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Six Days, Six Hours, Six Minutes
"In six days, six hours, and six minutes, I will come back and kill you.
Tell anyone, and your wife and child will die. Call the police, and your wife and child will die. Try to run, or hide, or trick me in any way, and your wife and child will die. And they will not die quickly, Blake. Theirs will not be a good death. It will be slow, and it will be bloody, and they will know the full horror of hell before I end them."
When Blake Barton opens the door to a stranger one morning, he comes face to face with an unimaginable evil. Because this stranger claims to be the devil, and he promises to kill Blake—not now, but in six days, six hours, and six minutes exactly.
Plunged into a nightmare race to save his wife and young son, Blake finds himself fighting not only the stranger but an army of young men who call themselves the devil's disciples—men who will do anything to please their master.
As time runs out, Blake realises that in order to fight evil, he must find the devil inside himself.
And in doing so, all hell will break loose.
The brand new thriller from the author that James Patterson calls "Fresh and ferocious!"—Six Days, Six Hours, Six Minutes is one of the most compelling and terrifying novels of the year.
Tell anyone, and your wife and child will die. Call the police, and your wife and child will die. Try to run, or hide, or trick me in any way, and your wife and child will die. And they will not die quickly, Blake. Theirs will not be a good death. It will be slow, and it will be bloody, and they will know the full horror of hell before I end them."
When Blake Barton opens the door to a stranger one morning, he comes face to face with an unimaginable evil. Because this stranger claims to be the devil, and he promises to kill Blake—not now, but in six days, six hours, and six minutes exactly.
Plunged into a nightmare race to save his wife and young son, Blake finds himself fighting not only the stranger but an army of young men who call themselves the devil's disciples—men who will do anything to please their master.
As time runs out, Blake realises that in order to fight evil, he must find the devil inside himself.
And in doing so, all hell will break loose.
The brand new thriller from the author that James Patterson calls "Fresh and ferocious!"—Six Days, Six Hours, Six Minutes is one of the most compelling and terrifying novels of the year.
483 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2020
568 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
Alex Smith
25 books681 followersAlex Smith wrote his first book when he was six. It wasn’t particularly good, but it did have some supernatural monsters in it. His latest books, the DCI Robert Kett thrillers, have monsters in them too, although these monsters are very human, and all the more terrifying for it. In between these two books he has published twelve other novels for children and teenagers under his full name, Alexander Gordon Smith—including the number one bestselling series Escape From Furnace, which is loved by millions of readers worldwide and which is soon to become a motion picture. He lives in Norwich with his wife and three young daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
March 6, 2021
The idea of this book was great and I like Alex Smith as an author but in my opinion this book was a big disappointment and not up to his usual writing standards. I kept waiting for the story to catch fire but it never quite got there. A guy turns up at Blake Barton's door and says he's the devil and that in six days, six hours and six minutes he's going kill you, tell anyone he'll kill your wife and child, call the police he'll kill your wife and child, try to run he'll kill your wife and child, well you get the picture.
My biggest problem was why Blake Barton was chosen was it random or had he done something to be singled out? Apparently a symbol carved on his front door had led to all of this his worst nightmare. Six days, six hours, six minutes, 666 the number of the beast, only there to fit the title rather than the narrative. It's a well enough written story but it could've been so much better and Alex really missed a trick here, in the end it was all too far fetched and not believable for me and to say I was grossly disappointed is an understatement. Do yourself a favour bodyswerve this book and the frustration that it could've been so much more.
My biggest problem was why Blake Barton was chosen was it random or had he done something to be singled out? Apparently a symbol carved on his front door had led to all of this his worst nightmare. Six days, six hours, six minutes, 666 the number of the beast, only there to fit the title rather than the narrative. It's a well enough written story but it could've been so much better and Alex really missed a trick here, in the end it was all too far fetched and not believable for me and to say I was grossly disappointed is an understatement. Do yourself a favour bodyswerve this book and the frustration that it could've been so much more.
