Tim Johnston, a native of Iowa City, is the author of the New York Times bestseller Descent, as well as a young adult novel, Never So Green, and the story collection Irish Girl, winner of the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction.
Named one of Amazon's Best Mysteries and Thrillers of the 2019.
"Johnston dazzled with his breakout thriller, Descent; his
follow-up is a more ambitious page-turner, unpacking how a shocking
murder impacts the denizens of a small Minnesota town as they
weather suspicion, guilt, and grief."
--Entertainment Weekly (The 50 Most Anticipated Books of 2019) "Tim
Johnston has given us the gold standard of lush narrative
description--captivating, mesmerizing, stunning. It's doubtful
you'll ever read a more beautifully written book than The
Current."
--The New York Journal of Books "The Current is a haunting story .
. . Johnston masterfully describes people, their grief, their
guilt, and loneliness. He brings out both the brutal and loving
sides of human nature. It is a real treat for those who love
thrillers."
--The Washington Book Review "Tim Johnston's second novel, The
Current, is even better than his first, which is saying something.
He's a terrific writer and definitely a name to watch."
--Dennis Lehane, author of Since We Fell "Johnston writes in
gracefully exact language with genuine heart . . . reminiscent of
writers like Annie Proulx and Richard Bausch."
--The New York Times Book Review "Tim Johnston's gripping second
novel is much more than a skillfully constructed, beautifully
written whodunit. It's a subtle and lyrical acclamation of the
heart and spirit of small-town America. The Current is not your
conventional, frenetically paced page-turner, although it smolders
with a brooding, slow-burn tension that nudges the reader forward,
catching you up in the lives of the troubled solitaries at the
book's core."
--Washington Independent Review of Books "Pick up Tim Johnston's
suspenseful novel The Current and you risk finding yourself glued
to your chair, eyes to the pages, no thought of attending to daily
obligations. Johnston's elegant, cinematic style takes us into the
characters' lives and history, problems and concerns. The book
examines that horrifying moment when everything changes, the before
and after when love, friendship, hopes and trust turn into dread,
guilt, blame and grief."
--Minneapolis Star Tribune "Johnston delivers a richly atmospheric
story whose depictions of the frozen winter landscape reinforce the
novel's theme of individuals unable to move on after loss . . . The
Current is, in part, a mystery, but it's also about everything that
is left in a mystery's wake -- the fathers and daughters, mothers
and sons facing the tormenting questions surrounding their dead or
disappeared loved ones. It is an examination of the way tragedies
divide but can also offer the opportunity to bring people together,
ushering in the inevitable thaw that can reveal the path toward
moving forward and healing."
--The Los Angeles Review of Books "Tim Johnston's new novel, The
Current, is an exceptional tale of suspicion and secrets--and a
strong follow-up to his excellent 2015 book, Descent."
--Cedar Rapids Gazette "The author of Descent, returns with a tour
de force about the indelible impact of a crime on the lives of
innocent people."
--The Wichita Eagle "[An involving and layered thriller . . .
Johnston's prose is so lyrical you want to stop and read it again
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