Book Summary and Reviews of 59 Minutes by Holly Seddon

59 Minutes by Holly Seddon

59 Minutes

A Novel

by Holly Seddon

  • Published:
  • Sep 2025, 320 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

The internationally bestselling author of the "brilliant, gripping must-read" (Glamour) Try Not to Breathe brings suspenseful thrills in this unputdownable novel following three women as they face an incoming nuclear attack.

Nuclear missile threat to South England. 59 minutes until impact. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a test.

Carrie is a young mother desperate to reunite with her daughter. Frankie, newly pregnant, faces a romantic vacation that takes a terrifying turn. Then there's the enigmatic older woman determined to protect her teenage daughter, Bunny, no matter what.

Across South England, these three women must navigate survival amidst chaos when the country receives a nuclear bomb alert. With only 59 minutes before mass destruction, will they make it to their loved ones in time?

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Seddon's gift for cliffhangers takes the tension to unbearable heights, and the strong women characters who lead the action help paper over a plot convenience or two. It's easy to wolf this down in a single sitting." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Immersive, intense and utterly unique, this is a thrill ride that grabs you from the first page and refuses to let go. Masterful!" —Ellery Lloyd, New York Times bestselling author

"Mesmerizing, beautiful, and heartrending, 59 Minutes is more than a top-notch thriller. It's a story that reminds us to seize the day, to race home to the ones we love, and to remember the light in this world. Holly Seddon has outdone herself. The clock is ticking so race to buy this book." —Alex Finlay, bestselling author of Parents Weekend

This information about 59 Minutes was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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Author Information

Holly Seddon

Holly Seddon is the author of several thrillers, including the international bestseller Try Not to Breathe, The Hit List, and 59 Minutes. After growing up in the English countryside obsessed with music and books, Holly worked in London as a journalist and editor. After several years in Amsterdam, she now lives in Kent with her family and writes full time. Find out more at HollySeddon.com.

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