Breathless: This year’s most gripping thriller and Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month

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And as fate elbows its way in, Cecily has had a new assignment. She's to follow Charles McVeigh, a renowned alpinist, who is undertaking a series of 14 mountains standing taller than 8,000 meters. Charles promises Cecily an exclusive interview if Cecily reaches the summit of Manaslu in Nepal with him. Cecily knows that she has to turn things around in her career. This assi i will admit that i wasn’t particularly enamoured with the mystery. i was able to predict the murderer very early on, as my spidey-senses were tripped 1) by charles sounding way too good to be true, and 2) the minute i heard charles survived a summit while the rest of his teammates did not. moreover, some of the plot points felt overwrought and required suspension of my disbelief. for instance, i found it absurd that charles went to all the trouble of inviting cecily onto his team just so that he could have a way to thwart doug. this did not feel very occam's-razor to me: surely there were more efficient, straightforward ways of distracting or disposing of doug that did not leave so many uncontrollable variables at play - not the least of which includes the (realized) possibility that cecily, a journalist, would investigate the rumours and death swirling around charles. Breathlessis a high-altitude, high-stakes thriller that combines fascinating, authentic mountaineering experience with pure thriller entertainment. The suspense rises like the Nepalese mountain it is set on. Reminded me of the best of Michael Crichton, where in-depth knowledge and a masterful plot work together to create a tense adrenaline-fuelled ride. I loved it.’ When mountaineer Charles McVeigh agrees to be interviewed by journalist Cecily Wong on Manaslu, the eighth-highest peak in the world, she has no idea what she's getting herself into. Soon after they begin their ascent, one of their team dies in what everyone else assumes is a freak accident. But Cecily suspects that there is more to it than meets the eye. stars: from the moment i read the premise for breathless, my interest was piqued. i knew i had to get my hands on this atmospheric thriller, which the author also described as a story meditating on themes of "confronting imposter syndrome, women’s place in the wilderness, danger, and mortality".

Breathless by Amy McCulloch: 9780593315507

The ultimate high-altitude mountain thriller. Ice-cold, twisting, deadly' Janice Hallett, bestselling author of THE APPEAL This is essentially a climbing thriller. There are some twists and turns in this story which were ok. All in all I found this quite interesting and entertaining as a read. I don't think I was fully convinced by it though. I doubt anyone who has read true stories of high mountain climbing would be convinced by this but I'm sure quite many people will be entertained. 3.5/5 THE SPINE-TINGLING AND GRIPPING NEW THRILLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF SUNDAY TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH, BREATHLESS Scattered throughout are drafts of Cecily’s articles about this trip. When she and her climbing group—all chosen by Charles—leave Kathmandu for Samagaun, a village at the base of the mountain, Cecily writes about their helicopter journey. not to mention! mcculloch was part of the team led by mountaineering luminary nimsdai (“nims)” purja, who was at that time undertaking his renowned, record-breaking “project possible” - a mission to complete all fourteen 8000-metre summits in seven months. i watched his netflix documentary a few months ago and was utterly blown away by his passion, determination, and overall down-to-earth charisma, as well as his dedication to uplifting nepali voices in mountaineering (and beyond).As the dwindling group steadfastly continues in their journey it becomes ever more clear that something dark is approaching...can Cecily trust her instinct and survive what comes next?? You can't get more claustrophobic than this! My pulse was racing. The adrenaline of the character seeps through to the reader' 5***** READER REVIEW

Watch the Story Behind Breathless… - Amy McCulloch

Nail-biting, chilling, totally exhilarating - a true triumph' Stacey Halls, bestselling author of THE FAMILIARS Journalist and novice mountain climber Cecily Wong is invited by Charles McVeigh, an acclaimed mountaineer, to join his team in their attempt to summit Mount Manaslu, the eighth-highest peak in the world. Charles has promised her an exclusive interview on the condition that she reach the summit with his team. Cecily is the least experienced of the group but she is intent on proving herself in spite of the many difficulties she encounters. This thriller would be unsettling enough at sea level, but in the death zone, it’s suffocatingly tense. McCulloch combines extreme mountaineering with murder to create a novel that’schilling, vivid, and entirely unique.”in other words, this is such a unique thriller because so few people in the world are in a position to do it justice the way amy mcculloch did. She has been training for months to climb an 8,000 m mountain, because that is where the star of her next interview will be. Charles McVeigh is completing the last of his run at climbing 14 of the highest mountains in the world and not using oxygen or fixed ropes. The tension is ratcheted up in the last part of the book and I really wasn’t sure what would happen! There was a great twist that I did not see coming. In the author notes, I learned that the author is a climber, no wonder this one had an authentic ring to it! Perfect for readers who want to take a thrilling adventure all from the safety of their cozy reading chair!... ✨😎✨

Breathless by Amy McCulloch | Waterstones Breathless by Amy McCulloch | Waterstones

An attempt like this is hard enough without suspecting that a murderer in on the mountain with you. She's heard rumors about McVeigh and they aren't good. That he might be cheating on his "clean" climbs, that people have died in his vicinity. Are those rumors spread by people jealous of his success? And now someone else has died right before they start the climb. At a time when Cecily needs to be at her best, she's having trouble sleeping, eating, and doing her best to stay focused on the climb, because she can't help also investigating all the strange things going on with the people around her. Is the anger and suspicion she sees and hears part of the stress of a climb that can take your life on the best days, is her imagination running away with her, is she going to mess this attempt up, too? The book follows the story of the climb through Cecily's eyes. While it seems an overwhelming challenge to her she believes she can do it. After the small team get together on the walk in rather strange things start to happen. Among the other pressures Cecily faces is that her job is on the line. If she gets to the top and gets the interview she will be very well placed. If not she will probably be unemployed. Another facet of this is that the team she is with is not the only one hoping to climb the mountain which adds to the tension. Are there climbers with other agendas here?This book was pretty good. As someone who knows absolutely nothing about mountain climbing, I thought the author did a great job of explaining the various techniques and exercises involved, without making it tedious. The twist was pretty good, the ending even better. I enjoyed it but the enjoyment was marginal. If McCulloch writes another thriller in the context of outdoor adventure, I’ll give it a try to see if she manages to achieve higher marks in the credibility department. Tense, chilling and terrifyingwith unforgettable characters and an unpredictable and atmospheric plot. One of the most original thrillers I’ve read.It deserves to be huge!’— Claire Douglas, Sunday Times bestselling author of Last Seen Alive Breathless is Amy McCulloch's adult fiction debut and is most certainly a vibe. It is very atmospheric thanks to being set almost entirely on Manaslu, and McCulloch clearly used all her knowledge from climbing the mountain to write this book. The story is really heavy with mountaineering terms which is honestly why it lost me, but I have been recommending it to people I know who love mountaineering. Even though it is supposed to be a thriller, it just didn't have enough of these elements for me thanks to getting bogged down with all of the terms and it is also a really slow burn. I think it will be best for someone who enjoys climbing and mountains and wants to read about these things through a murder mystery.