Middletide by Sarah Crouch

 

My thoughts

This is a debut book for this author. I believe she has a lot of potential and I will look forward to more of her work. This one was good but not great. It let me down in a few ways. It was not a thriller but was a mystery and while I enjoyed reading this book I did believe all along who was responsible for the Doctor's death. Though I did think it was for other reasons so the author did get me with that. 

Elijah wanted nothing more than to be a writer. After his novel was deemed a failure he returned to his hometown and set about fixing up the cabin where he and his father had lived. He also set about fixing things between him and his first love Nakita. 

Nakita lived on a reservation and had fallen in love with Elijah. When he left to go to college and begin his writing career she waited. He was suppose to return to their special place on a certain date. He didn't.

For what was suppose to be such a great love I was very disappointed. It took Elijah seventeen years to return. He thought he would just come back, apologize, and everything be alright. Nakita would just fall into his arms like a love sick pup. Right... 

I didn't believe most of this story. Yes it was interesting and it was fairly good. But. A love story or a return to a love story. I didn't buy that. Nakita would not have been swayed by him again. I just do not believe it. She married and had a good life. She loved the man she married. He died in a horrible accident and she mourned him. Then she and Elijah became a couple again. Like nothing happened. Yes she made him suffer a little, but not nearly enough. 

Elihah was very childish in my opinion. He just didn't do it for me. I think he came across as more of a teen than a man in his mid to late thirties. At the ages they were I just can't believe they would not have had an intimate relationship once they did get together. That was just unrealistic. 

The investigation into Erin's death was so poorly done also. While I did expect that the book would come into play at a later date didn't help though. Why the police didn't check into who sent it raised questions for me. I know that was an important part but still. Sloppy job on the cops behalf. It didn't seem like they ever looked for anyone else or any other cause. 

This was an interesting book and it was a fun read. There was just to many things that didn't add up for me. It never wowed me in any way. 

Thank you #NetGalley, #Atria, and the author for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book. 

3/5 stars. Read for yourself and decide. It's worth reading. 

About

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.