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11: 59
Who is Hassan and what is behind his mysterious Valentine message to Amina? Who is the young beauty chased across a lorry park in the early hours? These are the questions local phone-in host Marc Niven struggles with as he is drawn deeper into the city's secret places. The question he already knows the answer to - why did Sam leave him so suddenly? - is the one that troubles him most. 11.59 was a semi-finalist in the 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.
278 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2010
32 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
About the author
David Williams
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There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 8, 2025
What the heck happened??
Here's the review that I wrote for the ABNA contest:
"Marc Craven is a late night radio talk show host. In a completely engaging first chapter which cleverly combines first and third person narration with some exceptionally believable real-life dialogue that is clearly drawn from solid research into the radio industry, we are allowed to be the proverbial fly on the wall. We listen to Marc's thoughts as the clock rapidly ticks off the seconds toward midnight. He's trying to juggle squeezing in a last few callers before he calls it a night with some rather shameless flirting with his producer. His mind is so focused on leaving for the night and the possibility of an "encounter" with his work-mate that the last male caller's references to his wife as "the mother of his children" and "his widow", a very clear and ominous signal to an imminent, planned suicide, blow right by him. Distracted and focused on more pleasant possibilities to come, he simply hangs up and proceeds to shut down the show for the night!
Later in the evening, as he drives home from a singularly unsuccessful seduction attempt that had previously held out the promise of being a sure thing, Marc purchases a consolation bottle of wine and purposefully drowns his frustration in the comforting haze of alcohol. When he witnesses a kidnapping through the swirling mists of the wine, he realizes that, because of his condition and the fact that he is still driving his car, he can't risk calling the police.
At that point the excerpt ends and, of course, there simply hasn't been enough happen to give any potential reader any idea as to what the plot-line of this thriller might be. We have no clue about how or even whether the caller's possible suicide and the kidnapping that Marc witnessed are related in any way. But - and this is the good news - that simply doesn't matter.
David Williams' writing, his characterization, his dialogue, his pacing and his action is so smooth, so professional, so realistic and so mature that there isn't a thriller-lover on the planet who wouldn't continue reading this novel after getting this far. I don't know where it's headed but I'm "all aboard" for the ride and I defnitely want to find out where the conductor's taking us. Highly recommended."
And, if anything, the suspense ratcheted up a notch as the story moved into a dual intertwined tale of Islamic terrorism and Eastern European trafficking of young girls into prostitution.
Then came the ending ... or not! I simply can't believe it but I have absolutely no idea what the ending was all about! It's that simple. Not the remotest clue about the ending of any of the story threads or how they tied together. I don't think that I was on drugs or booze when I read it but I finished an entire novel and I don't have the foggiest notion of what the ending was all about.
That can't be right!
Paul Weiss
Here's the review that I wrote for the ABNA contest:
"Marc Craven is a late night radio talk show host. In a completely engaging first chapter which cleverly combines first and third person narration with some exceptionally believable real-life dialogue that is clearly drawn from solid research into the radio industry, we are allowed to be the proverbial fly on the wall. We listen to Marc's thoughts as the clock rapidly ticks off the seconds toward midnight. He's trying to juggle squeezing in a last few callers before he calls it a night with some rather shameless flirting with his producer. His mind is so focused on leaving for the night and the possibility of an "encounter" with his work-mate that the last male caller's references to his wife as "the mother of his children" and "his widow", a very clear and ominous signal to an imminent, planned suicide, blow right by him. Distracted and focused on more pleasant possibilities to come, he simply hangs up and proceeds to shut down the show for the night!
Later in the evening, as he drives home from a singularly unsuccessful seduction attempt that had previously held out the promise of being a sure thing, Marc purchases a consolation bottle of wine and purposefully drowns his frustration in the comforting haze of alcohol. When he witnesses a kidnapping through the swirling mists of the wine, he realizes that, because of his condition and the fact that he is still driving his car, he can't risk calling the police.
At that point the excerpt ends and, of course, there simply hasn't been enough happen to give any potential reader any idea as to what the plot-line of this thriller might be. We have no clue about how or even whether the caller's possible suicide and the kidnapping that Marc witnessed are related in any way. But - and this is the good news - that simply doesn't matter.
David Williams' writing, his characterization, his dialogue, his pacing and his action is so smooth, so professional, so realistic and so mature that there isn't a thriller-lover on the planet who wouldn't continue reading this novel after getting this far. I don't know where it's headed but I'm "all aboard" for the ride and I defnitely want to find out where the conductor's taking us. Highly recommended."
And, if anything, the suspense ratcheted up a notch as the story moved into a dual intertwined tale of Islamic terrorism and Eastern European trafficking of young girls into prostitution.
Then came the ending ... or not! I simply can't believe it but I have absolutely no idea what the ending was all about! It's that simple. Not the remotest clue about the ending of any of the story threads or how they tied together. I don't think that I was on drugs or booze when I read it but I finished an entire novel and I don't have the foggiest notion of what the ending was all about.
That can't be right!
Paul Weiss
February 14, 2013
Started off well. I started losing interest half way through but saw it through to the end.
Basically a story about the trafficking and prostitution of young immigrant girls.
Really complicated and bored me to tears
Basically a story about the trafficking and prostitution of young immigrant girls.
Really complicated and bored me to tears
March 27, 2020
Not bad. Not great. I only read this cos author is from ashington. Not really my thing.
September 11, 2012
Action packed adventure/mystery/suspense!
In just the first few pages I was hooked. I formed an immediate like for the main character, a radio talk show host who accidently ignores just one word from his caller, causing his world to spiral in a million different directions.
