Tim Johnston is not a household name --- not yet, but that can and will change --- though he is no stranger to the fiction world. He is the author of NEVER SO GREEN, a critically acclaimed young adult novel, and IRISH GIRL, an award-winning short story collection. However, neither of those (well, maybe the latter) will prepare you for DESCENT, the dark literary thriller that Johnston has created out of whole and brilliant cloth.

DESCENT centers on the four members of the Courtland family, consisting of husband Grant, wife Angela, daughter Caitlin and son Sean. The story opens with the family on vacation in the Rocky Mountains, a last hurrah before Caitlin starts college. Caitlin has it all: intelligence, athletic prowess and looks, a combination that promises her a bright future. As the book begins, she is out on a morning run, with younger brother Sean accompanying her on a mountain bike. Their parents, meanwhile, are engaged in a morning eye-opener, reaffirming a relationship that, as we quickly come to learn, has been tested by indiscretion in the past.

"It is everything a novel should be: unpredictable, poignant, ironic, redemptive, and beautifully and wonderfully told.... Oh, and if you have children, you will want to construct a portable security fence around them."

The seemingly idyllic tableau is shattered within the hour by an event that leaves the family torn asunder. Caitlin and Sean’s morning constitutional ends with Sean seriously injured and Caitlin abducted. The incident reveals the thin veneer of Grant and Angela’s relationship. A search is undertaken, but the thousands of acres surrounding the kidnapping site foretells an unsuccessful and ultimately horrific result. By the time the dust settles and the smoke clears, Angela has moved in with her sister’s family and is barely clinging to sanity. Sean, feeling guilty over his inability to prevent his sister from being stolen, has taken to wandering about the southwest and midwest. It is only Grant who remains near the site of the tragedy, working with and for Emmet, an elderly man who is the father of both the local sheriff, and Billy, a substance abuser with a troubled past whose constant state seems to be one in which he is a heartbeat or two away from going off the rails.

Grant, to put it simply, believes that his daughter is still alive and wants to be there when she is found. He never gives up, not due to blind faith but rather because there is simply nothing else he can do. For him, the alternative is unthinkable. Over time, he establishes a friendship with Emmet, one that puts him at loggerheads with Billy, who seemingly is unable to understand why the world around him fails to recognize the wonder that is himself. A catalyst is all but certain to occur, and indeed it does, with unexpected, tragic and uplifting complications for all concerned.

DESCENT is the story of a family that is united at first, but quickly falls apart and then, slowly, almost imperceptibly, begins to come together once again, though it may never be quite the same. It is everything a novel should be: unpredictable, poignant, ironic, redemptive, and beautifully and wonderfully told. It contains elements of heartbreak, betrayal, friendship and unexpected redemption. You will want to read it twice: once to enjoy, and a second time to experience how the job of constructing a literary work without sacrificing story is fittingly and properly done. Oh, and if you have children, you will want to construct a portable security fence around them. Seriously. But you need to read DESCENT anyway.