eli heads to a temporary position in Poland. On a late night walk, a bloodied little boy comes stumbling out of the desert and into her arms, landing Abigail in the middle of a murder investigation involving a terrifying urban legend, an ecological mystery, a history of tragedies and addictions, and even a half-built giant lava lamp. The story is told in two timelines by Abigail and Esme, the little boy George’s mother. I loved the narrative style, eerie setting, twisting plot and odd people. And kudos to author Sullivan for his vocabulary – I had to look up limnologist, solipsistic and several more words. The plot goes get a wee bit too complicated in parts, but if you enjoyed <i>Twin Peaks</i> on tv you’ll like this one! And check out the awesome cover! Soap Lake really does exist, by the way. It’s in the eastern desert half of Washington State, and about 3 hours south of my Grand Forks, BC home. It’s very cool, actually – deserts, climbing cliffs, canals and rivers. We’d planned to camp there and explore this summer … Oh well. Back to the book. It’s being published in a couple days, under the changed title <i>Midnight in the Orchard by the Lake</i>, though I haven’t seen the new cover yet. My thanks to Hanover Square Press for the review copy provided digitally through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this novel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/210827823

I enjoyed the story, though there were times I was a little confused if I didn't pay attention to whose point of view I was reading. I loved the setting, a small town where everyone knew each other and was full of secrets. The urban legend really added to the mystery of the town and made it that much more creepy.

Thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!

This was a really interesting one! I started off unsure as the beginning was a little slow and I couldn't get a sense of what kind of story this was going to be because I didn't read the synopsis. It definitely gave sketchy small town vibes with an 80s feel to it despite the two timelines being fairly current.

I became so much more invested as I got deeper into the murder mystery of what happened to Esme, and how a weird lake and creepy town mascot were involved. I was wrapped up in Abigail's journey as she unburied town secrets, and following the past and present timelines until they ultimately came together.

I may have been a little skeptical at the start, but I definitely became immersed in the story. The ending has my heart aching, but it was a very enjoyable read. Get your copy to discover TreeTop and the magical lake!

This is the first book I have read by Matthew Sullivan, so I didn't know what to expect. What I got was a book of suspense, murder, an urban legend, mysterious lakes, water and irrigation, family, and fighting for what is right. Has a kind of "It" feel to the book. Abigail moves to Soap Lake, Washington, with her husband. He has received a grant to investigate the healing properties of a lake. When her husband is called out of town for a few months, Abigail gets sucked into a mystery when a blood-soaked boy comes running to her while walking. What happens as she begins to try to piece together what occurred the night Esme, the boy's mother, was murdered, leads her from one clue, to the next, and to the next. Lots of suspense, new friendships, and twists, to reach the end. Thank you to Mr. Sullivan, Hanover Square Press, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this book.