I was dead for 13 minutes.

I don’t remember how I ended up in the icy water but I do know this – it wasn’t an accident and I wasn’t suicidal.

They say you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but when you’re a teenage girl, it’s hard to tell them apart. My friends love me, I’m sure of it. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t try to kill me. Does it?

13 Minutes is a gripping psychological thriller about people, fears, manipulation and the power of the truth. A stunning read, it questions our relationships and what we really know about the people closest to us…

Praise for 13 Minutes:

‘In recent years, many, many thrillers have been compared to Gillian Flynn’s 2012 bestseller Gone Girl. But, while several of these have managed to replicate the book’s tension and killer mid-point twist, far fewer have matched Flynn’s more subtle qualities…Sarah Pinborough’s masterfully crafted YA novel 13 Minutes might be one of the few to actually merit the comparison…The book’s evocation of the dark world of secondary school, with all its petty betrayals, casual cruelties and toxic friendships, is painfully spot on. ★★★★★’ The Telegraph, Best YA novels of 2016

‘…should be read by anyone who appreciates fast-paced, beautifully written, intricately plotted crime…  Whichever form she takes her writing is engrossing as she bores into the heads of these riveting, terrifying teens’ The Times (Children’s Book of the Week)

‘The most exciting premise of the year… surely belongs to Sarah Pinborough’s 13 Minutes’ The Express

‘This dark psychological thriller delves into a world where popularity and appearances are as important as life or death. The characters are realistically flawed, from beautiful, selfish Tasha to creative, insecure Becca. The tale twists through police reports, diary entries, psychologist evaluations and accounts from both protagonists, allowing readers brief glimpses of the truth before the exciting finale. Highly recommended.’ Book Trust

‘There is no holding back from the full gamut of sex, drugs and rock and roll. It is a dark and nasty tale of jealously and manipulation…the characters are intriguingly flawed, the narrative tension bow-twangingly tight and there’s an absolute belter of a twist’ Independent on Sunday

‘An unsettling psychological thriller, the book plunges you into the frankly scary world of teenage girls’ Fabulous, Sun on Sunday

‘A highly dramatic and convincing thriller’ The Book Bag