REVIEW: 20 Minutes at Halloween by Daniel Hurst

20 Minutes at Halloween (20 Minutes #6) by Daniel Hurst

Genre: Psychological thriller, Quick Read, Novella

Read: 22nd February 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 1st October 2020

★★★★ 5 stars 

DESCRIPTION:

Set over one 20 minute period in London, the sixth book in the 20 Minute Series captures all the thrills, frights and drama that Halloween promises each year.

Trick-or-treaters calling at every home. Costumes concealing identities. And a masked murderer roaming the streets...

On a night when you can be anyone, who will you be?

MY THOUGHTS:

Set six weeks after the events in "20 Minutes on the Thames", we rejoin many of our favourites and some more new ones in this sixth installment of this unique and exciting series.

When we left Jelena, she was enjoying a riverside walk with Bogdan while, unbeknownst to them, the pair of them were followed. Now after noticing how hard Bogdan has been working and being granted legal resident status, Jelena has gotten herself a job to help out with living expenses. However, little does she know that Bogdan's worries are far greater than she imagines as he works long hours to pay back the money he borrowed two months ago. And when some of his shifts are cancelled, he becomes even more anxious as to what the loan shark will do to him should he not show up tonight with the full amount.

Carol returns, this time trick or treating with her grandson while her thoughts remain on her husband Steve who is undergoing more tests tonight. Only time will tell if she has something more to worry about. Meanwhile, her grandson is trying to eke out more time trick or treating before heading home for bed.

Louise answers the door to Carol and her grandson trick or treating, enjoying the quiet comfort of her flat on this bustling evening of madness. After her confrontation with Joe six weeks ago, she never expected that he would hand himself in and confess all to the police.

Joe has wrestled with his conscience since that awful drunken night and after that confrontation with Louise, he handed himself in. Now he can only await what sentence will befall him.

When April heard the confrontation between her boyfriend and his ex on the riverfront that night, she broke up with him on the spot. Now she is single and destined to always be, as she drowns her sorrows at a comedy club with best friend Katie.

Abdul, the bus driver we met last book, returns this time taking the stage in a comedy routine. He's a natural and is enjoying the laughs he is bringing the audience until the fire alarm goes off, evacuating the venue.

Harry is celebrating his 13th birthday with his friends and the girl of his dreams. But giving in to peer pressure in the hope for some dutch courage to speak to her, he instead makes a spectacle of himself in front of everyone...including the girl he so wanted to impress.

Diego is back...worse luck. Least said about him, the best.

Lindsey is spending the night in with her housemates watching "Scream" and wishing Diego was with her but he had to work late.

Will's career is heading into stratospheric heights as he prepares to perform for the Halloween Big Bash on live TV. But moments before taking the stage, he receives some disturbing news that will shock him to the core.

Will's mother Ruth is at home with her TV turned up to watch her son perform tonight. She has been lucky enough to retire from her job as an office cleaner as with Will's success, he has enabled her to do so. But still a secret from her past continues to haunt her.

Wealthy market trader Valentin, arrogant and narcissistic to boot, has killed twice and has a third victim in his sights. And halloween is the perfect time to disguise himself as he enters the house of his next victim.

Tom is back, this time dealing with Eve, the grandmother of missing Olivia (Valentin's first victim), and hoping for a place on the Major Investigation Team, doing what he joined the police for. To serve and protect the public. But will he be sucessful? And romance is in the air in the midst of his divorce from the awful Kelly.

We also meet 15 year old Gemma, a bored teenager hanging out with her friends in a park; Stephen, a recluse who lives in an old gothic Victorian house on the edge of the park the girls knocked on the door of as a prank; Mark, whose son has leukaemia as he turns their house into a haunted house for his son; Alex, a door to door salesman who I couldn't care less for; Eve, the grandmother of missing Olivia who has fronted up to the police station searching for answers as to her disappearance; and Ronnie, the loan shark Bogdan loaned money from.

As usual, so much is going on within the snapshot of 20 minutes in each of these peoples' lives. How do they interact with the others and where do they each lead? Given that the next book is set just five days after this one, there isn't a huge time gap to find out what happens next in the lives of each of those who we have become invested in. Some more than others.

There is an awful lot of drinking in these books. Is that really how people deal with whatever comes their way? Drown your sorrows. So many of them do it, it does become a little tedious. But then there is also a lot more going on. Dark secrets, trauma, sex clubs, mental health, narcissism, serial killing and loads of other nefarious individuals. Can't wait to see what's in store next!!

Next...20 Minutes Around the Bonfire

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Hurst was born in the northwest of England, a part of the world famous for its comedians, pasties and terrible weather.

