Middletide by Sarah Crouch

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.

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published June 11, 2024

by Atria Books

4/5 stars

Middletide was my May Book of the Month pick by debut author Sarah Crouch.

This book starts with the discovery of a body hanging from a tree one cold January morning. The town doctor appears to have taken her own life after suffering the tragic loss of a child and divorce. What follows is a story that weaves through time to uncover what led to this death and the aftermath.

I really enjoyed this slow paced read, I alternated between my print copy and the audiobook, I might add the reader did a great job. Coming in just under 300 pages it was the perfect length to get to know Elijah, why he came back to his hometown and what his relationship to Erin was like.

As with any mystery I read I always have my sleuth hat on trying to figure out what happened before the big reveal. In this case, I was stumped though I did have my suspicions pointing to a number of scenarios. The author did a great job setting the puzzle pieces into place nicely. The ending was good and I didn’t see one aspect coming at all, so hats off to the author for catching me off guard.

All in all a very, solid debut and I look forward to reading more by Sarah Crouch.

This book was part of my 2024 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge.