Scan barcode
msmullaney's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
randywgravitz's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
billymac1962's review against another edition
5.0
Ever since devouring Descent and The Current, I had been waiting on baited breath for Tim Johnston's next release.
Finally it happened in October, and while I was excited to read it, I was hesitant to because that would mean that the sooner I read it, the longer I'd have to wait until his next one!
But you know, I could get hit by a bus before getting to it, so there's my decision: better sooner than later. I need to adopt this philosophy for some other authors as well...
I'm so glad I did because the quality of writing and story and characters are just as top tier as they were in Descent (which was my favourite of his previous two by a slim margin).
And once again his works are grossly underappreciated here on Goodreads. Look at any of the nominees for "best" Mystery/Thriller here for most years and you'll find the vastness of over-hyped, trope-laden mediocrity that saturates the genre.
Tim Johnston doesn't resort to tropes. He creates very real characters in believable stories, and he is just literary enough to nudge into literary fiction without having the narrative weighted down, and this is offset by a considerable amount of engaging dialogue.
I can't think of another author who strikes this balance as well as he does. And he does it with every novel.
Why his novels aren't even considered as nominees for best Mystery/Thriller or even best Fiction is one of the reasons I barely bat an eye at these so-called awards every year. It's really a popularity contest, basically what most people read. An algorithm could easily cull more accurate results by ratings per readers alone.
On the other hand, inexplicably, his average ratings are under 4.00. What the heck is wrong with you people? ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!
I love this guy's books, and he is one of those authors who truly shines during the quieter parts of his novels. Something as simple as a guy meeting a woman's father. Two guys having a chat in a truck. I was riveted to simple conversations.
Maybe I'm going overboard here, but there you have it. One of my favourite authors and he as delivered again just in time to make Distant Sons one of my top reads of the year.
I never like to go into plots but if you loved Descent, you will love this. It centers around a young tradesman who's a stranger in town, who meets up with another stranger, also a tradesman, and they take on a reno for a local man. Of course there is history surrounding the town, the unsolved mystery of the disappearance of three young boys forty years ago.
His pacing was excellent as I've implied and I was very sad to finish it. But he's a young (younger than me, anyway) writer, and as long as he keeps writing I will have great books to look forward to for many years to come.
But hey, read this guy. He is woefully under-read and under-rated.
Obviously five stars.
Finally it happened in October, and while I was excited to read it, I was hesitant to because that would mean that the sooner I read it, the longer I'd have to wait until his next one!
But you know, I could get hit by a bus before getting to it, so there's my decision: better sooner than later. I need to adopt this philosophy for some other authors as well...
I'm so glad I did because the quality of writing and story and characters are just as top tier as they were in Descent (which was my favourite of his previous two by a slim margin).
And once again his works are grossly underappreciated here on Goodreads. Look at any of the nominees for "best" Mystery/Thriller here for most years and you'll find the vastness of over-hyped, trope-laden mediocrity that saturates the genre.
Tim Johnston doesn't resort to tropes. He creates very real characters in believable stories, and he is just literary enough to nudge into literary fiction without having the narrative weighted down, and this is offset by a considerable amount of engaging dialogue.
I can't think of another author who strikes this balance as well as he does. And he does it with every novel.
Why his novels aren't even considered as nominees for best Mystery/Thriller or even best Fiction is one of the reasons I barely bat an eye at these so-called awards every year. It's really a popularity contest, basically what most people read. An algorithm could easily cull more accurate results by ratings per readers alone.
On the other hand, inexplicably, his average ratings are under 4.00. What the heck is wrong with you people? ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!
I love this guy's books, and he is one of those authors who truly shines during the quieter parts of his novels. Something as simple as a guy meeting a woman's father. Two guys having a chat in a truck. I was riveted to simple conversations.
Maybe I'm going overboard here, but there you have it. One of my favourite authors and he as delivered again just in time to make Distant Sons one of my top reads of the year.
I never like to go into plots but if you loved Descent, you will love this. It centers around a young tradesman who's a stranger in town, who meets up with another stranger, also a tradesman, and they take on a reno for a local man. Of course there is history surrounding the town, the unsolved mystery of the disappearance of three young boys forty years ago.
His pacing was excellent as I've implied and I was very sad to finish it. But he's a young (younger than me, anyway) writer, and as long as he keeps writing I will have great books to look forward to for many years to come.
But hey, read this guy. He is woefully under-read and under-rated.
Obviously five stars.
cheryl70's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ladyejayne's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
judithdcollins's review against another edition
5.0
Master storyteller Tim Johnston returns following The Decent and The Current (both 5 stars) with his sixth novel, DISTANT SONS—an absorbing riveting crime novel/literary fiction set in a small rural Wisconsin town haunted by the unsolved disappearance of three boys in the 1970s with thought-provoking what ifs.