He has been employed in several glamorous roles in his lifetime, including bartending, shelf stacking and procurement administration, all while based in some of the most exotic places on the planet, like Bolton, Preston and South London.

Daniel writes psychological thrillers and loves to tell tales about unusual things happening to normal people. He has written all his life, making the progression from handing scribbled stories to his parents as a boy to writing full length novels in his thirties. He lives in the North West of England and when he isn’t writing, he is usually watching a game of football in a pub where his wife can’t find him.

Since following his lifelong passion for writing in 2020, he has amassed a loyal and devoted set of readers, and regularly has several books in the top 100 of the Psychological Thriller Charts on Amazon. His title The Passenger became the #1 selling psychological thriller in the UK in October 2021. The Doctor's Wife is his first publication with Bookouture.

A prolific writer, Daniel likes to keep readers on their toes by self publishing even more books in between those released through his publisher.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: The Baby Swap by Daniel Hurst

The Baby Swap by Daniel Hurst

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 17th February 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 19th February 2025

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

Someone stole my little boy. I’ll do whatever it takes to get him back…

ME: Staring down at the sweet baby in my arms, I feel panic instead of love. Because this isn’t the child I gave birth to. My husband whispers to the midwife. They all think I’m going crazy. But the tiny boy in my arms is crying again. I’m certain: he knows I’m not his mummy. And I’ll do whatever it takes to get my son back.

HER: I did it. I swapped my baby with another newborn in the hospital. As I hold the child in my arms, I hear my own little boy start to cry on the other side of the curtain. My heart is shattering into a million pieces.

I know I had no choice. I didn’t want to do this. But no one can ever find out the reason why I swapped my baby. Because if anyone knew the truth, my life and my child’s life would be in danger…

Number 1 bestselling author Daniel Hurst is the master of fast-paced thrillers with twist after twist. The Baby Swap is an utterly addictive, page-turning read with a jaw-dropping ending for fans of T.M. Logan, Freida McFadden and B.A. Paris.

MY THOUGHTS:

Someone stole my little boy and I'll do whatever it takes to get him back...

And...he's back!! I've taken time out from this author's thrilling 20 Minute series to read this latest release of his and Daniel Hurst is back with a bang! In his unique style of twists and whiplash, he delivers something of his trademark addictive plots that I have come to know and love. I devoured this book in around five or six hours reading time (I had to sleep in between) and it was thrilling and fast paced from beginning to end.

The story opens with a prologue that draws you in and grips you from the start. And leaves you guessing as to which mother is going to make the swap. Rewind back a few hours to the day before when both mothers go into labour and arrive at the hospital to find themselves sharing the same room, their beds beside each other. 

We meet Avril, a forty-one year old woman who has undergone IVF for her miracle child, and Jade, a thirty-eight year old woman who found herself in a position she never thought possible. Both women give birth on the same day to the boys, within hours of each other, and back on the maternity ward have nothing but a privacy curtain separating them. One baby is placid and latches onto breastfeeding immediately while the other does nothing but scream the place down, his mother at a loss as to what to do to soothe him.

But in the hours that follow a plan is hatched, a swap is made and nothing is ever the same again. Each woman has the other's baby - one knowingly, the other completely unaware - as they each navigate the birth of motherhood.

Now while the concept was predictable enough - we guess pretty quickly who makes the swap - the why behind it slowly unfolds. But as with any Hurst thriller, nothing is as it seems and we just know there is far more to the tale that what we are being told.

The story unfolds through the alternating perspectives of Avril and Jade, both in the past and present, as we get to know each of the women and their secrets. And everything about them has lead to this moment. Both women were unreliable narrators and my opinion on whose side I was on kept changing. In the end, I found both of them deplorable in their actions but like any true Hurst thriller, he has finished with us readers yet...and he deals us with yet another and another and another twist. And true to form, there is never a dull moment, no lull in the plot and no way was I falling asleep, such was the action-packed thrill ride Hurst takes us on.

A tense, shocking (if a little OTT in parts, as is his style) and oh so hard to put down thrill ride. Pretty much, if Daniel Hurst writes it then I'm going to read it...whether I like it or not...because you are always guaranteed to be entertained from start to finish. I think I have read about 40 of his books so far and there are still so many more to devour...so I best get to it!

Another hugely entertaining read that was thrilling and captivating from beginning to end.

I would like to thank #DanielHurst, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheBabySwap in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Hurst was born in the northwest of England, a part of the world famous for its comedians, pasties and terrible weather.

He has been employed in several glamorous roles in his lifetime, including bartending, shelf stacking and procurement administration, all while based in some of the most exotic places on the planet, like Bolton, Preston and South London.

Daniel writes psychological thrillers and loves to tell tales about unusual things happening to normal people. He has written all his life, making the progression from handing scribbled stories to his parents as a boy to writing full length novels in his thirties. He lives in the North West of England and when he isn’t writing, he is usually watching a game of football in a pub where his wife can’t find him.

Since following his lifelong passion for writing in 2020, he has amassed a loyal and devoted set of readers, and regularly has several books in the top 100 of the Psychological Thriller Charts on Amazon. His title The Passenger became the #1 selling psychological thriller in the UK in October 2021. The Doctor's Wife is his first publication with Bookouture.

A prolific writer, Daniel likes to keep readers on their toes by self publishing even more books in between those released through his publisher.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: 20 Minutes on the Thames by Daniel Hurst

20 Minutes on the Thames (20 Minutes #5) by Daniel Hurst

Genre: Psychological thriller, Quick Read, Novella

Read: 21st February 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 1st September 2020

★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

Set in one 20 Minute period in various locations on the banks of the Thames in London, the fifth book in the 20 Minute Series is as twisting and fast-flowing as the famous river itself.

There is a storm brewing overhead but that doesn't stop several of the capital's inhabitants from heading to the water's edge, filling the bars, restaurants and apartments that overlook the murky river, and putting some on a collision course with their destiny.

Picketers clash with policemen, criminals mingle freely with the innocent and the clock is ticking down on an explosive relationship that is about to be re-ignited.

The river holds many secrets. But the people around it have plenty of their own...

MY THOUGHTS:

I had to take a break from this exciting series to read a few tour books but I was thrilled to rejoin them again. Hopefully I can have the rest of the series all done and dusted by the time I have another reading commitment to fulfill.

This fifth installment takes place one month after the previous "20 Minutes on Holiday" in which we met several new faces and reunited with some old favourites. The overall theme of "20 minutes in the day of the life of" several people at once means we meet many new people we may never come across again, which I find kind of sad as they had stories to tell too and I would love to know how some of those turned out. But generally, we have the main few that have pretty much been in every book thus far (if not them, then someone related or attached to them in some way has) and their respective stories are progressing nicely...or not so nicely, as the case may be for some of them.

Jelena returns with Bogdan as the couple take a leisurely evening walk along the Thames, both reflecting respectively on their lives. Jelena is loved up and thankful for the day that Bogdan saved her from a life of torment and abuse while Bogdan is reflecting on a new problem he has in that the money he borrowed a couple of months ago to eek out his revenge didn't come from a reliable source but rather a loan shark. And now he has to find a way of paying it back by the deadline he has been given or risk the gangster's wrath. But little does he know that they are being followed to gain intelligence that will serve as a reminder to Bogdan exactly what is at stake if he doesn't pay up on time.

Tom is on crowd control outside a television studio with his colleagues holding a group of protesters back who are baying for blood from the politician inside its doors. The last thing he feels like doing is standing in the miserable rain. But it's currently more preferable than the alternative: being at home with a wife who wants a divorce and another arguement on his hands.

Kathryn is the mother of Jessica (who we met in the last book) who was arrested in Peru trying to smuggle 10kg of drugs out of the country and into the UK. In the month since she was caught, she has been convicted and sentenced to 10 years and while her husband is in Peru fighting to get his daughter extradited to the UK, Kathryn is amongst the protesters baying for the politician's blood outside the TV studios. She too wants her daughter extradited home to serve her time here and the inhumane conditions to which she's subjected there. But then her anger gets the better of her and she finds herself in handcuffs.

Harry is back, still dreaming of playing for West Ham, but today his school has enjoyed a trip to the London Eye. Meanwhile the 12 year old has discovered strange feelings and goes all gooey every time he sees the beautiful Stephanie, a girl in his class. His aim is to be able to speak to her and invite her to his upcoming birthday party.

Joanne is a wedding planner and is overseeing the nuptials of couple Beth and Andy who we met last book on their respective hens and stag nights. All is going well until something, as it almost always most certainly does, goes wrong leaving the bride screaming in anger.

Australian Hudson is a waiter at the wedding. He had dreams of seeing his fortune in London. But well, things don't exactly go according to plan.

Carol returns but this time it's her husband in the specialist's office and while he doesn't seem overly concerned, he has sent her hubby Steve on for further tests. Only time will tell what they may (or may not) reveal...

Will has returned with his girlfriend Chantelle and they are taking boat on the Thames with his manager to the O2 arena, the venus for his performance tonight. Along the way, he meets someone special who touches his heart.

Valentin is back with a vengeance. A successful market trader, rich and with no clear direction has taken up an obscure interest that sees him multitasking his day job with that of his other life: being a serial killer. With two murders already under his belt, he is on the prowl for more.

April is celebrating her 30th birthday with her friends and boyfriend Joe. After a string of unsuccessful dates, she has finally found the perfect man in Joe. Or has she?

Joe has found redemption in April after a drunken night he would rather forget. But like all secrets, they have a way of bubbling to the surface...he had no idea it would happen on the banks of the Thames just as he had no idea he would see Louise again...or that the truth will come out by the evening's end.

Lindsey is also back...thankfully, Diego is not.

There are several new faces (aside from those already mentioned above) in Simone, a workaholic, is a chef in a michelin star restaurant. But working in such a high pressure environment just may be her undoing; Scott who is recovering from an accident on his bicycle the year before. He was never thought to have walked again but here he is taking his steps to the site of his accident; Abdul, a bus driver; Sue, a Scrabble-playing passenger on his bus; Helen, a troubled soul on Waterloo Bridge; and Damian, a passerby doing his good deed for the day but who has secrets of his own which have him wanting to remain anonymous.

I love how Daniel Hurst brings to life each character but as I said I just wish we would see them more than the fleeting times some of them appear as many have more stories to tell. Some are there for the one book which suffices for that one alone, like the 999 operator in a previous book. But there are others I'm still waiting to see if they return. And then there are our favourites who I love catching up with in each book.

So much is happening in each book and each story is hard to put down. Can't wait to dive into more of them...

Next...20 Minutes at Halloween

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Hurst was born in the northwest of England, a part of the world famous for its comedians, pasties and terrible weather.

He has been employed in several glamorous roles in his lifetime, including bartending, shelf stacking and procurement administration, all while based in some of the most exotic places on the planet, like Bolton, Preston and South London.

Daniel writes psychological thrillers and loves to tell tales about unusual things happening to normal people. He has written all his life, making the progression from handing scribbled stories to his parents as a boy to writing full length novels in his thirties. He lives in the North West of England and when he isn’t writing, he is usually watching a game of football in a pub where his wife can’t find him.

Since following his lifelong passion for writing in 2020, he has amassed a loyal and devoted set of readers, and regularly has several books in the top 100 of the Psychological Thriller Charts on Amazon. His title The Passenger became the #1 selling psychological thriller in the UK in October 2021. The Doctor's Wife is his first publication with Bookouture.

A prolific writer, Daniel likes to keep readers on their toes by self publishing even more books in between those released through his publisher.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: 20 Minutes on Holiday by Daniel Hurst

20 Minutes on Holiday (20 Minutes #4) by Daniel Hurst

Genre: Psychological thriller, Quick Read, Novella

Read: 15th February 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 1st July 2020

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

Sun. Sea. Sand. Secrets...

Set in one 20 minute period in different locations all around the world, the fourth book in the bestselling 20 Minute Series is taking the story global. Several characters return, alongside many new ones, as the story packs its bags and leaves London, destined for the uncertainty of a foreign land.

Revenge is on the menu in Romania. Separation is on the cards in Santorini. And murder is on the mind in Moscow...

Everybody needs to get away but what is everybody trying to get away from?

MY THOUGHTS:

It is now August, one month after the events of "20 Minutes in the Park" , and we rejoin some favourites (or if not a favourite, a regular) and meet yet some more new faces as this time we pepper the globe as each of the characters embark on something of a holiday. Hats off to Hurst who managed to synchronise timezones to all coincide with the same 20 minutes all around the world.

Once again, Jelena kicks things off as she and Bogdan return to Serbia for a well-earned, much-needed holiday. They are staying with Jelena's mother and sister in the poverty-stricken neighbourhood of Belgrade but proud Serbians as they are refuse any hand-outs from both Jelena and Bogdan. They have since learnt of Jelena's harrowing experience since she left her home for pastures greener, their shame at what she endured when they thought she had a better life in the UK. But Jelena is stronger than what they made her and she is determined to rise above it. But unbeknownst to her, Bogdan is keeping a secret from her.

Police officer Tom has returned with his insufferable wife Kelly as they holiday in beautiful Santorini. A holiday Tom booked because Kelly said she always wanted to go there but instead she complained that she couldn't leave work. But here they are, and while Tom is doing his level best to rekindle what they once had before they married, Kelly seems intent on ruining it at every turn with a complaint coming out of her mouth with every word she utters. I wanted to smack her. I mean, Santorini! What I wouldn't give to be enjoying that stunning Greek Isle and all she can do is bitch and moan.

