Sarah CrouchReseñas

A quality debut novel by an author to watch. The plot a young couple in love who are separated by the man's ambition to write a novel and moves to San Fransisco but they agree meet again in several years to .renew their love. She shows up and he does not so she eventually on and marries. Eventually Isaiah makes it back to town but his girlfriend is taken. So, he starts a romance with a small town nurse there but when things turn sour she apparently commits suicide but police believe things don't add up. A good mystery.

This was not great. There is far too much homesteading in the first 100 pages, introducing no new suspects into the cast of characters and getting our plot no where. Also, how does someone know how to make preserves and can a variety of vegetables but not know how to make pancakes? No. Of all the things he could have been doing in the last 15 years in the city, making pancakes is much higher on the list than food preservation. None of the characters here made sense either. The educated doctor is clinging and crazy and on a long-con, the main character is also clingy and can't take no for an answer and we're supposed to like this guy? Blah.

From June of this year, MIDDLETIDE by Sarah Crouch is a surprisingly good debut novel. Set in a small town in Washington, the story follows the beautiful town doctor and a failed writer who returns home. The time moves back & forth from teenagers in 1973 to a murder in 1994. That murder appears to come directly from the one book the writer had published. Wonderful characters and a unique plot. I hope to see more from this author in the future.

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.½

When Elijah Leith returns to his family’s abandoned cabin in the woods of Washington state, he’s hoping to find a better life than he left behind in San Francisco, and maybe the girl he left there 15 years earlier. Elijah endures several years alone in the woods, but when things seem to finally begin to go his way the bottom falls out and he is accused of murder. This is a book with a lot of unfilled spaces where the author trusts the reader to fill in the blank, and sometimes that works and sometimes that doesn’t. Middletide tries to be a lot of things — a thriller, courtroom drama, love story, and bildungsroman to name a few — and all of it mixes together to be an engaging book.½

Set in the Pacific Northwest, Middletide is the story of Elijah, a young man who left home to become a writer. His first novel was the subject of a scathing review and sales dipped until the publisher dropped the book. Because his alcoholic father scorned his choice of becoming a writer, Elijah never came home until after his father’s death and he struggles with guilt over not reconciling with him before he died.

Once home, Elijah has tries to rekindle his previous relationship with Nikita and it doesn’t go well. He then dates Erin, the local doctor for a brief time before realizing she is not a good fit for him. Elijah and Nikita manage to work out their issues and become a couple once again.

Meanwhile, Erin its found hanging from a tree on property owned by Elijah. Naturally he becomes a suspect. When the local sheriff is mailed a copy of Elijah’s book, he realizes that Erin’s death is the exact death of a character in Elijah’s book. Elijah is arrested and has to find the one mistake made in the death in order to get himself free.

I found the story predictable, but I enjoyed anyway. I would have liked to have seen more character development with Elijah and Nikita. Overall I felt this was a good debut mystery.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to give my honest review to other readers.

Middletide by Sarah Crouch is an atmospheric literary murder mystery and a story of love lost and found. This debut novel is highly recommended

In the small Puget Sound town of Point Orchards the body of Dr. Erin Landry is found on the property of Elijah Leith. He grew up there, left to become a writer, and after thirteen years he recently returned to live in his deceased father's cabin. Elijah's one book was published and was an abysmal failure after being panned from one critic. Now he is fixing up the cabin, trying to live off the land, and hoping to reconnect with Nakita, his first love.

When Sheriff Jim Godbout’s investigates Erin's death, it initially appears to be a suicide, but suspicions arise that point to murder. Then one of the few published copies of Elijah's book is sent anonymously to the Sheriff's department. The murder in the book seems to match Erin's death. It appears someone is trying to frame Elijah for murder. The question is who would perpetrate this and what would be their motive.

The descriptive writing is quite extraordinary in this debut literary novel that follows a trail of love, loss, and revenge. The setting is the star of the novel and comes to life. Elijah's struggles to build a life for himself and living off the land after his writing failure is interesting, as is the lost love story line. The murder mystery is also intriguing, but the investigation seems inept at times.

A few details in the plot do require some suspension of disbelief, but I found it easy to do so while focusing on the strengths of the writing. The events in Middletide span dates from 1973 to 1994. The dates are clearly given at the opening of each chapter so readers can keep the time period in mind, although the moving between time periods was a bit too frequent. I'll be looking forward to Crouch's next novel. Thanks to Atria for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2024/05/middletide.html

Middletide is a literary thriller about Elijah Leith, a failed author returning to his Pacific Northwest hometown. When the dead body of the town‘s doctor is found on his isolated property, Elijah finds himself under scrutiny. This book is a love letter to the Pacific Northwest, beautifully bringing its scenery to life, but that‘s where my praise ends.

The literary aspect of the story falls down on the job because the characters simply don't come to life. Elijah, who should be compelling and sympathetic, is, at best, wooden. At worst, he is annoyingly selfish, eagerly leaving behind the love of his life with unkept promises to follow his dreams. This wouldn't be so bothersome if he didn't follow it up by returning many years later to badger her back into a relationship too quickly after the loss of her husband.

The thriller aspect is poorly executed. While one might not expect top notch investigational prowess from a small-town police chief and his green deputy, their sloppy police work and easy willingness to buy into obviously leading evidence truly tests suspension of disbelief. The tension expected in a thriller isn't there, and the resolution is simplistic to the point of being unsatisfying.½

This is a debut novel but this author, and the premise of this book also focuses on a debut novel. Coincidence?
My mind was looking into whom was the guilty murderer, and I stabbed in the dark for answers. In the mean time, Elijah is stumbling, and pining for his lost love. Will they ever be reunited and end up together?
Answers come, but boy what a mind blowing read, the journey for answers makes for a page turning read, and yes, I was surprised at the outcome!
Does fiction become reality?
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Atria Books, and was not required to give a positive review.

This book was a murder mystery and I liked the sequence in which it was told. It’s a story about the murder of a woman in a small town, told in two perspectives—that of Elijah, first from 1988-1993, who is the suspected killer, and of Sheriff Jim Godbout and his Deputy Jeremy Hart in 1994, who are in charge of the case. The story unfolds quite seamlessly, connecting Elijah’s past to the clues that are unearthed while the murder is being investigated and then bringing in Elijah’s present timeline in 1994. The twist towards the end was unexpected and added another intriguing level to the story. I really enjoyed the author’s descriptive writing and I am looking forward to her future works.

Middletide, by Sarah Crouch is a fascinating read. The story of a young woman’s suicide, or was it a murder, will lead you on a twisting journey through the life of a young man who tries to leave the small town of his birth to follow his dream of finding himself through his writing. Elijah will find that his dream is short lived and return as a failure to the only home he knows. He initially tries to hide from the people in his small town and especially the girl he left behind. He will find that Nikita has moved on after lonely years of waiting for him to come back to her. Elijah moves into his old home his estranged dad passed on to him when he died. While trying to get his life back together Elijah works at a local car repair shop run by an old family friend. Chitto is more like a father to Elijah than his real dad was. While working at the garage Elijah meets the town doctor who happens to be a beautiful woman. This is the woman who Elijah will eventually be accused of murdering. What strange series of events leads to this horrible possibility? The book is tightly written, carrying the reader swiftly along as the mystery is skillfully unfolded. The book was provided for review by the publisher, Atria Books.