‘Twenty Seven Minutes’ by Ashley Tate

Published by Headline Publishing Group,
1 February 2024.
ISBN: 978-1-0354151-2 (HB)

Twenty Seven minutes is essentially a story about loss and grief.  A beautiful young girl, Phoebe Dean, died after the vehicle she was travelling in crashed into the barrier on a high bridge that crossed a deep river. There were two other young people in the car, Phoebe’s brother, Grant, who was driving, and Becca who believed that she and Grant were going to make a life together.

These three individuals, along with two of their contemporaries, brother and sister June and Wyatt are the main characters in a book that embraces numerous others including relatives, school friends, the odd official, a barman and shopworkers. It is set in a small Canadian town, West Wilmer where everybody knows everybody else and they all have long memories.

The plot vacillates continually between the time of the accident, and the present day.  Phoebe’s mother had been too distraught to hold a wake for her daughter at the time of the accident. Now, ten years later, much to Grant’s horror she has decided to hold a memorial gathering in her home.  Once again, questions arise about what caused the crash, and why Grant waited around half an hour to summon the help that could have saved his sister’s life. The three youngsters in the car had been at a party. Had they drunk too much? Had Grant waited until his breathalyzer test would be ok? Was Becca lying to protect Grant? Could she really not remember what happened on that dark and rainy night?  Why didn’t Grant want the bridge to be demolished?

Wyatt, a disturbed young drug dealer had disappeared on the night of the accident. Much to his sister June’s amazement he reappears in time for Phoebe’s memorial. He says he knows exactly what happened on the bridge ten years ago and intends tell all at the memorial event.

This is an impressive first book. Ashley Tate excels at building her characters and describing the complicated interrelationships that exist within and between families, along with the insidious dangers inherent in small town gossip. Unfortunately, both Phoebe and Grant’s and June and Wyatt’s fathers have long since deserted their families, leaving wives and children to survive as best they can in highly dysfunctional units.  To say that nobody is happy is an understatement. The only person with a caring, albeit controlling, family is Becca who constantly worries about her broken relationship with Grant. This slow-moving tale will definitely appeal to those interested in guilt and the psychology of unhappy and damaged individuals.
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Reviewer Angela Crowther.

Ashley Tate worked for over a decade as an editorial writer and editor for various publications as well as Canada's first online magazine. Writing a novel and seeing it published is really the only thing on her bucket list and she's ecstatic to be checking that off. She lives in Toronto, Canada with her husband, two children. 

Follow Ashley on Twitter @tate_ab
Follow Ashley on Instagram @ashleytateauthor

Angela Crowther is a retired scientist.  She has published many scientific papers but, as yet, no crime fiction.  In her spare time Angela belongs to a Handbell Ringing group, goes country dancing and enjoys listening to music, particularly the operas of Verdi and Wagner.