August 20, 2020
The subtitle of this book calls it a Brutal British Crime Thriller, and it lives up to that. There is a lot of language in this read, and a lot of violence. If it was a movie and I was rating it, I would give it an R or an X. It was a disturbing read. Dark, gritty, and really disturbing. I really enjoyed Alex’s book for young adult. And I loved the first book in the Softley Softley series, The Harder They Fall. I have also been enjoying the DCI Kett novels which begins with Cry Baby. The Kett novels are dark, but this story takes it to a whole new level. In fact I took a break from reading it. It was so intense and dark.
The first words in this book are:
“In six days, six hours, and six minutes, I will come back and kill you.”
The main character, Blake Barton, finds a strange carving on his door frame at home. And he is soon plunged into a nightmare when a stranger shoves into the house and says:
“In six days, six hours, and six minutes, I will come back and kill you.
Tell anyone, and your wife and child will die. Call the police, and your wife and child will die. Try to run, or hide, or trick me in any way, and your wife and child will die. And they will not die quickly, Blake. Theirs will not be a good death. It will be slow, and it will be bloody, and they will know the full horror of hell before I end them.”
And from there the story gets scarier and more terrifying with every chapter. The story follows Barton as he tries to handle this situation. First fear, then denial. Then anger. You are carried along at a breakneck pace. Follow Barton down the rabbit hole of this nightmare tale. He is living in fear for his own life, his wife, his son. And every time he thinks he has a plan. The stranger or one of his minions turns up. Can he find a way to outsmart someone who claims to be the devil, and seems to be guessing his every move? No matter what he tries they seem to be there. He is beaten up. Threatened, and abused. But ever man has a breaking point, some snape and some snap back. To find out which Barton is you will need to read this deeply disturbing novel.
This novel pushed my limits. It was so disturbing I almost gave up on it. I am thankful I finished it. But I prefer the Softley or Kett series to this book. There are references to events in some of the Kett books in this volume and it seems like it might be possible the stories will end up intersecting. Much as Softley and Kett have briefly intersected. It is a great read for those into horror or thrillers. A gripping page turner.
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Alex Smith. As well as author profile and interview with Alex.
The first words in this book are:
“In six days, six hours, and six minutes, I will come back and kill you.”
The main character, Blake Barton, finds a strange carving on his door frame at home. And he is soon plunged into a nightmare when a stranger shoves into the house and says:
“In six days, six hours, and six minutes, I will come back and kill you.
Tell anyone, and your wife and child will die. Call the police, and your wife and child will die. Try to run, or hide, or trick me in any way, and your wife and child will die. And they will not die quickly, Blake. Theirs will not be a good death. It will be slow, and it will be bloody, and they will know the full horror of hell before I end them.”
And from there the story gets scarier and more terrifying with every chapter. The story follows Barton as he tries to handle this situation. First fear, then denial. Then anger. You are carried along at a breakneck pace. Follow Barton down the rabbit hole of this nightmare tale. He is living in fear for his own life, his wife, his son. And every time he thinks he has a plan. The stranger or one of his minions turns up. Can he find a way to outsmart someone who claims to be the devil, and seems to be guessing his every move? No matter what he tries they seem to be there. He is beaten up. Threatened, and abused. But ever man has a breaking point, some snape and some snap back. To find out which Barton is you will need to read this deeply disturbing novel.
This novel pushed my limits. It was so disturbing I almost gave up on it. I am thankful I finished it. But I prefer the Softley or Kett series to this book. There are references to events in some of the Kett books in this volume and it seems like it might be possible the stories will end up intersecting. Much as Softley and Kett have briefly intersected. It is a great read for those into horror or thrillers. A gripping page turner.
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Alex Smith. As well as author profile and interview with Alex.
April 27, 2021
Very rarely do I give up part way through a book, but I did with this one. I found it frustrating and unbelievable, also hard to empathise much with the main character (although I did feel sorry for the dog) - to the extent that I just didn't want to invest any more of my time in the story or finding out what happened. A shame as I had enjoyed the DCI Kett series by Alex Smith.
March 17, 2021
Having read all of the DCI KETT novels and Run Rabbit Run, and having rated them either 4 or 5 stars, I was really looking forward to reading this offering.
I could not have been more disappointed, it seemed to me that the author had become obsessed with renegade groups of desperate individuals waiting around every corner, ready to kill us all or possibly something worse! The paranoia was relentless and went on and on and on and on, and unfortunately I wanted to check out after about 2 hours reading because I just didn’t believe the plot, for the rest of the book I just kept skipping pages to see if it improved and it didn’t. Extremely disappointed.
John Higgins
I could not have been more disappointed, it seemed to me that the author had become obsessed with renegade groups of desperate individuals waiting around every corner, ready to kill us all or possibly something worse! The paranoia was relentless and went on and on and on and on, and unfortunately I wanted to check out after about 2 hours reading because I just didn’t believe the plot, for the rest of the book I just kept skipping pages to see if it improved and it didn’t. Extremely disappointed.
John Higgins
March 25, 2022
If I had relied on the reviews of this book on Goodreads, I would have given it a wide berth. Thankfully my husband read it first and told me how good it was, so I gave it a go.
This is the first review I have ever written on Goodreads, but I just had to put my view out there.
I have read over 100 books in the last 12 months and this book is the best read out of all of them.
It was a rollercoaster ride from the beginning.
I was hooked from the start and had trouble putting the book down.
This was one of those books where when I finished it, I just thought, "WOW"! And then remembered to breathe normally again!
So don't be put off by the low marked reviews, this is one fabulous read!
This is the first review I have ever written on Goodreads, but I just had to put my view out there.
I have read over 100 books in the last 12 months and this book is the best read out of all of them.
It was a rollercoaster ride from the beginning.
I was hooked from the start and had trouble putting the book down.
This was one of those books where when I finished it, I just thought, "WOW"! And then remembered to breathe normally again!
So don't be put off by the low marked reviews, this is one fabulous read!
March 4, 2021
Well, that's several hours of my life that I'll never get back! I've read other books by Alex before and enjoyed them, so thought I'd give it a go. I really wish I hadn't bothered. I was halfway through the story and nothing was happening except the main character dithering and doing nothing.The story picked up pace in the second half but soon descended into the realms of totally unbelievable. What a waste of time- wish I'd followed my instinct and chucked it rather than hoping it would get better. It didn't!
July 19, 2023
Well, that was horrifying. If you want a horror/thriller which plays on all your biggest fears and paranoia I highly recommend. I listened to the audiobook version by Kris Dyer and was both in love with the comedic inflections of his voice and absolutely disturbed. Pretty sure I wont be sleeping anytime soon.
Blake is a very relatable guy, being absolutely terrified of his own situation and reacting completely normally given what is happening around him. I imagine that most people would be caught in the same dumb struck denial of terror.
I struggled a little bit with some of the repetitive descriptions of scents, as I am pretty nose blind so couldn't understand how someone could repetitively sense the same smell at numerous times. I also found the constant use of 'Sniff' or 'Sniffing' a little unnecessary. But I still loved the characters and the relatable normal reactions, (I personally hate when a character is suddenly miraculously a badass with no training or process).
Blake is a very relatable guy, being absolutely terrified of his own situation and reacting completely normally given what is happening around him. I imagine that most people would be caught in the same dumb struck denial of terror.
I struggled a little bit with some of the repetitive descriptions of scents, as I am pretty nose blind so couldn't understand how someone could repetitively sense the same smell at numerous times. I also found the constant use of 'Sniff' or 'Sniffing' a little unnecessary. But I still loved the characters and the relatable normal reactions, (I personally hate when a character is suddenly miraculously a badass with no training or process).
September 5, 2023
Review for the Audiobook edition narrated by Kris Dyer.
