Author – Tim Johnston
Genre – Literary Thriller
Pages – 352
Publisher – Algonquin
Published – January 22, 2019
Book Description: A stunning new novel from bestselling author of Descent Tim Johnston whose 2015 national bestseller Descent was called “astonishing” by the Washington Post and “unfortgettable” by the Miami Herald, returns with another tour de force about the indelible impact a crime on the lives of innocent people. When two young women leave their college campus in the dead of winter for a 700-mile drive north of Minnesota, they suddenly find themselves fighting for their lives in the icy waters of the Black Root Rivers, just miles from home. One girl’s survival, and other’s death – murder, actually – stun the citizens of a small Minnesota towns thawing memories of another young woman who lost her life in the same river ten years earlier, and whose killer may yet live among them. One father is forced to relive his agony while another’s greatest desire – to bring a killer to justice – is revitalized…and the girl who survived the icy plunge cannot escape the sense that she is connected to the earlier unsolved case by more than a river. Soon enough she’s caught up in an investigation of her own that will unearth long-hidden secrets, and stroke the violence that has long simmered just below the surface of the town. Souls frozen in time, ghosts and demons, the accused and the guilty, all stir to life in this cold northern place where memories, like treachery, run just beneath the ice, and where a young woman can come home but still not be safe. Brilliantly plotted, unrelentingly suspenseful, and beautifully realized, The Current is a gripping page-turner about how the past unfolds the key to the future as well as an unbreakable grip on the present.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Review: The Current is one of the most unique thrillers I have ever read. This definitely crosses the line to literary. To be honest this was my second attempt at reading this book, but I am so glad that I stuck with this one, because it was a great read. I did switch formats to Audio and I think that was the best thing I could have done.
The story takes place over multiple timelines and if you are not paying attention you can lose where you are and what timeline you are in. Paying attention is key in this one, but the payoff is well worth it.
The book pretty early on starts with an accident (or was it) involving two best friends. They are both thrown into the river, one survives and one does not. This accident brings back a lot of memories of an accident that happened 10 years earlier in that same river. This town was obviously impacted by this unsolved case and there is a lot of resentment.
What unfolds in this book is so good. One thing I will say without spoiling anything, is that not everything is neatly wrapped up and I was totally ok with that, as life is not usually tied up in a neat bow.
If you are looking for book that will have you at the edge of your seat for the better part of this book, I would highly recommend this one.
Obsessed Bookaholic 