Descent

By: Tim Johnston

Narrated by: Xe Sands, R.C. Bray

Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

From the day Caitlin vanishes the lives of her family members are irrevocably altered, each assuming blame for that day's tragic events. As the initial days of hope are replaced by weeks of anxiety and despair, they find themselves increasingly isolated, each wondering: Is she still alive? Will we ever know what happened?

Pursuing every angle and refusing to surrender the belief that his daughter is still alive, Caitlin's father struggles through the mountainous terrain, prodding both his son and the local authorities to keep up the search. It is through a most unlikely source, however, that they finally find an answer, in a climax that is stunning in both its execution and resolution.

Written with precision and elegance, Johnston captures characters' emotions, divergent thoughts, and moments of bleak loneliness as they search for answers. Descent is both a taut and gripping thriller and a work of outstanding literary merit, a combination of great story and beautiful writing that is certain to garner comparisons with the work of such bestselling writers as Cormac McCarthy and Dennis Lehane.

©2015 Original Material by Tim Johnston. Recorded by arrangement with Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, a division of Workman Publishing Company, Inc. (P)2015 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Excellent story well told

It seems to start slowly. I had to rewind to get the names straight and get a sense of the narrative time jumps. But then the listening experience kicks in. No detail is wasted and the characters are well drawn and believable.

Intense

Scary and disturbing but written vividly and with eloquence, this thriller captures the many points of view of a family in crisis. Hard to put down.

Great narration, long-winded story

Narration is top-notch, especially the woman's voice, which is like vocal warm milk with honey. Story is kind of dry, would probably have been a better short story.

review

slow to start, worth staying with it
. would recommend, entertaining I enjoyed this story glad I didn't quit it

A well crafted story.

The internal and external dialogue lent itself very well to this Audible selection and add kudos for the believable plot line and just enough information revealed to be seductive, in the thriller crime/mystery sense of the word plot . I do hope this author will have another novel in the works.

kept me listening!

this audio book kept me listening way beyond my commute and dog walking. it has a storyline that keeps you guessing. the characters are so well developed you feel like you know them like family and neighbors. I really enjoyed this one!

Beautifully crafted story, addictive

Beautifully crafted, Interesting characters and interactions. An addictive read. Extremely well read. Refreshing, the best book I've read in ages.

Excellent novel!

Excellent narration of a harrowing story! Worth every moment of suspense - very well written and captures what a family must go through when a loved one goes missing.

Suspense at its best

Wonderful writing! The human condition laid bare and redemption finally realized. Powerful detailed prose and a plot that builds as steeply as the mountains in the story. I wanted this book to never end but couldn't wait to see it through. I hope other novels are coming through this author. Having grown up out west, I could smell the pine trees being described. The audio performance matched the power of the story. Superb!

One of the very best reads of the year.

What did you love best about Descent?

Descent is a thriller, a love story and an exquisite tale of a family wrenched apart. The story is violent and heart breaking. The author, Tim Johnston, led me inside the head and heart of each of the main characters. What did I love best? The wonderful, clean writing.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The story centers on a family of four...and a disaster that rips through them. I lived this story (for eleven and a half hours) through the little brother, Dudley...or Sean...or the boy, as he's most often referred to. He's the character that touches each of the others.

Which scene was your favorite?

There is a peak moment, near the end, which i won't describe. But if you are a parent...or if you have ever loved your sibling, you'll know that you've just found the "gotcha" scene.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I couldn't listen to the entire book in one sitting. My dog insisted on going out twice during the 11.5 hours.

Any additional comments?

I read about 150 books a year. (Yes, I need a life.) I'd say that only about a dozen each year are this strong and well written. But, a warning to readers ! There's a lot of breakage in this tale.