Middletide

Sarah Crouch

Mystery Thriller

In this gripping and intensely atmospheric debut, disquiet descends on a small town after the suspicious death of a beautiful young doctor, with all clues pointing to the reclusive young man who abandoned the community in chase of big city dreams but returned for the first love he left behind. Perfect for fans of All Good People Here and Where the Crawdads Sing

One peaceful morning, in the small, Puget Sound town of Point Orchards, the lifeless body of Dr. Erin Landry is found hanging from a tree on the property of prodigal son and failed writer, Elijah Leith. Sheriff Jim Godbout’s initial investigation points to an obvious suicide, but upon closer inspection, there seem to be clues of foul play when he discovers that the circumstances of the beautiful doctor’s death were ripped straight from the pages of Elijah Leith’s own novel.

Out of money and motivation, thirty-three-year-old Elijah returns to his empty childhood home to lick the wounds of his futile writing career. Hungry for purpose, he throws himself into restoring the ramshackle cabin his father left behind and rekindling his relationship with Nakita, the extraordinary girl from the nearby reservation whom he betrayed but was never able to forget.

As the town of Point Orchards turns against him, Elijah must fight for his innocence against an unexpected foe who is close and cunning enough to flawlessly frame him for murder in this scintillating literary thriller that seeks to uncover a case of love, loss, and revenge.

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.

My Opinion

(4 / 5) Elijah and Nikita meet as teens and it feels like they’re meant to be. They are devoted to each other even when Elijah heads away to college. Promises were made. And sadly, promises were then broken. But now Elijah has returned. Will Nakita take him back?

Two fisherman find the body of Erin Landry, a prominent doctor in town. Since the death is suspicious, they look to Elijah who owns the property where she was discovered.

The story takes us back and forth through timelines of the investigation and leading up to the death. We get to know Elijah who lives in his father’s run-down house but is loving the simple life after his writing career fails. We briefly get to know Nakita and her father who are Native Americans living on the reservation nearby. As the investigation continues, a clue surfaces that points the killer as Elijah. The murder has been mimicked from his failed novel, Middletide, that the sheriff was anonymously given. The trials he endures and the people that stand beside him were admirable and touching.

The mystery is a slow build that jumps back and forth in the timeline, giving bits of clues as it continues. This became a small frustration for me when I had a hard time remembering facts from each timeline and where those facts fit into the bigger story. There was little dialogue throughout the book but that led to rich descriptions of the land and people, including their thoughts and actions. This became a positive attribute especially for the ending.

That ending was definitely the best part. It was full of shocking information that turned the entire story upside-down. I would have loved more in-depth details to savor during this time but it was a great end to that build-up. It is a solid debut and I’m excited to see what Crouch does next! I recommend this to those that love a slow build mystery with a big bang at the end.

General content summary: 

Little to no language

Corpse seen hanging (no details, suicide discussed)

Child death (previous, car accident)

M/F kisses

Autopsy (few details)

Gun death (few details)

Hunting for food (some details)

Death (lung cancer, few details, grief)

Spousal death (previous, no details, grief)

Death (liver failure)

Physical violence (head injury, previous)

Thank you to Sarah Crouch, Atria Books and NetGalley for the copies!

The book releases June 11, 2024.

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