Marc is a guy with a heart who just happens to have misbehaved of late and caused his personal life some trouble. Now, this caller, slips the word 'widow' into his call and all hell breaks loose in his professional life too. He wants to fix it, not for himself but for the poor bloke he let slip by. He intends only to find out if the guy is okay...but ends up involved in a dark and dangerous world of pimps, sex trafficing, and terrorism.
It's one thing after another for poor Marc, but luckily he has unasked for help arriving on the scene. First, an avid fan of the show, Oliver, a kid who's a little wacky, a little different, bur most certainly devoted. Second, his true life love, Sam whom he had badly wronged but who is back to make amends.
Really most impressive was how 'on track' the author kept the reader. All of the thought processes that went into Marc's adventures were perfectly drawn out so that there was not one time that I could not make sense of his actions (even if they weren't always very bright!). There was a lot involved in this story & it could easily have gotten very confusing. Great writing, GREAT character development & truly likeable (however imperfect they mat be!) main characters. Truly enjoyable read!
January 8, 2013
Marc Niven is a radio DJ doing his late night broadcast which featured listeners phone-ins. At 11:59 a listener called Hassan asks for a Valentine's Day dedication. The pace of the programme is fast and Marc did not pick up on excactly what Hassan said. Another listener was alarmed at the words Hassan used and alerted Marc. Did Hassan simply have a slip of the tongue? Marc decides to find out the truth and embarks on an investigation.
This thriller is set in the north east of England and was written in 2010. I purchased the 558 KB Amazon Kindle version. It is easy reading that also gives a nice insight into the production of radio programmes. How there are lots of listeners trying to get onto the show and a researcher manages the incoming calls to select only the best to present to the broadcaster.
Marc explores the region and a sequence of events shape the story to an ending which is no surprise but is a logical conclusion when the reader examines the relevant parts. The reader meets a fair range of characters as the plot develops. Suspicions are raised and some are false. This is a regular thriller with nothing outstanding but it filled my daily read requirement. This book is simply okay.
This thriller is set in the north east of England and was written in 2010. I purchased the 558 KB Amazon Kindle version. It is easy reading that also gives a nice insight into the production of radio programmes. How there are lots of listeners trying to get onto the show and a researcher manages the incoming calls to select only the best to present to the broadcaster.
Marc explores the region and a sequence of events shape the story to an ending which is no surprise but is a logical conclusion when the reader examines the relevant parts. The reader meets a fair range of characters as the plot develops. Suspicions are raised and some are false. This is a regular thriller with nothing outstanding but it filled my daily read requirement. This book is simply okay.
June 14, 2013
This was an unusual story, the background of which was predominantly a late-night local radio phone in show. There were echoes of the Costa-Gavras movie Betrayed in this. The hero Marc gets involved in all sorts of local crime (its set in Newcastle-upon-Tyne) ranging from drugs and prostitution to trafficking and terrorism. Naturally, all are linked. In some ways the outcome is predictable but what rescues 11:59 from the run-of-the-mill is the characterisation.
The chief character is basically a decent person and good at his job. Some of his actions are questionable but had he not taken certain decisions, there would have been no plot. His long-suffering partner Sam is tough and needs to be. The villains, by and large, convincing but the real clever bonus is Marc's biggest fan and you could say stalker Ollie who plays a crucial role in the story despite being seemingly a bit on the slow side. The interaction between Ollie and Marc was the best feature of the yarn for me.
David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil (www.thebluepencil.co.uk)
davidlowtherblog.wordpress.com
The chief character is basically a decent person and good at his job. Some of his actions are questionable but had he not taken certain decisions, there would have been no plot. His long-suffering partner Sam is tough and needs to be. The villains, by and large, convincing but the real clever bonus is Marc's biggest fan and you could say stalker Ollie who plays a crucial role in the story despite being seemingly a bit on the slow side. The interaction between Ollie and Marc was the best feature of the yarn for me.
David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil (www.thebluepencil.co.uk)
davidlowtherblog.wordpress.com
May 21, 2016
Good story
I started this book without any great expectations. It's not my usual kind of book, but I figured I'd give it a go.
The start is a bit slow, and I did wonder where the story was going. It wasn't long before I was drawn in, and curious about what would happen next and how things were linked. The main character is fairly likeable. He has plenty of faults and although I didn't particularly like him, he was a believable character for all his flaws.
In all, I would recommend this book. I managed to read it in around 7 hours, so it's not a very lengthy book, but there's plenty going on to keep you drawn in.
I started this book without any great expectations. It's not my usual kind of book, but I figured I'd give it a go.
The start is a bit slow, and I did wonder where the story was going. It wasn't long before I was drawn in, and curious about what would happen next and how things were linked. The main character is fairly likeable. He has plenty of faults and although I didn't particularly like him, he was a believable character for all his flaws.
In all, I would recommend this book. I managed to read it in around 7 hours, so it's not a very lengthy book, but there's plenty going on to keep you drawn in.
February 16, 2013
This wasn't half bad. There were a few bits in the first half that were so depressing. It did pick up though and took a a lot of interesting turns. I like that so much of it was in the narrators head. Just his thoughts, him trying to work out his crazy life.
February 20, 2014
I found this book for the best part of the beginning very confusing. I had no where it was gone and felt it was a bit stop and start. Overall I did enjoy it just didn't appreciate as much as I should why it starts with one things and ends with two different things.
July 2, 2016
Marc is a late night local radio phone in host. A single phone call triggers his involvement in a complex series of events with an international dimension. A fascinating story.
May 15, 2012
Slow to start but once it got going it was a very enjoyable book.
March 8, 2023
Have this on kindle
June 18, 2013
It was pretty good for a freebie!
October 2, 2013
The entertainment value of this book is great, but the writing isn't good at all. It did keep me hooked though.
July 3, 2014
Not bad but didn't blow me away. Some stereo-typical characterisations which I found a bit disappointing.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews