The Lost Kings

A Novel

By: Tyrell Johnson

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

A NEW YORK TIMES BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR

“The plot folds into a brilliant twist.”—The New York Times

“A novel in disguise. You could easily (and happily) mistake it for a stellar psychological thriller, bristling with surprises and packed with secrets; but listen closely and you’ll hear the beat of a dark, full heart, strong and loud. This is deeply moving fiction.”—A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

Twins Jeanie and Jamie King are inseparable. Stuck in a cabin in rural Washington with their alcoholic father, they cling to one another for safety and companionship. Until one night, when their father comes home covered in blood. The next day, he is gone ... and so is Jamie. Jeanie’s whole world is turned upside down. Not only has she lost her beloved brother, but with no family left in Washington, she is ripped from everything she knows, including Maddox, the boy she could be learning to love.

Twenty years later, Jeanie is in England. She keeps her demons at bay by drinking too much, sleeping with a married man, and speaking to a therapist she doesn’t respect. But her old life catches up to her when Maddox reappears, claiming to have tracked down her dad. Stunned, Jeanie must decide whether to continue running from her past or to confront her father and finally find out what really happened that night, where her brother is, and why she was the one left behind.

At once a propulsive, heart-pounding mystery and an affecting exploration of love and the familial ties that bind us, The Lost Kings will transport, move, and shock you.

©2022 Tyrell Johnson (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

A NEW YORK TIMES BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR • A New York Times Editors’ Choice

“Absence and loss permeate Tyrell Johnson’s THE LOST KINGS in a way that surprised and moved me multiple times over the course of the novel. . . . I loved how the twists felt psychologically true, a reflection of the way buried trauma always resurfaces, inflicting damage and then lancing the wounds.”—Sarah Weinman, The New York Times

“Excellent. . . . As the chapters shift back and forth in time, the tone switches from lyrical and atmospheric in the past to spiky and acidic in the present. . . . Both her therapist and her father are complicated, slippery characters, and through Jeanie’s relationships with them, and her relationships with her married lover and her missing twin brother, the plot folds into a brilliant twist.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Johnson channels a bit of Tana French for a decidedly American story that starts on a high note and never falters as it reaches an intriguing finale. . . . The Lost Kings is a real find.”—The South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Less a mystery more a psychological portrait

This is a great book with a slight lag about 2/3 of the way through. But definitely worth going to the end. The writing is beautiful, the observations precise and well drawn. The ending is satisfying.

Meh

Lots of generic ideas and fairly boring characters. Get s less interesting as it goes on.

Great performance and story.

Narrator is fantastic, great story line with a twist ending…highly recommend to lovers of mystery novels.

Loved every second

Beautiful writing. Interesting characters and story. Excellent narration! Really, really loved the ending! I highly recommend

Wow

What a book, I was thoroughly invested the whole time and never predicted the ending (which is very rare for me)! Great job Mr. Johnson, can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

Pretty damn good story

Randomly came across this book and really enjoyed it! I highly recommend it, but don’t want to give away any of the story ;-)

So good

Loved it so much. The story is intricate, interesting and twisted. And the narration… 👏🤩‼️ Saskia Maarleveld does this for characters with social and psychological disorders: If, by some slim chance you’re not already a sociopath, Saskia will kinda make you wish you were.

Compelling character study

I like it! Not action packed but compelling. Interesting look at PTSD. I recommend. Buy!

Great narration, interesting but underwhelming

It’s a good book but not as much of a thriller/mystery as I thought it would be. It’s more about one woman’s journey through trauma rather than about her missing father a brother. As good as the story is, the whole time I just kept waiting for more.

What was that?

This isn’t a thriller. It’s another story about a “traumatized woman”. It had every cliché imaginable.