"Sixty Seconds, through the power of Blackadder’s writing, takes us inside that world of grief and loss, lets us know that we are vulnerable, and supplies a shape within which such a very Australian tragedy is understood — not sanitised, but made coherent." - The Australian. (Read the full review)
"Sixty Seconds gives a powerful insight into how ordinary people cope with extraordinary events… The bravery of the author in writing this novel must be acknowledged. It can’t have been easy. But the result is a work that gives a powerful insight into how ordinary people manage to cope when suddenly thrust into extraordinary circumstances." - The Newtown Review of Books. (Read the full review)
"How many novels can reduce you to tears only fifty pages in? Sixty Seconds will do that – with its beautiful, incisive depiction of a family’s story in the face of unthinkable tragedy – but it will ultimately leave you feeling whole again. A stunning novel about forgiveness, redemption, and blame… Sixty Seconds is heartbreaking, poignant, sometimes humorous, and entirely satisfying.” - Better Reading. (Read the full review)
"I found Sixty Seconds to be a book that I didn’t want to put down… Blackadder draws us through the agony of heartbreak and back to a place where there is once more some light, some hope and some ability to see a future.” - Beauty and Lace. (Read the full review)
The final chapters of this beautiful novel gave me chills all over my body, and such a lump in my throat I could not breathe. Both haunting and heart-rending, Sixty Seconds is as much a story about the redemptive power of love as it is about the terrible power of grief. I know some people will be afraid of reading it, afraid of how close it may cut to the bone. I can only urge you to read it anyway. It is, quite simply, a masterpiece… What Katie Read, Booktopia Blog (read the full review)
“This is a cracking but troubling book. Therein lies its impact.” The Weekly Times (read the full review)
“Jesse Blackadder draws on family tragedy” - feature in the Sun Herald.
“A gripping read.” - Northern Star. (Read the full story)
"Heartbreaking. Beautifully written, challenging, but heartbreaking… My words cannot do justice to how Ms Blackadder makes each of these characters so real.” - Tasmanian Bibliophile. (Read the full review)