Well, the idea is good and it's well written but somehow it just never quite hit the mark for me. The story starts off slow and stays that way for over half the book only picking up the pace towards the very end. That said I'm glad I persevered and finished it but I'm equally glad I listened to it at 1.85 speed rather than reading it. I listen while driving my work van so it helps the time and miles pass quickly. At almost 17 hours (or 500 pages) with little action it's definitely a slow burner.
Both my wife and I grabbed the book from Amazon Prime Reading but while I coughed up the cash for whispersync my wife prefers to read on her kindle. At 18% she gave up and moved on to a different book, something neither of us usually do, asking me to tell her if gets any better because it's so slow and she was wasn't inspired by it. I suspect she won't be going back to it any time soon unfortunately.
Well, the idea is good and it's well written but somehow it just never quite hit the mark for me. The story starts off slow and stays that way for over half the book only picking up the pace towards the very end. That said I'm glad I persevered and finished it but I'm equally glad I listened to it at 1.85 speed rather than reading it. I listen while driving my work van so it helps the time and miles pass quickly. At almost 17 hours (or 500 pages) with little action it's definitely a slow burner.
Both my wife and I grabbed the book from Amazon Prime Reading but while I coughed up the cash for whispersync my wife prefers to read on her kindle. At 18% she gave up and moved on to a different book, something neither of us usually do, asking me to tell her if gets any better because it's so slow and she was wasn't inspired by it. I suspect she won't be going back to it any time soon unfortunately.
March 23, 2021
Very tense
Psychological, brutal crime thriller written in the Alex Smith style. The plot will stretch your nerves and force you to bite your nails, that's how tense it is, but I found that the main point of this book is to challenge your strength as a person and make you to think what you would do in the shoes of Blake, and I think that the aim of this book is to find courage within yourself, even you didn't know that you have one, and fight for yours and your loved ones life.
Psychological, brutal crime thriller written in the Alex Smith style. The plot will stretch your nerves and force you to bite your nails, that's how tense it is, but I found that the main point of this book is to challenge your strength as a person and make you to think what you would do in the shoes of Blake, and I think that the aim of this book is to find courage within yourself, even you didn't know that you have one, and fight for yours and your loved ones life.
January 8, 2022
Six Days, Six Hours, Six Minutes -
This is a difficult one to review. I have read all the Kett series and love them all. For me this is a book of two half’s. The first half I really struggled with, finding it quite respective and slightly frustrating. There were times I actually thought I might stop reading it. Then it exploded in the second half and became far more interesting and a page turner. The second half of the book for me was a 5 out of 5, but the first half was more a 3 out of 5. If you do decide to read the book, stick with it. Overall, 4 out of 5 from me.
This is a difficult one to review. I have read all the Kett series and love them all. For me this is a book of two half’s. The first half I really struggled with, finding it quite respective and slightly frustrating. There were times I actually thought I might stop reading it. Then it exploded in the second half and became far more interesting and a page turner. The second half of the book for me was a 5 out of 5, but the first half was more a 3 out of 5. If you do decide to read the book, stick with it. Overall, 4 out of 5 from me.
October 14, 2023
This was a disappointment for me. The title I assumed was going to send shivers up my spine but it never did get to that stage. The book is over 6 days. The ‘devil’ picked Brad to terrorise for those days but again it was pretty poor. Your not given a reason why he was chosen or his family but it was just a pretty boring read to be fair. I kept wanting to read to the end to see what happened but alas that was disappointing too. But at least I know now not to pick a book by it’s cover and title only. It’s the first book I’ve read by this author too but it’s a bit more of an adventure for me.
December 21, 2025
Not as good as his DCI Kett series as it’s a bit too long and drags in places, but one thing has to be said. When Alex Smith wants you to like his characters, you will like them. When he wants you to love them, you will adore them. And when he wants you to hate them, you will, with a passion. You practically have no choice. I’ve read most of his books so far and I’ve liked characters the type of which I usually hate, I’ve grown to like or hate characters I swore I wouldn’t, he’s basically got me on a string. One of, if not my favourite author in the genre.
