59 Minutes

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Audiobook Downloadable / ISBN-13: 9781398709515

Price: £24.99

ON SALE: 25th September 2025

Genre: Crime & Mystery / Suspense

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‘Some thrillers thrill, but 59 Minutes will change the way you think about humanity. Universal, challenging, and bold as hell: it’s going to take over the world.’ Gillian McAllister


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.

Mind-blowing… A tense, scary and heart-wrenching read with a twist I never saw coming. A stark portrayal of both the best and worst of human nature, 59 Minutes is one of the most thought-provoking novels I’ve ever read. Don’t read the reviews, read the book. This one is going to be huge.’ Reader Review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow. Just wow… Beautifully written, fast-paced, tight knit with barely a moment to breathe. I devoured it in one sitting… This is, without doubt, one of the best thrillers I’ve ever read.’ Reader Review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘Oh my… What an absolute gem of a book. Highly original, definitely thought-provoking and absolutely gripping from start to finish. The twist in this is mind-blowinggenius… This book should be on everyone’s TBR list. A massive 5⭐️’ Reader Review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Grabs you by the throat and pulls you along through the narrative as you hope against hope for all the characters… A brilliant book about humanity and what truly matters at the most crucial of times. This deserves to be an absolute hit.’ Reader Review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘I grew up in the 80s with constant nuclear war fear and used to run home from school to make sure I’d be able to make it home if the warning ever went off… I inhaled this book within 24 hours and absolutely loved it… Seddon’s writing is so brilliant59 Minutes is smart and scary, gripping and heartbreaking. I hope it’s going to be huge.’
Reader Review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reviews

Genuinely blew me away. What a novel! I have always loved Holly's writing, but she has truly levelled up - I was completely gripped. 59 Minutes is a race-against-time thriller, but it's so much more than that. It tugged on my heartstrings and had me close to tears on more than one occasion. Impossible to put down.
Clare Mackintosh
It's one thing to have an incredible idea (which this is) but another to execute it like this. I cared so much about the characters. And the twist... F*CK ME. So clever.
Deborah O'Connor
Part thriller, part love story, 59 Minutes is a tender contemplation of what it means to be human in the face of an extinction-level event. Peopled with characters whose lives matter from the very first moment, Holly Seddon perfectly captures the panicked, messy chaos of trying to reach loved ones in time.
Fiona Cummins
Some thrillers thrill, but 59 Minutes will change the way you think about humanity. Universal, challenging, and bold as hell: it's going to take over the world.
Gillian McAllister
A race against the clock thriller that packs a huge punch. I was desperate to find out what happened to the group of characters whose lives Holly draws us into so brilliantly from the very first page. Such an original premise - bravo.
Nikki Smith
A tense and captivating read, with strong female leads and a cast of characters that I cared about deeply.
Lisa Ballantyne
A big-hearted book that pulses with adrenaline on every page. Holly Seddon is at the top of her game as she shows us the absolute best and the absolute worst of humanity. Stop what you're doing and read it.
Erin Kelly
Compelling from the first page, 59 Minutes cleverly unravels the chaos of a nuclear alert, tapping into the darkest fears and anxieties of our modern world. It is an unforgettable and deeply emotional journey with some brilliant surprises along the way.
Lesley Kara
Some thrillers thrill, but 59 Minutes will change the way you think about humanity. Universal, challenging, and bold as hell; it's going to take over the world.
Gillian McAllister
Amazing premise, truly relatable characters, brilliant twist. Bravo!
Jenny Blackhurst