Book Review: Middletide by Sarah Crouch

 

Rating: 3.5⭐️

With complex characters and an immersive setting, Middletide by Sarah Crouch is an interesting character-driven novel with an intriguing mystery at its core.

Set in the small town of Point Orchards, Washington, the novel begins in 1994 with the discovery of the body of Dr. Erin Landry hanging from a tree on the property of Elijah Leith. Elijah had been living alone in his late parents’ cabin after returning to his hometown in 1988, after his first novel failed to launch his literary career. Elijah hopes to rekindle his relationship with his former high school sweetheart, Nakita, whom he had left to pursue his dreams of becoming an author, breaking his promise to return after four years. Nakita, grieving the recent loss of her husband, isn’t quite ready to move on. Elijah was also friends with Dr. Landry, whose marriage collapsed after the death of her young daughter in a road accident. Erin’s death is initially ruled a suicide, but when Sheriff Jim Godbout discovers that the details from the crime scene are uncannily similar to the plot of Elijah’s novel, Elijah soon becomes the prime suspect. It is up to him and the few people who believe in his innocence to find the truth behind Erin’s death.

I loved the premise of this novel. The prose is sparse yet elegant and the narrative, presented through past and present timelines, flows well. After a slow start, the narrative gains momentum in the second half of the story. I was invested in the characters and the mystery did hold my interest till the end. The characters were well thought out, but I thought certain aspects of the story could have been explored in more depth, with less telling and more showing.

I did feel, however, that certain components of the story were of no consequence to the plot. The procedural aspect had its moments, but some details weren’t entirely convincing and the courtroom scenes weren’t particularly intense. The ending felt a tad rushed, but I did like how the mystery was unraveled despite the predictability.

Though I won’t call this an entirely satisfying read, there is a lot to like about this debut novel and I look forward to reading more from this promising new author in the future.

Many thanks to Atria Books for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.