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.Amazon.com Review"11:59" is billed as a suspense thriller and fits that billing with early hints with its hooks and hints at where the plot is going. I am excited to see which branch of many it will extend on or where the many roads with merge.Amazon.com ReviewSuspense novels are not usually my preferred genre (just not my usual cup of tea, or should I say 'not my usual cuppa'?), but if I picked this novel up in a store and read this excerpt, I would definitely buy the novel in order to read further. The mystery elements so far are very interesting, but what is really driving my interest is the rock solid writing and good characterization. The prose style is particularly pleasant to read, and I can't rave enough about the non-American colloquialisms - don't let anyone tell you to take them out. I can't see why this wouldn't advance to the final levels - this sort of professional writing is something to be proud of.