Carol is in Portugal with her family and despite her cancer scare a couple of months before, she has not let on to her family the worry she endured at the time. The holiday was pre-booked before her cancer scare to celebrate her daughter's birthday and her's and Steve's 35th wedding anniversary. But while she may be the picture of health after all, it seems Steve is showing worrying signs that he may not be.

Lovable Harry can't believe his luck! His mum sprung a surprise weekend getaway for them both to Brighton after a scare that landed Harry in hospital. He's never been to the seaside and having visited, he is reluctant to leave. He tried begging his mum for them stay another day but she refused, much to his disappointment. Probably because she could ill afford the two days they were there anyway but found a way regardless. After all, she nearly lost Harry and she wanted to cheer him up and spoil him a little.

Louise has swapped purse snatching for marathon running and she finds herself in Rome taking part in a half marathon, giving herself a goal to beat the average time for a woman to complete the run, which is two hours and seven minutes. Louise has given herself a goal of two hours. Anything to forget that night six months ago.

Meanwhile Joe, Louise's ex, is in Athens with his girlfriend April. He didn't think he would enjoy it as much as he is just as he didn't think he would fall in love with April...but he is. But at the back of his mind is that night of foolishness; he just hopes Louise has moved on and won't involve the police. He doesn't want to ruin what he has with April.

Valentin has been summoned to Moscow after his parents were killed in a car accident. He honestly can't see why what little their estate amounted to couldn't be dealt with by phone and why he had to return in person. He hasn't been back in almost two decades. He's too busy fantasising about who is to become his next victim but it seems he is about to receive some bad news. All is not as it seems in Valentin's world and it seems it wasn't in his father's either.

Chantelle has accompanied Will to New York where he is appearing on morning television where he is being interviewed alongside Camilla Collette who discovered him busking in the Tube and posted a video of him that went viral, thus marking the beginning of his music career. Will is about to perform his song that sent him into stratospheric heights after which Chantelle hopes her dream will come true.

Diego is holidaying in Singapore with girlfriend Lindsey, who is really just a matter of convenience for him (he is so loathsome, a sentence will barely suffice for him). Half a star off for him and for Kelly's whining in Santorini.

We meet Andy on his stag do in Spain (why would anyone enter a bull ring?), his fiance Beth on her hen weekend in Amsterdam (she's decided she can fly them home, they've partaken in so much cannabis and hallucigenic matter in the cafes), Zheng Lin is on honeymoon in Africa, Priya is in Croatia without her best friend Jagdeep who died at the music festival in the last book, Manuel is backpacking around the globe but at this moment is in New Zealand, Sarah is taking a complete digital detox in Fiji, Jessica is in Peru but has made a grave mistake, Julie is in Montego Bay on a Caribbean cruise while DeAndre is in the Bahamas contemplating his future.

And then there is Laslo. The last we saw of him he was boarding the Eurostar at St Pancras for Paris. Now he is in Transylvania, Romania working construction to build up his coffers again so he can go back to the more lucrative sex trafficking. But there is someone who will do whatever they can to prevent him from hurting any other woman again...and little does he know that they will do anything to stop him. Anything.

This was another wild ride in the series as this time we weren't in one place but rather scattered around the globe. I'll say again, hats off to Hurst for nailing those timezones to ensure they each fell into the same 20 minutes. We rejoined some of the original characters that have featured in all the books thus far, a couple that have been in a few but not others and then there are those who were introduced in the second or third books and appear once again here. And then we have a handful of newbies who, in all honesty, don't thrill me with excitement. I'm more invested in the already established stories of the existing characters rather than anyone new. But still, let's see what's in store for them should they pop up down the line. I mean, we still have another 16 books in the series to go so it's anyone's guess what's going to happen to any or all of them.

I do recommend that you begin this series from the start though. Some have said you can jump in and not miss out on much given that Hurst does recap the important bits that have lead some of them to where they are. But then in doing that you are missing out on some really good edge of your seat stories so I definitely recommend beginning with the prequel before moving on to Book #1. Skip #1.5 which doesn't seem to connect with the rest of the story, though don't quote me as I haven't read it yet and was advised to keep that until the I've finished the series. It is a unique concept this whole 20 minutes in the day of a life of everyone and how Hurst still manages to tell an entire tale but still set it within those 20 minutes is genius.

While they are shorter than full length books, they still take me a good part of the day or night to get through (real life has a way of getting in the way). I can't wait to see what's in store for everyone coming and who we will meet next.

Next...20 Minutes on the Thames

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Hurst was born in the northwest of England, a part of the world famous for its comedians, pasties and terrible weather.

