Publisher's Blurb

The question

For the last ten years, the small, claustrophobic town of West Wilmer has been struggling to understand one thing: Why did it take young Grant Dean twenty-seven minutes to call for help on the fateful night of the car accident that took the life of his beloved sister, Phoebe? If he'd called sooner, she might still be alive.

The secret

As the anniversary of Phoebe's death approaches, Grant is consumed by memories of that night on the bridge and everything he lost: his future, his reputation, his little sister. And the secret he's been keeping all these years is suffocating him. But he and Phoebe weren't the only ones in the car that night. Becca was there. She knows what happened—and she will do anything to help Grant keep his secret.

The truth

Everyone in West Wilmer remembers Phoebe, but only June remembers that another person was lost that night. Her brother Wyatt has been missing for ten years and now June is alone—no family, no friends. Until someone appears at her door. Someone who may know where Wyatt went all those years ago. Someone who knows what really happened on the bridge that night. Someone who is ready to tell the truth.

Taking place over three days and culminating in 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.

My Review

A small town where everyone knows everyone, but a chilling secret is about to turn the quiet town upside down. Sunday is going to be the tenth anniversary when Phoebe Dean was killed in a freak accident on the town's most dangerous bridge. But Phoebe wasn't the only one who lost something that day. Becca was in the accident too, but she remembers nothing and Grant Phoebe's older brother was driving the truck and could've saved Phoebe's life if he had called the ambulance as soon as the accident happened. But he wasted twenty-seven minutes. And the ultimate question we are left with is - what happened?

The story starts with Phoebe's ten-year memorial being announced by her mother, and then we are taken back and forth between the day before the accident, to the present. The story has multiple POVs Grant, Becca, Wyatt - another person who went missing the same night, and June, Wyatt's sister who is fighting her demons and trying to get to the truth.

I enjoyed the story immensely. After seeing the mixed reviews this debut author received I thought the book would turn out to be an ok read. However, multiple guesses on what would have happened did not prepare me for the wild and unexpected end. The story had everything - a fast pace, a good plot, a well-thought-out ending, deep characters, and, some crazy ones too, fighting their pain and sorrow in unexpected ways.

Final Verdict

The author explored this dimension of grief and loneliness very well and had me hooked on all the dark secrets and mysteries unraveling one after the other.

Who Should Read This

I highly recommend this book to fans of thriller novels. I see a great new mystery author on the rise.