Descent

A Breakout NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller

A USA Today Bestseller

An Indie National Bestseller

“I’ve read many variations on this theme, some quite good, but never one as powerful as Tim Johnston’sDescent . . . The story unfolds brilliantly, always surprisingly, but the glory ofDescent lies not in its plot but in the quality of the writing. The magic of his prose equals the horror of Johnston’s story; each somehow enhances the other . . . Read this astonishing novel. It’s the best of both worlds.” —The Washington Post

The Courtland family has come to Colorado to explore the vast beauty of the Rocky Mountains, a vacation just before their daughter Caitlin leaves for college. But when Caitlin and her younger brother Sean go out for an early morning run, and only Sean returns, the mountains become as terrifying as they are majestic.

Caitlin’s disappearance, all the more devastating for its mystery, is the beginning of the family’s harrowing journey down increasingly divergent and solitary paths, until all that continues to bind them together are the questions they can never bring themselves to ask: At what point does a family stop searching? At what point will a girl stop fighting for her life?

Descent is a perfectly crafted thriller that races like an avalanche toward its heart-pounding conclusion, and heralds the arrival of a master storyteller.

“Tim Johnston has written a book that makes Gone Girl seem gimmicky and forced . . . My heart’s still pounding even now as I’m trying to describe the novel, recalling just about every turn and twist of the action, remembering how engaged I was, and how surprised I felt at just how far Johnston could wander from the main premise and still keep me with him . . . You’ll want to set this one down so you can take a breath, and pick it up and keep reading--all at the same time.” —Alan Cheuse, NPR

“A riveting literary thriller of the can’t-stop-turning-the-page stay-up-all-night variety.” —Alice LaPlante, author ofA Circle of Wives

“Outstanding . . . The days when you had to choose between a great story and a great piece of writing? Gone.” —Esquire

“[A] dazzling debut . . . An exquisitely crafted psychological study of loss and survival . . . The taut plot pivots on original surprising twists . . . Extraordinary.” —The Dallas Morning News

“Johnston’s descriptive prose attains a level of visceral brio . . . [An] engulfing thriller-cum-western.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Tim Johnston’s high-wire literary thriller . . . will leave you gasping.” —Vanity Fair