He has been employed in several glamorous roles in his lifetime, including bartending, shelf stacking and procurement administration, all while based in some of the most exotic places on the planet, like Bolton, Preston and South London.

Daniel writes psychological thrillers and loves to tell tales about unusual things happening to normal people. He has written all his life, making the progression from handing scribbled stories to his parents as a boy to writing full length novels in his thirties. He lives in the North West of England and when he isn’t writing, he is usually watching a game of football in a pub where his wife can’t find him.

Since following his lifelong passion for writing in 2020, he has amassed a loyal and devoted set of readers, and regularly has several books in the top 100 of the Psychological Thriller Charts on Amazon. His title The Passenger became the #1 selling psychological thriller in the UK in October 2021. The Doctor's Wife is his first publication with Bookouture.

A prolific writer, Daniel likes to keep readers on their toes by self publishing even more books in between those released through his publisher.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: 20 Minutes in the Park by Daniel Hurst

20 Minutes in the Park (20 Minutes #3) by Daniel Hurst

Genre: Psychological thriller, Quick Read, Novella

Read: 13th February 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 29th April 2020

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

Set one month after the first two books, several characters will return alongside many new ones, as they enjoy a glorious summer's day out in Hyde Park.

On a sunny Sunday afternoon in Hyde Park, there's more than just the sounds of nature in the air.

There's the threat from the mysterious murderer roaming the footpaths. There's the music from the festival where a recently released criminal is about to unleash havoc. And there's the chance at revenge for a heroic couple who never thought they would get it...

20 Minutes. 20 People. 20 reasons this is more than just a walk in the park.

MY THOUGHTS:

Taking place one month after the events in "20 Minutes Later", this book takes us to 20 minutes in one stunning summer's day in Hyde Park where we rejoin many from the previous two books and meet some new faces too. However, there are quite a lot of grammatical errors that I feel should have been editted out but I won't rate down for that as some have, because this is such a fun series that is wildly entertaining from start to finish that leaves you hanging for more of each of the characters' stories.

Once again, Jelena heads up things with the continuation of her story now enjoying her freedom one month after escaping the Serbian sex traffickers that had her imprisoned for four long months. Today she is attending a music festival in Hyde Park but still she cannot relax unless Bogdan is nearby. And he is, having thrown in his dead-end job as an office cleaner and is now working as a security guard for the event. But then she sees a face from her past and all her terrors come racing back to the surface. She looks frantically around for Bogdan before indicating, through their own form of communication, who she had just seen. She knows that as long as she has Bogdan she is safe.

Also at the festival are a handful of people we have already met and some we haven't. Lindsey is there with her friends having arranged to meet her boyfriend Diego (who she met on the morning commute on the tube) who turns up with his trademark beanie on a scorching summer's day. He says it's to hide a bad haircut but is that really the truth? It's not clear whether he has ever shed the beanie in her presence in the month they have been together. We meet newcomer Jagdeep, a young Indian woman, who is enjoying the ecstasy tablet she and her friend Priya have taken from a dealer at the festival and dreaming of the bigger and better festival they will be attending in Croatia next month. But then she begins to feel strange and unable to breathe. She tries calling to Priya but she loses her in the crowd as she falls to the ground unnoticed by the heaving crowd around her. We also meet Shoots the dealer who sold the ecstasy to the girls and many others, continuing to ply his trade until he is spotted by Tom, an off-duty police officer, and legs it.

But front and centre at the festival we meet Will again, with Chantelle alongside him, as his popularity has rocketed with his debut single written about his blindness as he performs for the crowd of 10,000 people. We also meet his mum Ruth who is in the crowd to watch her son shine on the stage and wishing he could see the faces he is performing to. Will's fame has gone global since a Hollywood actress and then studio producer noticed him and all his dreams about performing have come true.

A few newbies to the story in that we meet elderly nut pompous Chester walking his dog Rafferty, ending in an unfortunate way while Sharah was walking her ex-boyfriend's doberman, Rusty. Izzy, the homeless woman on the park bench, tried to get his attention to alert him to the danger but he just wrote her off as a homeless woman and ignored her...to his peril. Louise is in the park with her new-found addiction in marathon running, trying to escape the memory of what Joe did to her five months ago. And then there is April, Joe's new girlfriend, who is also in the park with her best friend as they paid for a prisoner boot camp which they soon begin questioning what on earth were they thinking. There is also Dominic, their instructor and former prisoner, dishing out the punishment. Valentin is also in the park that day with a spring in his step, mentally forging out his new career path as a serial killer. Harry is also back in the wake of the news that the man who jumped in front of the train that day was the father he had been on his way to meet and now he never will. Carol is enjoying a new lease of life on the Serpentine with husband Steve and rounding things off is Bogdan and his quest for revenge for what was done to Jelena. With the information at his fingertips, Bogdan is now on a mission to find the elusive Laslo.

