Midnight in Soap Lake by Matthew Sullivan

Abigail drifted through life until she met and married her husband Eli. They moved across the Rocky Mountains for his career to an unusual lake named for its slippery consistency: Soap Lake, Washington. His career temporarily led him out of the country; her lack of motivation kept her lakeside. Monotony was upended when a boy covered in blood ran out of the brush on an empty farm road. Through a mysterious murder and strange events in town Abigail found courage to face unknown dangers. 

Sullivan used the framework of a thriller to examine small communities and their self-destruction where neighbors and loved ones cause the most hurt. He also explored the effect of humans on nature where pesticides dust tidy rows of apple trees beside a network of ditches that knit fields and water sources. Central Washington shone through as a supporting character. The dust and heat were palpable, as were the towering rows of fruit trees that supposedly hid a killer between their branches.

It was a fun listen and Kristen Sieh’s voice was well matched for this story.