Distant Sons

May 1, 2023

When his rust-rimmed Chevy truck breaks down in a small Wisconsin town, Sean Courtland stays put, drawn by a waitress at the local tavern and picking up carpentry and plumbing jobs with another recent arrival named Dan. The town remains haunted by the disappearance of three boys in the 1970s, and as Det. Corinne Viegas struggles to solve the case (as her father never could), secrets spill forth and events verge toward violence. With a 50,000-copy first printing. Prepub Alert.

Copyright 2023 Library Journal

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2023
Forty years after three boys went missing in a small Wisconsin town, a nomadic carpenter becomes the unwitting catalyst for discoveries old and new. Sean Courtland's truck breaks down on the outskirts of town, so he decides to stay a while and accept a building job to make up for cash spent on repairs. His quiet presence in the community stirs up violence when he intercedes in a domestic dispute and accidentally ends up hitting Denise Givens, the woman he's seeking to protect. This incident brings him to the notice of local detective Corrine Viegas and, somewhat surprisingly, also brings him closer to Denise and her father. As this gentle courtship unfolds, Sean is also getting to know Dan Young, another down-on-his-luck outsider who happens to have plumbing skills, and he hires him to help him finish the building job at Marion Devereaux's house up on the bluff. There are still whispered rumors that Devereaux might have been involved in the disappearances of three boys in the 1970s, or maybe it was Devereaux's war-haunted uncle. There's no denying that there's something strange about the house and its basement, but Sean's not one for gossip and he just wants to finish the job. All these characters are heading to a reckoning of sorts, but the novel is such a slow-burn that the mysteries at hand, dramatic as they are, are rendered secondary to the people living through them. Johnston writes with such care, understanding, even love for the flawed humans in his story that it's almost too much. Readers may wish to look away from the damage these characters inevitably do to themselves and each other, but if we persist, we will bear witness to their moments of pain and tragedy. The reward: We are treated to occasions of such care that it's almost redemptive. A slow-burn novel that quietly elevates the fragile codes of honorable men.

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September 1, 2023

Johnston's (The Current) novel about deep, eternal concerns is written in the guise of crime fiction: how much control do we have over our destinies, and how much responsibility do we bear for bad things that happen around us? But also, once they happen, do we have a chance at redemption--or do we get only one bite at the apple? Across three years in the 1970s, three children disappear. Their parents still grieve for them. The residue of unproved guilt hovers around Marion Devereaux, a recluse who's never been arrested or convicted of anything but doesn't seem even close to innocent. In the present day, Sean Courtland, 26 and drifting, accepts a job from Devereaux, doing carpentry and plumbing. Taking the job kicks off a chain of events. Ultimately, it leads to three people dead and another in the hospital with a gunshot wound and, beyond that, the discovery of what actually took place back in the 1970s. VERDICT This disturbing but ultimately redeeming story may remind detective-fiction aficionados of Thomas H. Cook's Mortal Memory. Like Cook, Johnston writes with care for what words mean and how they hit. An exceptional novel.--David Keymer

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 30, 2023
The richly satisfying latest from Johnston (The Current) examines the decades-long effects of an unsolved missing persons case on a small Midwestern town. When Sean Courtland’s truck breaks down in rural Wisconsin, he decides to stay a while, picking up a construction job from local outcast Marion Devereaux, whom many believe was involved in the disappearance of three young boys in the 1970s. While hanging out at a neighborhood bar, Sean meets Dan Young, another drifter whom he invites to help with plumbing at the Devereaux property. At the same establishment, mistakenly punches waitress Denise Givens while attempting to defend her in a bar fight, thus putting himself on the radar of detective Corrine Viegas, whose father failed to solve the missing boys’ case decades ago. As the contemporary characters weave in and out of one another’s lives, Johnston peppers in flashbacks to the 1970s, which engender both distrust and compassion for Marion as the past sheds increasing light on the present and everything comes to a devastating crescendo. Three-dimensional characters and a multilayered—though not overly complex—plot make this small-town saga sing. Johnston continues to impress. Agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House.