ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – 59 Minutes by Holly Seddon
59 Minutes by Holly Seddon will be published by Orion on 25th September. My thanks to the publishers for the proof copy.
If you knew you had fifty-nine minutes until everything and everyone you love would be lost forever, what would you do with that time?
It’s an ordinary evening. People are coming home from work, cooking dinner for their children, cuddling on sofas with their lovers. And then the message arrives, shattering everyone’s worlds:
Missiles are set to destroy England in fifty-nine minutes. Everyone should seek immediate shelter.
59 minutes follows the journey of three women trying to make it home to and protect their families. The journeys should be simple, but with a lost schoolchild seeking help, a teenage daughter suddenly going missing, and dangerous criminals on the prowl, there is peril at every corner.
59 Minutes is a gripping, thought-provoking and gut-wrenching thriller perfect for fans of WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME, THE CHAIN and Lisa Jewell.
59 Minutes has an explosive premise: what would you do if you only had 59 minutes until a nuclear missile hits? The story is told from the perspectives of three women: Carrie is in central London, an obvious target area for the bomb, and just wants to get home to her partner and child; Frankie is on a short break in Devon and doesn’t have much in the way of supplies to be able to hunker down and hope that shelter will save her; and Mrs Dabb’s daughter hasn’t come home from school at the usual time – where is she and can she make it back?
The chapters are short and punchy, alternating between each main character, often with a cliffhanger to keep up the fast pace. It’s the situation we all hope we never have to live through and for each woman it becomes a race against time, as humanity descends into chaos and debauchery in the time that is left.
There are some really strong plot surprises that I just didn’t see coming at all – bravo to the author for those. I did feel the last section could perhaps have been wound up a bit quicker but on the whole I found this to be a really riveting book which put me right in the heart of a disaster scenario that felt all too real and possible.
Holly Seddon is the international bestselling author of TRY NOT TO BREATHE, DON’T CLOSE YOUR EYES, LOVE WILL TEAR US APART and THE HIT LIST.
After growing up in the English countryside obsessed with music and books, Holly worked in London as a journalist and editor. She now lives in Kent with her family and writes full time.
Alongside fellow author Gillian McAllister, Holly co-hosts the popular Honest Authors Podcast. You can find her on Twitter @hollyseddon, Instagram and Facebook @hollyseddonauthor.