Descent

By Tim Johnston,

Book cover of Descent

Book description

As their world comes undone, the Courtlands are drawn into a vortex of dread and recrimination. Why weren't they more careful? What has happened to their daughter? Is she alive? Will they ever know? Caitlin's disappearance, all the more devastating for its mystery, is the beginning of the family's harrowing…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked Descent as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This book is a meticulous and gut-wrenching story of the unraveling of a family. At its center, is a young woman who is abducted while running in the Rockies, but it is so much more than that (and that story in and of itself is riveting). I’ve always been drawn to stories that look at the ripples of an act of violence. There’s the shock of the act itself, but then there’s all of the days and years after. What Johnston does so beautifully in this story is show how this family unravels but also how each one of them…

I’m a huge fan of small bookstores, but even more so, I love the “Little Free Library” kiosks set up around various neighborhoods in my home city of Austin, Texas. It was inside one of these take-a-book/leave-a-book nests that I found Descent, which follows the Courtland family and their descent into a living nightmare when their teenage daughter is abducted. Tim Johnston is a master of setting, particularly the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. I’m particularly keen on this landscape (and want to thank Tim for such vivid imagery) because my upcoming serial killer thriller is set in these same…

Want books like Descent?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Descent.

Browse books like Descent

Book cover of Good Neighbors
Book cover of The Sanatorium
Book cover of One by One

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,224

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in loss, kidnapping, and missing persons?

Loss 121 books
Kidnapping 119 books
Missing Persons 307 books