Once again, the author skillfully takes us into rural, blue-collar America with loss, struggles, and ultimately, hope with this gritty suspense novel about how the most random connection of lives can have tragic and beautiful consequences.
The novel opens in 1976 when we learn about the three missing boys. Teddy Felt, Duane Milner, and Billy Ross.
Flash forward to 2018 with Sean Courtland, age 26, making his way through town on the other side of Wisconsin from a job in Montana and on his way home. He passed a few exits and began smelling the engine on the outskirts of town.
A breakdown. Sean will have to get a job in construction to make up for the cash he will ultimately spend on repairs for his Chevy truck.
Then Sean gets involved in a domestic dispute at a bar trying to protect a woman, Denise (bartender), and accidentally hits her. Then, they later become friends, and he gets closer to her and her dad.
We also meet Detective Corrine Viegas (a hoot), a big part of the novel. Sean also meets Dan Young, another outsider down on his luck at the diner who has plumbing skills, and he wants Dan to help him finish the job at Marion Devereaux's house.
He is busy working for the old man. There are rumors about the man on the bluffs who may have been involved in the disappearance of the three boys in the 70s. Also, rumors that it could have been the Devereaux uncle from the war.
Strange things happen at the house and the basement, but Sean keeps his head down and does not get involved since he needs to finish and be on his way.
The paths collide as Detective Corinne Viegas, a woman whose drive to seek justice comes from her father's failure to find those boys and the violence once done to her sister. Soon, events happen with violence, tragic deaths, and long-buried dark secrets, and she is center stage. What is behind those walls?
"Our wills and fates do so contrary run, that our devices still are overthrown. Our thoughts are ours, their ends non of our own."
—Shakespeare
Masterfully written in Johnston's signature classic style that we love —brilliantly blending two timelines and stories will keep you on the edge of your seat. Genre crossing—a mix of literary, crime, suspense, small town, mystery, friendship, and police procedural.
Fans of the author will enjoy characters from previous books—Dan Young and Sean Courtland, whom we met in Descent and The Current.
A slow burn, intricate, and immersive, DISTANT SONS is for fans of authors Allen Eskens, Ron Rash, William Kent Krueger, and Dennis Lehane. I'm a huge fan—I highly recommend all his books.
My Reviews:
The Current
The Descent
Thanks to Algonquin Books and Netgalley for an early reading copy for an honest review.
Blog Review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Oct 17, 2023
My Rating: 5 Stars
Oct 2023 Books
Oct Newsletter
Once again, the author skillfully takes us into rural, blue-collar America with loss, struggles, and ultimately, hope with this gritty suspense novel about how the most random connection of lives can have tragic and beautiful consequences.
The novel opens in 1976 when we learn about the three missing boys. Teddy Felt, Duane Milner, and Billy Ross.
Flash forward to 2018 with Sean Courtland, age 26, making his way through town on the other side of Wisconsin from a job in Montana and on his way home. He passed a few exits and began smelling the engine on the outskirts of town.
A breakdown. Sean will have to get a job in construction to make up for the cash he will ultimately spend on repairs for his Chevy truck.
Then Sean gets involved in a domestic dispute at a bar trying to protect a woman, Denise (bartender), and accidentally hits her. Then, they later become friends, and he gets closer to her and her dad.
We also meet Detective Corrine Viegas (a hoot), a big part of the novel. Sean also meets Dan Young, another outsider down on his luck at the diner who has plumbing skills, and he wants Dan to help him finish the job at Marion Devereaux's house.
He is busy working for the old man. There are rumors about the man on the bluffs who may have been involved in the disappearance of the three boys in the 70s. Also, rumors that it could have been the Devereaux uncle from the war.
Strange things happen at the house and the basement, but Sean keeps his head down and does not get involved since he needs to finish and be on his way.
The paths collide as Detective Corinne Viegas, a woman whose drive to seek justice comes from her father's failure to find those boys and the violence once done to her sister. Soon, events happen with violence, tragic deaths, and long-buried dark secrets, and she is center stage. What is behind those walls?
"Our wills and fates do so contrary run, that our devices still are overthrown. Our thoughts are ours, their ends non of our own."
—Shakespeare
Masterfully written in Johnston's signature classic style that we love —brilliantly blending two timelines and stories will keep you on the edge of your seat. Genre crossing—a mix of literary, crime, suspense, small town, mystery, friendship, and police procedural.
Fans of the author will enjoy characters from previous books—Dan Young and Sean Courtland, whom we met in Descent and The Current.
A slow burn, intricate, and immersive, DISTANT SONS is for fans of authors Allen Eskens, Ron Rash, William Kent Krueger, and Dennis Lehane. I'm a huge fan—I highly recommend all his books.
My Reviews:
The Current
The Descent
Thanks to Algonquin Books and Netgalley for an early reading copy for an honest review.
Blog Review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Oct 17, 2023
My Rating: 5 Stars
Oct 2023 Books
Oct Newsletter