diff --git a/configuration/base.yaml b/configuration/base.yaml
index bdd290c..2a4ad1a 100644
--- a/configuration/base.yaml
+++ b/configuration/base.yaml
@@ -10,3 +10,4 @@ email_client:
   base_url: "localhost"
   sender_email: "test@fmail.com"
   authorization_token: "my-secret-token"
+  timeout_milliseconds: 10000
diff --git a/src/configuration.rs b/src/configuration.rs
index 98f7a23..bdfe58f 100644
--- a/src/configuration.rs
+++ b/src/configuration.rs
@@ -22,12 +22,16 @@ pub struct EmailClientSettings {
     pub base_url: String,
     pub sender_email: String,
     pub authorization_token: Secret<String>,
+    pub timeout_milliseconds: u64,
 }
 
 impl EmailClientSettings {
     pub fn sender(&self) -> Result<SubscriberEmail, String> {
         SubscriberEmail::parse(self.sender_email.clone())
     }
+    pub fn timeout(&self) -> std::time::Duration {
+        std::time::Duration::from_millis(self.timeout_milliseconds)
+    }
 }
 
 #[derive(serde::Deserialize)]
diff --git a/src/email_client.rs b/src/email_client.rs
index 87c45e8..b85336e 100644
--- a/src/email_client.rs
+++ b/src/email_client.rs
@@ -15,9 +15,11 @@ impl EmailClient {
         base_url: String,
         sender: SubscriberEmail,
         authorization_token: Secret<String>,
+        timeout: std::time::Duration,
     ) -> Self {
+        let http_client = Client::builder().timeout(timeout).build().unwrap();
         Self {
-            http_client: Client::new(),
+            http_client,
             base_url,
             sender,
             authorization_token,
@@ -98,38 +100,33 @@ mod tests {
         }
     }
 
-    #[tokio::test]
-    async fn send_email_succeeds_if_the_server_returns_200() {
-        // Arrange
-        let mock_server = MockServer::start().await;
-        let sender = SubscriberEmail::parse(SafeEmail().fake()).unwrap();
-        let email_client = EmailClient::new(mock_server.uri(), sender, Secret::new(Faker.fake()));
-
-        let subscriber_email = SubscriberEmail::parse(SafeEmail().fake()).unwrap();
-        let subject: String = Sentence(1..2).fake();
-        let content: String = Paragraph(1..10).fake();
-
-        Mock::given(any())
-            .respond_with(ResponseTemplate::new(200))
-            .expect(1)
-            .mount(&mock_server)
-            .await;
-
-        // Act
-        let outcome = email_client
-            .send_email(subscriber_email, &subject, &content, &content)
-            .await;
-
-        // Assert
-        assert_ok!(outcome);
+    /// Generate a random email subject
+    fn subject() -> String {
+        Sentence(1..2).fake()
+    }
+    /// Generate a random email content
+    fn content() -> String {
+        Paragraph(1..10).fake()
+    }
+    /// Generate a random subscriber email
+    fn email() -> SubscriberEmail {
+        SubscriberEmail::parse(SafeEmail().fake()).unwrap()
+    }
+    /// Get a test instance of `EmailClient`.
+    fn email_client(base_url: String) -> EmailClient {
+        EmailClient::new(
+            base_url,
+            email(),
+            Secret::new(Faker.fake()),
+            std::time::Duration::from_millis(200),
+        )
     }
 
     #[tokio::test]
     async fn send_email_sends_the_expected_request() {
         // Arrange
         let mock_server = MockServer::start().await;
-        let sender = SubscriberEmail::parse(SafeEmail().fake()).unwrap();
-        let email_client = EmailClient::new(mock_server.uri(), sender, Secret::new(Faker.fake()));
+        let email_client = email_client(mock_server.uri());
 
         Mock::given(header_exists("X-Postmark-Server-Token"))
             .and(header("Content-Type", "application/json"))
@@ -141,29 +138,41 @@ mod tests {
             .mount(&mock_server)
             .await;
 
-        let subscriber_email = SubscriberEmail::parse(SafeEmail().fake()).unwrap();
-        let subject: String = Sentence(1..2).fake();
-        let content: String = Paragraph(1..10).fake();
-
         // Act
         let _ = email_client
-            .send_email(subscriber_email, &subject, &content, &content)
+            .send_email(email(), &subject(), &content(), &content())
             .await;
 
         // Assert
         // Mock expectations are checked on drop
     }
 
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn send_email_succeeds_if_the_server_returns_200() {
+        // Arrange
+        let mock_server = MockServer::start().await;
+        let email_client = email_client(mock_server.uri());
+
+        Mock::given(any())
+            .respond_with(ResponseTemplate::new(200))
+            .expect(1)
+            .mount(&mock_server)
+            .await;
+
+        // Act
+        let outcome = email_client
+            .send_email(email(), &subject(), &content(), &content())
+            .await;
+
+        // Assert
+        assert_ok!(outcome);
+    }
+
     #[tokio::test]
     async fn send_email_fails_if_the_server_returns_500() {
         // Arrange
         let mock_server = MockServer::start().await;
-        let sender = SubscriberEmail::parse(SafeEmail().fake()).unwrap();
-        let email_client = EmailClient::new(mock_server.uri(), sender, Secret::new(Faker.fake()));
-
-        let subscriber_email = SubscriberEmail::parse(SafeEmail().fake()).unwrap();
-        let subject: String = Sentence(1..2).fake();
-        let content: String = Paragraph(1..10).fake();
+        let email_client = email_client(mock_server.uri());
 
         Mock::given(any())
             // Not a 200 anymore!
@@ -174,7 +183,31 @@ mod tests {
 
         // Act
         let outcome = email_client
-            .send_email(subscriber_email, &subject, &content, &content)
+            .send_email(email(), &subject(), &content(), &content())
+            .await;
+
+        // Assert
+        assert_err!(outcome);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn send_email_times_out_if_the_server_takes_too_long() {
+        // Arrange
+        let mock_server = MockServer::start().await;
+        let email_client = email_client(mock_server.uri());
+
+        let response = ResponseTemplate::new(200)
+            // 3 minutes!
+            .set_delay(std::time::Duration::from_secs(180));
+        Mock::given(any())
+            .respond_with(response)
+            .expect(1)
+            .mount(&mock_server)
+            .await;
+
+        // Act
+        let outcome = email_client
+            .send_email(email(), &subject(), &content(), &content())
             .await;
 
         // Assert
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index b479757..388e19b 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -25,10 +25,12 @@ async fn main() {
         .email_client
         .sender()
         .expect("Invalid sender email address.");
+    let timeout = configuration.email_client.timeout();
     let email_client = EmailClient::new(
         configuration.email_client.base_url,
         sender_email,
         configuration.email_client.authorization_token,
+        timeout,
     );
     startup::run(listener, connection_pool, email_client)
         .await
diff --git a/tests/health_check.rs b/tests/health_check.rs
index a02064f..bc6440f 100644
--- a/tests/health_check.rs
+++ b/tests/health_check.rs
@@ -153,10 +153,12 @@ async fn spawn_app() -> TestApp {
         .email_client
         .sender()
         .expect("Invalid sender email address.");
+    let timeout = configuration.email_client.timeout();
     let email_client = EmailClient::new(
         configuration.email_client.base_url,
         sender_email,
         configuration.email_client.authorization_token,
+        timeout,
     );
 
     let service = learn_axum::startup::app(connection_pool.clone(), email_client);