I thoroughly enjoyed this installment in everyone's stories even if it wasn't quite as edge-of-your-seat exciting as the first two (prequel excluded) but I did have one big issue with this one which is my main reason for knocking off half a star. Harry is 12 years old and therefore when he finds a clear baggie of pills he would see them for what they are - a clear baggie of pills - but instead he has been portrayed as thinking they were sweets or mints and monologuing his impatience to try them when he gets the chance. Come on. At 12 years old living in London? He's not that sheltered. He was canny enough to find out where his father worked and all about him and then took himself off to meet him...and yet a baggie of pills he thinks are sweeties? What is he? Six? Seven years old? No. That type of thinking is reserved for someone younger and still VERY innocent in the ways of the world. While he may be somewhat innocent, he is not THAT innocent to not know what they are. I'm sorry but that was totally 100% not believable.

While only 150 pages in length, there is alot going on in this book and even more people I haven't mentioned. Some stories are captivating and leave you wanting more while others are just mediocre or maybe they are just getting started. I have to admit, I'm not excited about April's; I'm just waiting for her find out the truth about Joe. The same with Lindsey and Diego. Harry's story has tapered off a little but I think it's Jelena's and Bogdan's that really keep it moving as well as Will's and dare I say it? Valentin's.

While they are shorter than full length books, they still take me a good part of the day or night to get through (real life has a way of getting in the way). I can't wait to see what's in store for everyone coming and who we will meet next.

Next...20 Minutes on Holiday

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Hurst was born in the northwest of England, a part of the world famous for its comedians, pasties and terrible weather.

He has been employed in several glamorous roles in his lifetime, including bartending, shelf stacking and procurement administration, all while based in some of the most exotic places on the planet, like Bolton, Preston and South London.

Daniel writes psychological thrillers and loves to tell tales about unusual things happening to normal people. He has written all his life, making the progression from handing scribbled stories to his parents as a boy to writing full length novels in his thirties. He lives in the North West of England and when he isn’t writing, he is usually watching a game of football in a pub where his wife can’t find him.

Since following his lifelong passion for writing in 2020, he has amassed a loyal and devoted set of readers, and regularly has several books in the top 100 of the Psychological Thriller Charts on Amazon. His title The Passenger became the #1 selling psychological thriller in the UK in October 2021. The Doctor's Wife is his first publication with Bookouture.

A prolific writer, Daniel likes to keep readers on their toes by self publishing even more books in between those released through his publisher.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: 20 Minutes Later by Daniel Hurst

20 Minutes Later (20 Minutes #2) by Daniel Hurst

Genre: Psychological thriller, Quick Read, Novella

Read: 11th February 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 1st April 2020

★★★★★ 5 stars 

DESCRIPTION:

Set just after the vents on the tube, several characters will return alongside many new ones, as they about their lives in various places around London.

Theres the romance of a first date. The courage of the emergency services. And there's the danger from those with dark secrets to hide...

20 Minutes. 20 People. 20 intertwining stories as gripping and unpredictable as the last...

MY THOUGHTS:

Following on from "20 Minutes on the Tube", this picks up around twenty minutes after the previous book with many of the same characters with a few new ones lending yet another perspective to a much bigger picture. Some of those we met in the first book are missing from this one though as their stories had yet to be told I hope we meet up with them in some of the future installments. And yet, though they may be missing, their stories follow through one of another character's perspective. 

For example, Will who we met outside the Tube station in the first book is missing from this one, though his story continues through his best friend Chantelle and another woman Olivia, whose story coincides with that of Valentin, the high flying market trader who has found a new career path in serial killing via his obsession with true crime podcasts. But we also meet Jelena's two captors and even the unique perspectives of the Eurostar ticket inspector, a fireman and a police emergency call dispatcher. And of course, we meet up with Harry who has come to meet his dad, Jelena saved from her prison by pure chance, Bogdan who came to Jelena's rescue on the tube, Carol who is awaiting news of some hospital scans, Louise the purse snatcher, April who went on a morning date with Joe who charmed his way through the date and many more. We see the aftermath of the suicide in book #1 that held up train services on one of the lines and how far reaching this event affects those in and around the time as well as those linked to the victim. We get Keith's perspective as they await the arrival of he who never will to the meeting that would change everything. Instead he made the choice to change his, and everyone else's lives, by his actions.

