59 Minutes

By: Holly Seddon

Narrated by: Olivia Darnley

PICKED BY THE GUARDIAN AS ONE OF THE BEST RECENT CRIME AND THRILLER NOVELS

'Unreal and unforgettable' Lisa Jewell
'Genuinely blew me away' Clare Mackintosh
'Bold as hell' Gillian McAllister
'A gut punch of a novel' Jennie Godfrey

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.©2025 Holly Seddon (P)2025 Hachette UK Limited

Critic 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)

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)

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)

Amazing premise, truly relatable characters, brilliant twist. Bravo! (Jenny Blackhurst)