Lang
6/3/26
An award-winning author from Iowa City has died.
Tim Johnston, who broke onto the literary scene in 2015 with the New York Times bestselling novel Descent, died on May 26th at the Bird House hospice home at the age of 63 from brain cancer.
By the time he published Descent in 2015, Johnston had already won numerous literary accolades, including the O. Henry Award and the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction. Descent tells the story of a teenage girl abducted while trail running in the Colorado Rockies, and of her father and brother, both tormented by her absence. A New York Times, USA Today, and Indie Next bestseller, Descent was met with widespread acclaim and was immediately optioned for a film.
More details about Johnston’s life and career can be found here.