2 Book Lovers Reviews

See more of Shelley's

 Suspense/Mysteries

Please feel free to comment or share.

​​If you received an emergency alert on your cell phone telling you that you only had 59 minutes before a nuclear missile hit, what would you do? I love these types of books that put me in the characters’ shoes and make me contemplate what I would do in their situations. God forbid anything like this ever happen, but it does make me think. With so little time to gather supplies and seek shelter from the missile and the fallout, it would be literally every man/woman for themselves. With such an impending threat on humanity’s very existence, it would be pure and utter chaos to ensure that our loved ones had the best chance at survival.

59 Minutes was a propulsive reading experience. As the minutes counted down, the chapters alternated between the three characters: Carrie, Frankie, and Mrs. Dabb. Carrie was finishing up her workday when she received the alert. Trying to get home to her wife and daughter amidst all of the chaos of commuter traffic would leave her in a frantic countdown. Frankie was on a getaway with her boyfriend to celebrate the news of her pregnancy when the alert came in. Being away from home and with under an hour to spare meant that they would have to shelter in place, away from their familiar surroundings. Mrs. Dabb’s daughter didn’t come home on the school bus as she normally does. While Bunny is usually very good at following her mother’s strict rules, this is very out of character for her, and today of all days her whereabouts are unknown, and her mother is desperate to find her before time runs out.

This novel was exciting, thrilling, and I was on the edge of my seat for the majority of it. Each character was faced with their mortality, their survival instincts were on high alert, and they had every reason to want to live. I loved how the story alternated between each of the characters. While I felt that it was a good way to become acquainted with them, plenty of things remained a mystery, leaving a couple of pretty interesting twists to be had.

I don’t want to get into too many of the details and accidentally give anything away. While the novel didn’t turn out quite the way that I had thought it would, this isn’t necessarily a negative thing. 59 Minutes kept me thoroughly intrigued and entertained and gave me a lot to ponder.

*4 Stars