Which tense should be used for a novel?

My thriller, The Mortal Maze, is written in the present tense. It never occurred to me that I should write it any other way because it wanted to give the story some added pace, but some of the feedback has surprised me. Although I have been getting many very good reviews, a friend told me that she wouldn't read the book if it were in the present tense. Another friend told me how much he ended up enjoying the book, but admitted that if it hadn't been written by me, he wouldn't have gone past the first chapter because he disliked the present tense. A couple of reviewers praised the book but said they had to adjust to the tense. Most others either didn't notice the tense or thought it was just right for the story.

I'd be interested to know if anyone else has written a novel in the present tense and what reaction they received. Meantime, here's the early feedback to my thriller.