September 28, 2020
Twilight Zone?
I love reading Alex Smith, but the first half of this novel was like the Twilight Zone and I thought the lead character was having a nervous breakdown that would never end. The second half was better, but this story is brutal so reader be warned! Relentless courage is demonstrated by a young family and their crazy pooch brings in some humorous relief. The question left unanswered is how and why was Blake chosen?
I love reading Alex Smith, but the first half of this novel was like the Twilight Zone and I thought the lead character was having a nervous breakdown that would never end. The second half was better, but this story is brutal so reader be warned! Relentless courage is demonstrated by a young family and their crazy pooch brings in some humorous relief. The question left unanswered is how and why was Blake chosen?
September 23, 2021
Heart stopingly brutally brilliant!
Alex Smith can certainly write brutal thrillers. From beginning to end this book had me reading on my nerve ends. I couldn't put it down even when the main character was fighting hard for his and his families lives. I don't want to spoil this for anyone so I recommend anyone who reads my basic review to read this book. You will not be disappointed. I can't wait for his next book.
Alex Smith can certainly write brutal thrillers. From beginning to end this book had me reading on my nerve ends. I couldn't put it down even when the main character was fighting hard for his and his families lives. I don't want to spoil this for anyone so I recommend anyone who reads my basic review to read this book. You will not be disappointed. I can't wait for his next book.
January 8, 2022
Not my favourite Alex Smith book but still an enjoyable, gripping read. I found this one dragged on a bit too much, really highlighting the fear and the stench a bit more than necessary. It really picked up in the last half of the book though and of course, another amazing thriller. I LOVE (and hate, of course) the world of crime the author has created where all of his books interlink and tell different stories related to the same bad people.
June 6, 2023
It’s a bit drawn out but I love that they include PC Savage & her partner in this book and talk about some of the cases from the DC Kett books! It does make you think that the “network” DC Kett is drawn into is behind this entire history of killings and setups. They even mention the pig man and the newspaper girls. The DC Kett books are shorter and better in my opinion but this book is great. Alex Smith is a great author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2021
Absolutely superb
What a fantastic story this was, Alex Smith is a new author to me, but I will certainly be reading more from this fantastic writer, this book was a thrill ride from start to Finnish, very dark in places and certainly not for everybody, but it certainly kept me reading, I absolutely loved it, this book comes very highly recommended.
What a fantastic story this was, Alex Smith is a new author to me, but I will certainly be reading more from this fantastic writer, this book was a thrill ride from start to Finnish, very dark in places and certainly not for everybody, but it certainly kept me reading, I absolutely loved it, this book comes very highly recommended.
March 30, 2021
Brilliant! I read this because I've enjoyed other Alex Smith novels...the intro wouldn't have grabbed me otherwise. I'm so glad that I did read it; this was unique, interesting and gripping. I think the author missed a trick in not developing Blake's profession as a therapist, but still a great read and highly recommended. Enjoy!
April 4, 2021
Started off well and has a gripping storyline, but could do with some editing to make it sharper. After reading every line for about half the book, I decided to skim through the remainder. Simply because I wanted to know what happened next but had run out of patience reading what felt like the same things three times over!
July 1, 2022
Blake Barton has a wife and young baby and life is good. But then a strange young man appears and then the devil himself to tell him he is going to due in 6 days, 6 hours and 6 minutes. Blake tries to find out why this is happening, without letting on to anyone else. Pretty gruesome in places but a good read.
September 27, 2022
There are no words....
Five decades of reading thrillers should have prepared me for anything, however, this book leaves me speechless. There are strong, likeable characters that have you hoping they survive amidst the chaos and battle that ensues. Extremely well done as the 5 stars indicate. Thank you Alex Smith!
Five decades of reading thrillers should have prepared me for anything, however, this book leaves me speechless. There are strong, likeable characters that have you hoping they survive amidst the chaos and battle that ensues. Extremely well done as the 5 stars indicate. Thank you Alex Smith!
December 2, 2022
I'd the Devil amongst us?
