Where the Crawdads Sing — Delia Owens

Summary

On October 30, 1969, two boys discover the body of Chase Andrews next to an abandoned fire tower in the swamp. The story then rewinds back to 1952 when Kya, a six-year-old girl, sees her mother and siblings leaving their shack, deserting her with her abusive father. Kya, now known as the 'Marsh Girl', survives by herself, selling mussels to an old man, Jumpin’, who along with his wife, Mabel, provide her with basic supplies.

Eventually, Kya befriends Tate Walker, a friend of her brother, who teaches her to read. Their friendship blossoms into romance, but when Tate leaves for college and doesn't return as promised, Kya is heartbroken. Subsequently, Chase Andrews, a popular former high school quarterback, captures her attention. Despite his initial sexual aggressiveness, which scares Kya away, they eventually start a relationship. However, when Tate returns from college and sees Kya with Chase, he turns away.

Later, Kya finds out that Chase has been seeing other women, and even worse, he gets engaged to another girl. Around this time, Tate offers to find a publisher for her nature paintings, which eventually results in a book deal for Kya. Chase attacks and attempts to rape Kya, leading her to threaten to kill him if he bothers her again. Shortly afterwards, Chase's body is found, and Kya immediately becomes a prime suspect.

Kya spends two months in jail awaiting trial, with her lawyer, Tom Milton, defending her. Despite compelling evidence against Kya, including the testimony of a fisherman who heard her threaten to kill Chase, she is acquitted. Upon her release, Kya returns to her beloved marsh. When Tate visits her, they confess their love for each other and start living together. They spend the rest of their lives together, with Kya continuing to write books.

At the age of 64, Kya dies of a heart attack. Following her death, Tate discovers a collection of poems written by Kya, and the shell necklace she had given to Chase, effectively revealing that Kya was indeed responsible for Chase's death. However, Tate destroys the evidence, ensuring that Kya's secret dies with her.