Descent

By Tim Johnston

Thanks to the staff at The Tattered Cover Book Store for turning me on to this month’s selection. Full disclosure: I haven’t read this yet, but it’s now next in my queue.

I can tell you that this novel from Tim Johnston earns interesting reviews, but it’s the context of the reviews that drew me in. When I hear phrases like “literary thriller,” it makes me pause and wonder: Have I ever read a literary thriller?

Of course, that instantly puts some people off, but some people are put off when you say ‘good morning,’ so that’s not a worry. The fact that plenty of reviewers gush about how Johnston combines straight-ahead thriller writing with, as one person put it, “gorgeous prose” . . . well, I’m intrigued.

The premise is laced with hooks. A family (the Courtlands) takes a vacation in the Rocky Mountains before their daughter, Caitlin, heads off to college. But when she goes out for a morning run with her brother, she disappears, while Sean is found on the side of the road, badly injured.

Descent is not only a “where has she gone?” thriller, it’s an examination of the human spirit, with its fears magnified. We’ll witness the trauma and terror of a family in despair. And, as we take the journey together, we’ll be kept guessing by a writer who pulls us further and further along.

Rarely do I select a book I haven’t read, but this will be fun. And, as a bonus, through the end of December, 2015, you can pick up Descent for 20% off at The Tattered Cover Book Store just by mentioning Dom’s Book Club.

Enjoy!

Dom