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Distant Sons

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Distant Sons

By: Tim Johnston
Narrated by: Shaun Taylor Corbett
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The paths of two young men collide and spark unexpected violence in a Wisconsin town where three boys went missing in the 1970s in this absorbing work of literary suspense.

"An intricate, haunting novel." —Michael Koryta, author of An Honest Man

What if? What if Sean Courtland’s old Chevy truck had broken down somewhere else? What if he’d never met Denise Givens, a waitress at a local tavern, and gotten into a bar fight defending her honor? Or offered a ride to Dan Young, another young man like Sean, burdened by secrets and just drifting through the small Wisconsin town?

Instead, Sean enlists Dan’s help with a construction job in the basement of a local—the elderly, reclusive Marion Devereaux—and gradually the two men come to realize that they’ve washed up in a place haunted by the disappearance of three young boys decades earlier. As Sean and Dan’s friendship deepens, and as Sean gets closer to Denise and her father, they come to the attention of a savvy local detective, Corrine Viegas, who has her own reasons for digging into Dan’s past—and for being unable to resist the pull of the town’s unsolved mystery. And with each chance connection, an irreversible chain of events is set in motion that culminates in shattering violence and the revelation of long-buried truths.

Gripping and immersive, this crime novel by bestselling author Tim Johnston becomes so much more: a book about friendship and love and good hard work—and a masterful read about how the most random intersection of lives can have consequences both devastating and beautiful. Crime Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Thriller & Suspense Mystery Suspense Crime Fiction

Critic reviews

"Distant Sons is a mystery about a serial killer, yes, but it’s also not that at all: It’s a heartbreaking story about family, failure, and the fallout from violence. Tim Johnston has crafted a riveting novel that takes us into struggling blue collar America, and locates the hope hidden inside devastating loss. A beautiful book."
——Janelle Brown, bestselling author of Pretty Things
“Tim Johnston has once again raised the bar for the literary thriller. Distant Sons is elegant and edgy, refined and complex. It excavates the truth from the darkest recesses of the past and shines a light towards the possibility of a redemptive future.”—Ivy Pochoda, author of These Women and Sing Her Down
"Tim Johnston returns in dazzling form with DISTANT SONS, an intricate, haunting novel sure to resonate with fans of Dennis Lehane, Peter Heller, and James Lee Burke. Johnston's plot is tense and his pacing swift, but he's after bigger game here, with questions of identity, intentions, and legacies merging in a tale that will linger long after it is finished. He's also one of the finest prose stylists in the game, stacking polished sentences with a master's touch. Don't miss this one." —Michael Koryta, New York Times bestselling author of An Honest Man
"Tim Johnston’s Distant Sons is the kind of novel that inspires writers like me to want to step up our game. His prose is both elegant and raw, with characters so real you want to sit down and have a beer with them. Mr. Johnston is a writer with a gift, and if you haven’t had the pleasure to read him, I highly recommend picking up this book."—Allen Eskens, bestselling author of The Life We Bury and Forsaken Country
"This book kept me up at night. Eerie, unsettling, and addictive."—Ash Davidson, author of Damnation Spring
“A slow-burn novel that quietly elevates the fragile codes of honorable men.”—Kirkus Reviews

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All his books are fantastic. Very good imaging and storytelling. Grips you. Pleasantly surprised that this book ties the other two together!

Great story

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Maybe this writing style is just not for me. Every character had hearing and understanding difficulties. Author uses ( What ?) so often, and then it was a repeated phrase. I tried to excuse it for the personality of main character, but the old man does it, plus the lady detective and also the girl friend dad does it too.

WHAT ?????

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In addition to great stories and exquisite prose, Tim Johnston has taken the unusual step of bringing characters from The Current and The Descent into this 3rd novel Distant Sons. All read well as stand alone works, but there is another layer of pleasure for readers if you follow the order of publication. The novels are rich in compelling detail and layered with a deep understanding of people who are pushed to the brink by circumstance. 6 out of 5.

One of the best series that’s not a series

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l The author was able to make his characters come alive, out of the page. I felt the friendships developed were authentic. There are sections of the book that have an ineffable sadness to them, but in the sadness there is deep character development. I don't know why I ordered this book but am so glad that I did.

Compelling characters and complex plot

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Storyline was boring and predictable…author does not finish each of the characters storyline adequately.

Boring and predictable

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