Breathless: A Thriller

by Amy McCulloch

A BOOK OF THE MONTH CLUB PICK • A high-altitude thriller that will take your breath away—Cecily Wong is on her most dangerous climb yet, miles above sea level. But the elements are nothing compared to one chilling truth: There's a killer on the mountain.
 
"A vertigo-inducing page-turner by an author who brings the high-stakes world of expert mountain-climbing to life on the page." —Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid

Journalist Cecily Wong is in over her head. She’s come to Manaslu, the eighth-highest peak in the world, to interview internationally famous mountaineer Charles McVeigh on the last leg of a record-breaking series of summits. She’s given up everything for this story—her boyfriend, her life savings, the peace she’s made with her climbing failures in the past—but it’s a career-making opportunity. It could finally put her life back on track.
 
But when one climber dies in what everyone else assumes is a freak accident, she fears their expedition is in danger. And by the time a second climber dies, it’s too late to turn back. Stranded on a mountain in one of the most remote regions of the world, she’ll have to battle more than the elements in a harrowing fight for survival against a killer who is picking them off one by one.

• ISBN10: 0593315499
• ISBN13: 9780593315491
• Publish Date: 3 May 2022 (first published 17 February 2022)
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Anchor Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780593315491

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

I grabbed Breathless on an impulse. It was one of the latest choices available for BOTM, and at this point, I grab any and all thrillers they make available. Written by Amy McCulloch, this thriller is perfect for those that love the horror and chills of mountain climbing.

Cecily Wong is a journalist, and she's been handed the opportunity of a lifetime. All she has to do is follow Charles McVeigh up Manaslu, the eight-highest mountain peak in the world. And live to make it down, of course.

Should she manage all that, she'll get the interview of a century. It'll launch her career, providing a chance for success that she's only ever dreamed of. Naturally, that means things are about to go horribly wrong.

"There's a murderer on the mountain, and at this altitude, there isn't enough oxygen to breathe, let alone scream."

Yikes. Breathless is one heck of a read. It's got all the thriller elements of a good natural horror novel, with the added intrigue of a reporter's instinct and the danger of a killer on the loose. Yes, it's a lot – but it's also a delight to read.

Cecily didn't know what she was signing up for when she agreed to this opportunity. Sure, she thought she did – the risks of climbing a mountain that high (knowing full well that she had previously failed on lower mountains). But who would have expected to deal with the additional complications?

In a way, Breathless reminded me of that movie Vertical Limit. Only there's more thought and care put into words here. Yes, there's a lot of action, but there's always WAY more intrigue. I was constantly guessing who the killer could be (and why).

Naturally, I was also really rooting for Cecily. Even as her story unfolded, I was her unyielding cheerleader. I wanted to see her succeed. To see her climb that mountain, survive, and live to tell the tale about it (the last part is quite literal).

It made for a fun and emotional read, to put it simply. I loved every minute of it, especially since Amy McCulloch is a climber and was able to add an air of authenticity to the adventure. It was perfect! Breathless is one of those movies I would love to see an adaptation of. Please?

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Jeff Sexton]

Atmospheric Tale Of Survival When There Is Little Atmosphere To Be Had. "What better place for a killer to hide than in the death zone" indeed. This is a book both for fans of survival thrillers and for nonfiction high altitude survival tales ala Krakaur's Into Thin Air. McCulloch, inspired by her own real-world ascent of the very mountain she bases this tale on, crafts a story that shows the breadth of who goes up these mountains and why, and what they encounter when they get there. The physical dangers are ever present, the psychological challenges are daunting, and when it begins to leak that the resident legend may not be so legendary after all - and that there may be a killer on the mountain to boot - the tension ratchets up as high and tight as it can get. Excellent tale excellently told, and very much recommended.