Blake is a little jaded, his job is no longer fulfilling, his life revolves around his wife and his son. The Devil pays him a visit and he learns he has limited time on this earth.
Blake goes all out to dispel this knowledge.
This is a fast paced horror, a drama so surreal you have to keep reading to the last word.
Blake is a little jaded, his job is no longer fulfilling, his life revolves around his wife and his son. The Devil pays him a visit and he learns he has limited time on this earth.
Blake goes all out to dispel this knowledge.
This is a fast paced horror, a drama so surreal you have to keep reading to the last word.
February 28, 2023
I LOVE Alex Smith's books, but this one, not so much. So much evil with seemingly no reason or answer for WHY? This one didn't do it for me. I sped ahead wanting SOMETHING to happen but by the time it does, I don't care if the main character lives or dies. He's annoying and weak. His wife is the REAL hero.
June 8, 2023
Loved this book
This was one of those books that you don’t want to put down. Had me gripped from the very beginning right to the last page. This author doesn’t rush the story it flows through the chapters. The ending held me just like the beginning something some authors fail to do. I will certainly be reading more books by this author. Highly recommend reading this book.
This was one of those books that you don’t want to put down. Had me gripped from the very beginning right to the last page. This author doesn’t rush the story it flows through the chapters. The ending held me just like the beginning something some authors fail to do. I will certainly be reading more books by this author. Highly recommend reading this book.
July 7, 2023
Absolutely Fantastic
I'm not going to write too much as I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who may read this BUT I can honestly say I have read all of Alex's books so far and this one has to be my favourite. I was on the edge of my seat with this book. I couldn't wait to see what happened next! Absolutely recommend it.
I'm not going to write too much as I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who may read this BUT I can honestly say I have read all of Alex's books so far and this one has to be my favourite. I was on the edge of my seat with this book. I couldn't wait to see what happened next! Absolutely recommend it.
March 21, 2024
I'm really sorry I started to read this book as I really enjoyed the Kett series and think Alex is a great author but I skipped most of it, sadly if this was the first Alex Smith book I'd read I probably would not have read another.
Doof was a much stronger character than Blake who frankly was such a dithering man he was a royal pain in the butt and bored the hell out of me
Doof was a much stronger character than Blake who frankly was such a dithering man he was a royal pain in the butt and bored the hell out of me
June 30, 2024
What a page turner!
I read all of the DCI Kett books and loved them. So I had to read another from Alex Smith. My God man, how do you come up this stuff?? This book kept me in its grip from the first page until the last! It is SO suspenseful and well done, I almost had to sleep with the light on. Keep them coming!
I read all of the DCI Kett books and loved them. So I had to read another from Alex Smith. My God man, how do you come up this stuff?? This book kept me in its grip from the first page until the last! It is SO suspenseful and well done, I almost had to sleep with the light on. Keep them coming!
August 29, 2024
Proper edge of your seat stuff
I absolutely devoured this book. The storyline is so well thought out. I experienced every emotion with the characters and, at times, had to take a breather because I thought they would never make it through.
I'm off to search for another of Alex's books to keep me up all night!
I absolutely devoured this book. The storyline is so well thought out. I experienced every emotion with the characters and, at times, had to take a breather because I thought they would never make it through.
I'm off to search for another of Alex's books to keep me up all night!
June 22, 2020
Fully immersive, the reader is carried along at a lightning pace in the helplessly collapsing world of Blake Barton. Simultaneously cringing and delighting at the gruesomeness, ramping up to a brutal climax so gripping, I stopped breathing for five pages.
October 4, 2020
Breathtaking
A real page turner and not at all like the novels I’ve previously read by Alex Smith involving DCI Kett however I enjoyed it immensely, it was exciting and fast paced and makes you wonder what you would do in this situation
A real page turner and not at all like the novels I’ve previously read by Alex Smith involving DCI Kett however I enjoyed it immensely, it was exciting and fast paced and makes you wonder what you would do in this situation
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews