Middletide: A Novel BY Sarah Crouch

In The Silence of the Trees, a haunting debut novel set in the quiet town of Point Orchards, Washington, tension and suspicion grip the community after the shocking death of Dr. Erin Landry. The young doctor is discovered hanging from a tree on the property of Elijah Leith, a reclusive writer who had left the town in pursuit of big city dreams. Sheriff Jim Godbout initially rules the death a suicide, but disturbing details suggest otherwise: the circumstances of Erin’s death eerily mirror a scene from Elijah’s unpublished novel.

Elijah, now thirty-three and disillusioned by his failed writing career, returns to his dilapidated childhood home to recover and reconnect with Nakita, his first love from the nearby reservation whom he had abandoned. As Elijah attempts to rebuild his life and restore the old cabin left by his father, he is met with growing hostility from the townsfolk, who are convinced of his guilt.

With the evidence seemingly stacked against him and the town turning hostile, Elijah faces a dire struggle to prove his innocence. As he delves deeper into the investigation, he realizes that the true culprit might be someone with a deep-seated grudge—a person close to him who has meticulously orchestrated his downfall.

The Silence of the Trees is a gripping literary thriller that intertwines love, betrayal, and revenge against the backdrop of a small town’s dark secrets. With atmospheric tension and a compelling plot, it explores how past actions and hidden resentments can resurface with deadly consequences.