Monday, May 9, 2022

Review: Breathless by Amy McCulloch

 

AS SEEN ON THE TODAY SHOW 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.

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What I thought about Breathless

I'm really torn on this book. Most times I think that's a good thing because it usually means the book made me feel something. I was drawn to this because of the adventure aspect. I'd read a book last year about mountain climbing that I enjoyed, so I decided to give this one a try.

Breathless contains the typical elements you would expect -- man against mountain and in this case, man against man, but this is really Cecily's story. I really liked the character, and the author does a good job of showing who she is. Cecily doesn't always make the right decisions, but she has good instincts.

The mystery / thriller aspect worked for me in general, though the pace of the first eighty percent of this story was quite slow with periodic flare-ups to keep things interesting.Then everything concluded so quickly at the end I didn't have time to savor the developments. A lot happens very quickly at the conclusion of the story, but I ultimately loved the final scene.

Overall, I enjoyed the story but wished things had moved along a little more evenly throughout the book. There's a good supply of heroes and villains, a mystery that will keep you guessing until the end, and Cecily's story is interesting and engaging (it was what kept me reading). The author's notes at the end are also worth a look. 




About the Author

Amy McCulloch is a Chinese-White author, born in the UK, raised in Ottawa, Canada, now based in London, UK. She is the co-author of the #1 YA bestselling novel THE MAGPIE SOCIETY: One for Sorrow, and has written seven solo novels for children and young adults. She has hit the bestseller lists in several countries around the world, and been published in fifteen different languages. Breathless is her adult thriller debut.

Before becoming a full-time writer, she was editorial director for Penguin Random House Children’s Books. In 2013, she was named one of The Bookseller‘s Rising Stars of publishing.

When not writing, she loves travelling, hiking and mountaineering. In September 2019, she became the youngest Canadian woman to climb Mt Manaslu in Nepal – the world’s eighth highest mountain at 8,163m (26,781ft). Other addictions include coffee, ramen and really great books.

 Twitter : @amymcculloch

 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amymccullochbooks

 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amymccullochbooks/

Website:  https://amymcculloch.net/

 

 


 

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