2026 CWA Twisted Dagger (longlist)
You have fifty-nine minutes until everything and everyone you love will be lost forever, what will you do with that time? 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.
Carrie is on her way home from work on an ordinary evening, looking forward to seeing her family, when her phone blares:
SEVERE ALERT. NUCLEAR MISSILE THREAT TO SOUTH ENGLAND. 59 MINUTES UNTIL IMPACT. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A TEST.
Chaos erupts around her. Her spouse and child, who are normally just a commute of a few minutes away, might as well be on Mars for all the chances she has of seeing them again.
When Frankie and her fiancé get the terrifying alert, they are on their way to a country retreat. Frankie is blissfully and newly pregnant, but her joy is shattered by the realization that there may be no world to bring her baby into.
Mrs. Dabb is already spiraling because her thirteen-year-old daughter is missing. Panicked, she is on a mission to track her down. Then she hears sirens wailing across the moor. The TV confirms that her evening is about to get a whole lot worse.
Three women, three families, one last chance to be together before the end. All they have is fifty-nine minutes.
Genre: Thriller
Carrie is on her way home from work on an ordinary evening, looking forward to seeing her family, when her phone blares:
SEVERE ALERT. NUCLEAR MISSILE THREAT TO SOUTH ENGLAND. 59 MINUTES UNTIL IMPACT. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A TEST.
Chaos erupts around her. Her spouse and child, who are normally just a commute of a few minutes away, might as well be on Mars for all the chances she has of seeing them again.
When Frankie and her fiancé get the terrifying alert, they are on their way to a country retreat. Frankie is blissfully and newly pregnant, but her joy is shattered by the realization that there may be no world to bring her baby into.
Mrs. Dabb is already spiraling because her thirteen-year-old daughter is missing. Panicked, she is on a mission to track her down. Then she hears sirens wailing across the moor. The TV confirms that her evening is about to get a whole lot worse.
Three women, three families, one last chance to be together before the end. All they have is fifty-nine minutes.
Genre: Thriller
Praise for this book
"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
"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." - Heather Critchlow
"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
"Utterly chilling, propulsive and thought-provoking - 59 Minutes is a page-turner and a must-read." - Mark Edwards
"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." - Jennie Godfrey
"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." - Lisa Jewell
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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." - Andrea Mara
"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
"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." - Heidi Perks
"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
"Amazing premise, truly relatable characters, brilliant twist. Bravo!" - Jenny Blackhurst
"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." - Heather Critchlow
"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
"Utterly chilling, propulsive and thought-provoking - 59 Minutes is a page-turner and a must-read." - Mark Edwards
"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." - Jennie Godfrey
"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." - Lisa Jewell
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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." - Andrea Mara
"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
"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." - Heidi Perks
"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
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Used availability for Holly Seddon's 59 Minutes