59 Minutes
- Author Holly Seddon
- Narrator Olivia Darnley
- Publisher Orion
- Publish Date 25 September 2025
- Run Time 8 hours and 52 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Crime and mystery fiction, Dystopian and utopian fiction, Modern and contemporary fiction, Science fiction: near-future.
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Listen to a sample
What to expect
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.
'Mind-blowing... A tense, scary and heart-wrenching read with a twist I never saw coming... 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-blowing... genius... 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... 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... I inhaled this book within 24 hours and absolutely loved it... Seddon's writing is so brilliant... 59 Minutes is smart and scary, gripping and heartbreaking. I hope it's going to be huge.'
Reader Review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
'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.
Everyone is raving about 59 Minutes:
'Mind-blowing... A tense, scary and heart-wrenching read with a twist I never saw coming... 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-blowing... genius... 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... 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... I inhaled this book within 24 hours and absolutely loved it... Seddon's writing is so brilliant... 59 Minutes is smart and scary, gripping and heartbreaking. I hope it's going to be huge.'
Reader Review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Critics Review
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.
A gut punch of a novel. Set primarily in the fifty-nine minutes prior to a nuclear strike, it poses the question 'what would you do?' and the answers feel all too plausible, from the terrifying to the wonderful. I held my breath for most of it, but ended up finding this as moving and reflective as it was suspenseful.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A tense and captivating read, with strong female leads and a cast of characters that I cared about deeply.
Amazing premise, truly relatable characters, brilliant twist. Bravo!
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.
Utterly chilling, propulsive and thought-provoking - 59 Minutes is a page-turner and a must-read.
Fresh, original, powerful and thought-provoking, I raced through this clever novel, desperate to find out what was going on and how it would all come together. Wonderful.
This fast paced book grabs you from the first page and doesn't let you go until you know what's happened. I raced through this highly original thriller with a heart in no time.
Beautifully written and utterly terrifying, 59 Minutes is the very definition of a page turner. As three different women deal with the news that a nuclear attack has been launched on the south of England, Seddon shows us the very best and worst of humanity. I read this in one sitting, my heart in my mouth. Bold, thought-provoking and unexpected.
This was on another level! I read it so hard and so fast that the pages fell out. An unreal and unforgettable reading experience in every way
Immersive, intense and utterly unique, this is a thrill ride that grabs you from the first page and refuses to let go. Masterful!
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.
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.
| Author | Holly Seddon |
|---|---|
| Narrator | Olivia Darnley |
| Duration | 8 hours and 52 minutes |
| Release Date | |
| ISBN | 9781398709515 |
| Format | Audiobook |
| Publisher | Orion |
| Genre | Crime and mystery fiction, Dystopian and utopian fiction, Modern and contemporary fiction, Science fiction: near-future |
| Availability | AU, GB, IE |
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