“It takes one moment to call for help. So why did he wait?

THE QUESTION
For the last ten years, the small town of West Wilmer has been struggling to answer one question: on the night of the crash that killed his sister, why did it take Grant Dean twenty-seven minutes to call for help? If he’d called sooner, Phoebe might still be alive.

THE SECRET
As the anniversary of Phoebe’s death approaches, Grant is consumed by his memories and the secret that’s been suffocating him for years. But he and Phoebe weren’t the only ones in the car that night. Becca was there too – she’s the only other person who knows what really happened. Or is she?

THE TRUTH
Everyone remembers Phoebe, but local girl June also lost someone that night. Her brother Wyatt has been missing for ten years and, now that her mother is dead, June has no one left – no family, no friends. Until someone appears at her door. Someone who knows what really happened that night. And they are ready to tell the truth.

With a shocking twist that will leave you breathless, Twenty-Seven Minutes is a gripping story about what happens when grief becomes unbearable, dark secrets are unearthed, and the horrifying truth is revealed.”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. You may have noticed that I’ve been missing in action over the last few months. I’ve been in the midst of a rather long and quite tedious reading and reviewing slump, which was unfortunately coupled with double shoulder surgery. I plan to return to the blog properly in the New Year but until then, I will be sharing the odd meme, along with some of my favourite reads over the past year or so.

With that in mind, I am delighted to be sharing my review of Twenty-Seven Minutes with you again today. Twenty-Seven minutes was published by Headline Books on 1st February 2024 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow in May 2025. I chose to read a free eARC of Twenty-Seven Minutes but that has in no way influenced my review.

Everyone loved seventeen-year-old Phoebe Dean. She was excelling at school and had big plans for the future. Until one night when a terrible accident destroyed all her hopes and viciously snatched her carefully planned future away. The accident left Phoebe broken and bleeding, dying in the rain. But Phoebe was not alone that night. Her older brother, Grant, was driving her home when tragedy struck. Grant could have saved his sister’s life, he could have called for help immediately. But he didn’t. He waited twenty-seven long minutes. To this day no one knows why Grant waited so long. But with the ten year anniversary of Phoebe’s death approaching, with their mother planning a memorial for the daughter she adored, and with Grant unable to escape the all-consuming memories of that night, he won’t be able to hide the truth for much longer…

I adored Twenty-Seven Minutes. Literary in tone and full of believable, multi-layered characters, this debut mystery was so compelling and had my full attention from start to finish. The characters have real depth to them and the further into the book the reader progresses, the more you learn about them and how that fateful night changed their lives. They’re flawed people with intricate, complicated relationships and I devoured their stories. When a second tragedy happens in the same location, memories of Phoebe’s death from ten years ago are at the forefront of the town’s mind. They still have unanswered questions and they are not afraid to point the finger at Grant. What really happened on the bridge and why did it take him so long to call for help? As the memorial approaches, it’s all anyone in West Wilmer can talk about. Grant is consumed with guilt, the memories of that night are slowly destroying him and he’s unsure how much longer he can keep the truth from being revealed. Particularly as Becca – who was also in the car at the time of the accident – knows exactly what happened.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Twenty-Seven Minutes is a rich, character-driven mystery full of well-written suspense and devastating secrets. The story is told from three perspectives – Grant, Becca and June. June’s brother – Wyatt – disappeared the night of the accident but Wyatt wasn’t as loved or as special as Phoebe so very little effort was put into finding him. The reader gets to see how the events of that night ten years ago unfolded which also gives a more honest insight into the personalities of the key characters. Was Phoebe as perfect as everyone believed? Their stories are so intricately interwoven and plotted so beautifully by the author with everything coming together as you approach the end of the book. I was able to guess the twist at the end but that certainly did not spoil my enjoyment one jot! I savoured every moment of this dark, character-driven tale. With themes of enduring grief and loss, and the complexities of family, this slow-burn literary suspense novel is a story for readers to really invest in. It was a true pleasure to read this book and I eagerly look forward to more from the author in the future. Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Twenty-Seven Minutes. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate was published in the UK by Headline Books on 1st February 2024 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Ashley Tate is a Canadian author. TWENTY-SEVEN MINUTES is her first novel.