While we meet up with 10 characters from the first book, we also meet 10 new characters. Most are linked to either Jelena or Will though there are a spattering of newer stories that are just beginning. Each of the characters are linked at least one other in one way or another.

I was invested in each and every story and was disappointed to leave their stories behind and move on to the next ones. 20 minutes in each of their lives doesn't seem enough but I know I will meet up with them again and their stories will continue to unfold in this thrilling and unique way. Each of the books are relatively quick reads. The first was 227 pages and this was 222. I think they are the longer ones and most are shorter from here on in, but don't quote me.

My only complaint was a very beginner's error in grammar when referring to "the nineties", an apostrophe was used (ie. ninetie's). Totally incorrect use of grammar and a rookie mistake to have made. No apostrophe. It's the "nineties".

Overall, a brilliant and unique storytelling of events as each of the character's stories unfold little by little. I can't wait to meet up with them again and see where they go from here.

Next...20 Minutes in the Park

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Hurst was born in the northwest of England, a part of the world famous for its comedians, pasties and terrible weather.

He has been employed in several glamorous roles in his lifetime, including bartending, shelf stacking and procurement administration, all while based in some of the most exotic places on the planet, like Bolton, Preston and South London.

Daniel writes psychological thrillers and loves to tell tales about unusual things happening to normal people. He has written all his life, making the progression from handing scribbled stories to his parents as a boy to writing full length novels in his thirties. He lives in the North West of England and when he isn’t writing, he is usually watching a game of football in a pub where his wife can’t find him.

Since following his lifelong passion for writing in 2020, he has amassed a loyal and devoted set of readers, and regularly has several books in the top 100 of the Psychological Thriller Charts on Amazon. His title The Passenger became the #1 selling psychological thriller in the UK in October 2021. The Doctor's Wife is his first publication with Bookouture.

A prolific writer, Daniel likes to keep readers on their toes by self publishing even more books in between those released through his publisher.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: 20 Minutes on the Tube by Daniel Hurst

 

20 Minutes on the Tube (20 Minutes #1) by Daniel Hurst

Genre: Psychological thriller, Quick Read, Novella

Read: 9th February 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 7th February 2020

★★★★★ 5 stars 

DESCRIPTION:

20 Minutes. 20 People. 20 different reasons to be underground...

Louise didn't plan on stealing until she realised she could get away with it. Anke gave her husband a second chance but now she wants revenge. Valentin has an urge to kill and is using his commute to find his first victim.

Danielle doesn't know who the father is. Joe fears that his past will catch up with him. Aaliyah wants to finish her shift but someone just went under her train...

Secrets. Lies. Terror. Death. It's just another morning on the tube.

MY THOUGHTS:

An unusual and unique concept telling the individual stories of twenty different characters - some linked, some not - on the London Tube in the morning rush hour. Some of the stories connected with others, while others were unique and like transport network they branched off into other little stories. 

I read the prequel "20 Minutes Earlier" in just over an hour the night before so the following day I picked up this one and devoured it in the course of the day. Once I started reading I couldn't stop. And as soon as I finished this one I wanted to start the next, but real life prevented me.

We meet up with Jelena, Harry, April and Bogdan again, along with sixteen others - some of whose stories intertwine with these and some who introduce a new one. I especially like the stories of Harry and Will (no, not the royals) as well as Jelena's and newcomer Carol. And the unique perspective of Aaliyah! I can't wait to see what's in store for them all next!

The chapters are twenty in total, each one person and their story, and covers 20 minutes of the morning commute and for each of them. I think it's best if one goes into this series blind so I will refrain from giving away too much but it is unique and enthralling. And it makes you think...you never know who or what the person you are sitting next to are going through...

Next...20 Minutes Later

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Hurst was born in the northwest of England, a part of the world famous for its comedians, pasties and terrible weather.

He has been employed in several glamorous roles in his lifetime, including bartending, shelf stacking and procurement administration, all while based in some of the most exotic places on the planet, like Bolton, Preston and South London.

Daniel writes psychological thrillers and loves to tell tales about unusual things happening to normal people. He has written all his life, making the progression from handing scribbled stories to his parents as a boy to writing full length novels in his thirties. He lives in the North West of England and when he isn’t writing, he is usually watching a game of football in a pub where his wife can’t find him.

Since following his lifelong passion for writing in 2020, he has amassed a loyal and devoted set of readers, and regularly has several books in the top 100 of the Psychological Thriller Charts on Amazon. His title The Passenger became the #1 selling psychological thriller in the UK in October 2021. The Doctor's Wife is his first publication with Bookouture.

A prolific writer, Daniel likes to keep readers on their toes by self publishing even more books in between those released through his publisher.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads