This was an exciting read! The setting was on point! Mountains, bitter cold, extreme winds...so much of it that I could feel it as I read the story. I was happy when I finished reading the book because I needed to warm up! The characters were all molded in such a way by the author that you actually came to know them and be a part of them. I wasn't a fan of Cecily, the main character and journalist who hoped to interview Charles McVeigh, the famous mountaineer. Now that guy was a piece of work! Cecily was inexperienced, whiney and weak and she put many of the mountaineers at risk because of this. Midway through the story, she won me over.

Thank you #NetGalley and #Penguin Publishing for AC!

Breathless is pretty much a plot driven novel. That, and it imparts lots of information about the experience of climbing one of the world’s tallest mountains. Character development is not one of the story’s strengths. Relationships and motivations just aren’t real well developed, which is not uncommon in a thriller type book. So if you’re up for an action packed tale set in one of the harshest environments on earth, this book is for you. If you want relatable, complex characters, look elsewhere. Learning about climbing and lots of action was enough for me.

The Himalayan Mountains of central Asia are known as “the roof of the world,” for that is where all of the tallest mountains on Earth are located. Higher than the Andes of South America or the Alps of Europe, the Himalayas are the mightiest of their kind, and, as such, they’re an irresistible challenge to a certain type of adventurer who wants to stand at “The pinnacles of the Earth” . . . atop the 8000 meter giants. Breathless, (Anchor, $28.00, 368 pages, ISBN 978-0-593-31549-1), by Amy McCulloch, is her first novel. It’s a gripping and twisty thriller that takes place on the 8th highest peak in the world, the Nepalese mountain named Manaslu. There’s only fourteen such mountains on the planet, each with unique and spectacular challenges that take months, if not years, of physical, mental and spiritual preparation for climbers to overcome . . . in addition to the logistical burdens of equipment, travel, lodging, and the money it takes to pay for it all. But that’s where we meet an inexperienced climber and young magazine writer named Cecily Wong. She’s drained her savings and sold everything she owns in order to be there, because she’s been promised an exclusive interview with a famous, larger-than-life adventurer named Charles McVeigh. He’s a world-class climber who’s attempting to summit all fourteen 8,000 meter mountains in one year. He’s pledged to do these climbs “alpine style”—solo, without ropes or supplemental oxygen—a feat that’s never been tried, let alone done. Now, he’s on the last one . . . Manaslu. But, there’s a catch, isn’t there always. In order to get the interview, Cecily has to climb the mountain at the same time. She’s terrified. But she’s ambitious too . . . and McVeigh’s interview would have life-changing effects on her career. She has to go. Once the small team prepares to work up the mountain flank however, a mysterious and unfortunate accident occurs when an experienced climber in their party falls to his death, casting a pall over all of them. As the climbers enter what’s known as the ‘kill zone” above 26,000 feet, the mishaps start to multiply, and Cecily suspects there’s a murderer somewhere on the mountain. Thereafter, the critical situations and danger never stop as the doomed party creeps ever closer to the summit. With descriptions that will stop your heart and scare you half to death . . . almost numbing your face and fingers with frostbite . . . Ms. McCulloch will leave you in a state of shock as she skillfully reaches her shattering conclusion. She’s an assured descriptor, a careful plotter and an exciting writer who demands our attention. Don’t miss this one!!

Cecily Wong is a woman facing an over eight thousand meter climb and her own insecurities. Oh, and btw, people are also being killed. The narrative spends a lot of time focusing on setting the scene and what a scene it is! A beautiful but brutal mountain full of hazards and challenges for even the most experienced climber. It is no surprise that the author is a climber herself. Which, btw, Cecily is not. She spends a good portion of the time questioning her own abilities and asking herself why she was invited on this elite climb. All of this plays into the mystery as it slowly unfolds, moving from the background to front and center by the climax of the book. I figured out the murdered pretty early on but I am not sure if it was obvious or the guess of someone who reads a whole lot of mysteries! As much as this book was a thriller, it was also a beautiful tribute to the wonders of nature and a the journey of a woman to find herself.

An exciting and interesting murder mystery with an epic setting. I loved learning more about the mountaineering process and Cecily's journey. I do think that Cecily's journey and process climbing the mountain was more of the focus than the murder mystery aspect, but the authors descriptions were incredible and really set the stage. I do believe that the book was good, but honestly the actual mountain was more scary than Charles.

I really enjoyed this story. Very atmospheric and original. I felt a little claustrophobic at times, thinking about sharing a mountain with a killer and not being able to escape. Thank you for the advanced copy!

What would a young journalist do for the scoop of a lifetime? Cecily Wong has the opportunity to find out when she has a chance to interview the world’s leading expert on mountain-climbing. The catch: she needs to go with him and his party to summit the 8th highest peak in the world. What makes her target so appealing, is that Charles McVeigh is a legend and gives few interviews. What makes her mission so dangerous is Cecily’s lack of experience, past failure, low-confidence and the fortune she needs to invest to make this climb possible for her.

Worse is yet to come. Besides the known dangers of climbing (avalanches, bad weather, equipment failure, crevasses, oxygen deprivation, fatigue, etc.) Cecily is convinced there is a real killer on the mountain. When people start dying she knows her fears are real. Who to trust? Who will be next? And can she still summit to get her interview? This is an over-the-top (irresistible pun) thriller! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this title.

I did not finish this book, although I got through 46 percent. It did not move fast enough for me. Also, the mystery was not enough to keep me interested. I was not invested in who was chasing Cisely, nor did I care if Charles was cheating .This might work for folks who really enjoy a slow burn.

I picked this up expecting simply another iteration of the locked room mystery/thriller set in a mountain (in the vein of One by One and The Sanatorium, but this was so much better. This wasn't just a thriller, it was an adventure novel; Amy McCulloch's vivid descriptions of mountaineering and what it's like to be climbing one of the world's tallest mountains was fascinating to me.

I've seen a few complaints that the descriptions of time acclimatizing and waiting the basecamp were boring, but I found them to be some of the most interesting parts of the story. Knowing that McCulloch has actually summited Mt. Manaslu and that the experience Cecily was experiencing in the story is likely very close to reality only added to the reading experience.

I also felt like the author did a great job of dropping hints about the killer without making it too predictable, but for me, the thriller aspects of the story were just the icing on the cake of an amazing adventure novel.

I would love nothing more than for McCulloch to publish a memoir.

I enjoyed this suspenseful story. This is a new author for me which I look forward to reading more from her in the future. This is a well written story about being stranded on a mountain with a killer. Who will survive as the killer is killing one by one? This is a fast paced story that is full of action. It is an engaging story that has twists and turns that I didn't see coming. A story that has characters that not only bring the story to life but also made it hard for me to put down. I enjoyed being pulled into the story from the start by them. I also enjoyed their growth throughout that made the story easy to read. This is a great story that filled my afternoon with suspense and mystery. I highly recommend reading this story and find out who survives on this mountain.

⚠️ Full review live on my blog on 5/2/22 at https://reneereviews.home.blog/2022/05/02/arc-review-breathless-amy-mcculloch/ ⚠️

Breathless by Amy McCulloch is an upcoming adrenaline-filled mountaineering thriller packed with technical big mountain climbing and foreboding, deadly chills. Main character Cecily is a young journalist who gets the break of a lifetime - the chance for an exclusive interview with renowned mountaineer, Charles McVeigh. But this privilege is contingent on scrapping together funds for a trip to Nepal as part of his small hand-picked team, ANDshe must summit the eighth-highest mountain in the world, which sits at a dizzying 8,163 metres above sea level. Although she's self-proclaimed to be cursed by an inability to summit previous mountains, Cecily is determined to push herself to every limit for this opportunity. Once on the mountain, however, more than the natural threat of the mountain looms over the group. The culture of mountaineering trust is fractured and no one is safe on this terrifying bid for the summit.

This was a fantastic mix of mountaineering, survival, and possible killer-on-the-loose themes. Most of the book focused on the preparation and technical climbing portion of the mountain adventure, which highlighted the light and collaborative group atmosphere. In these parts we <strong>learn a lot about mountaineering as a sport. There's abundant information about high-altitude dangers like HACE, or high-altitude cerebral edema, descriptions of the critical role Sherpas play, and scenes depicting characters using mountaineering equipment such as fixed lines, ice axes, oxygen tanks, and the like. Charles McVeigh is described as an 'alpine-style' climber, which is another term explored in the book. This means he's a 'purist' and climbs unassisted, without the use of support such as ladders, porters, supplemental oxygen, etc. 'Alpine style' is contrasted with 'expedition' or 'siege' style climbing, which allows for the extra safety/assistance and is what Cecily and a couple others on the trip choose. Learning about all the mountaineering terminology was fascinating and made the book informative as well as entertaining!

Every so often, though, the positive mountaineering scenes were punctured by a scattering of chilling events. Not only is there an unfortunate, unusual death at the kickoff of the journey (dismissed as an accident), but Cecily is plagued by a haunting whistle in the middle of the night only she seems to hear. With high altitude hypoxia an ever-present threat and her concerns dismissed by the experienced group leader, Cecily wonders whether she's succumbing to HACE-induced paranoia or if her fears are legitimately founded.

Structurally this book progresses in straightforward, natural time order with very few flashbacks. Every few chapters readers get a short article written by Cecily from on the mountain as if to send off to her boss for publication (internet access permitting). I enjoyed the mixed-media style this introduced and found the articles were an excellent way to express both Cecily's proficiency in her field as well as another view of her inner dialogue. Of the non-article style chapters I consistently found <strong>each chapter ending had a bit of juicy bait that encouraged you to rush headlong into the next one. It was so easy to keep flipping the pages and speed through this book! Pacing and accompanying atmosphere were also fantastic and felt very natural. The tension builds gradually and reaches an apex as the team gets closer to summit day, then rapidly hits a series of heart-pumping twists as it races towards the end. Although I was able to predict the ending twist I wasn't able to foresee all of it, so there were still things that caught me off-guard.

I'd highly recommend picking up this book for anyone who enjoys survival or mountaineering-oriented thrillers! There's an inescapable sense of impending doom that coats this book from cover to cover - both from the formidable natural power of the mountain itself and the unusual events that transpire. It's a story of both human excellence and dark ambition, balanced on the peak of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Breathless will take your breath away! 🏔️🧗‍♀️

I was intrigued by the plot of the story, is the "death zone" on the tallest mountains in the world the perfect place for a murderer to fulfill their needs?

I am not an experienced mountain climber on even the peaks in the US, let alone those in Nepal. I don't know if my thoughts and opinions would change if I were. I felt like the book gave enough explanation of the jargon that I could visualize what was happening, and I appreciated that insight from the author.

The storyline moves at more of a slow burn than a fast pace, but I also found that parallel to the climbing and acclimation process to work well with the story. So much time is spent in preparation for the climb, and waiting for weather cooperation that a climber may spent a month on or near the mountain to be ready for the few days needed to make the actual climb to the summit. While at times the story of moving up the mountain or deaths on the mountain weren't zooming, I don't feel like there was extraneous stuff that could be removed. It is a well told story. There are also sequences where the action is intense and gripping.

I thought the approach to character development and introduction to the reader was well done, using interviews Cecily conducted with different characters. She's a journalist working on the scoop story of her career thus far, so it was a perfect way to see character development.

I liked this book. The setting on Mt Manaslu, the eighth highest peak in the world, was excellent. Some of the twists in the story caught me off guard and some I saw coming. All in all, it was enjoyable.

I received an advance copy of the book in exchange for my thoughts and opinions.

At heart, I'm the kind of girl that would love to climb a mountain. In reality, I'm the girl that loves to read books about other people doing the actual climbing, because that stuff is way too dangerous and COLD for me.

But this book combines two of my favorite things—a good old fashioned mystery/thriller, and a mountain-climbing experience from the safety of my own home. The mountain climbing details are excellent. According to the author’s note, the author has actually climbed the mountain described in the book (Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world), and she captures the difficulty and danger of ascending a mountain over 8000 meters and entering “the death zone”.

While there’s definitely a mystery going on, it’s a little weak and overshadowed by all of the climbing details. However, this book shines once the thriller aspect comes into play. The first 75% or so of the book moves a little slow as we go through the steps of acclimatization on the mountain, but the last portion of this book is non-stop, fast-paced action that will leave you (forgive me) breathless. I stayed up until 3 am finishing this one when I made the mistake of reading it before bed one night.

Absolutely a must-read if you are also a fan of “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer, or if you just need a good reminder on why you definitely do not want to try high altitude mountain climbing.

DNF. Did not finish. I did not connect with the plot/writing style and will not be finishing this ARC. Thank you, publisher for the early copy!

It would have helped this plot immensely to have had a likeable protagonist – someone to cheer on in her journey. Cecily was, alternately, whimpering or in your face. She was, alternately, determined or cry-baby insecure. She was demanding of others, but yet did really stupid things, herself (like putting her gloves down or following someone in the dark). She, obviously, had a really big chip on her shoulder, blaming others for her lack of successes.

It was interesting to learn all about the ins and outs of alpining. Somehow it never occurred to me that novices were allowed to climb the 8 tallest mountains – especially when they’ve “failed to summit” their previous 3 attempts at easier climbs. However I did enjoy learning what all goes into an expedition and the preparation (or lack thereof) required. Somehow “running up and down a flight of stairs” doesn’t seem adequate prep for mountain climbing, but then I’ve never climbed a seriously high mountain.

And the mystery? Not much there. I kept thinking this was another Agatha Christie wanna-be with her “And Then There Were None” story.

Best wishes to Amy McCulloch in her new career as a novelist. I’m sure many will enjoy this novel – just not me.

I’m thankful for this ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher, Anchor Books.

Climbing a mountain is not something I necessarily ever want to do, especially not a mountain that is higher than 8000 meters. However, I certainly respect and admire those who successfully attempt such a feat. Although the mountain climbing trip portrayed in "Breathless" is more hazardous than normal, as there is a saboteur and murderer on the mountain, the author does a great job of portraying the difficulties, hazards, and tediousness of a successful summit. While it makes sense that a process of gradual acclimatization would be required, I had never thought about or realized that the climbers would repeatedly climb up and down the same stretch of mountain and only when they were acclimated, and the weather was cooperative, would they permanently ascend to the next level of the mountain, repeating the acclimatization process before proceeding to the next stage until they reached the final camp before the summit.

The author has created an eclectic group of characters, with different motivations to reach the summit of Manaslu, different perspectives on mountaineering, and plenty of secrets, many of which would prove costly. The reader knows from the very beginning that there is someone dangerous on the mountain, and that Cecily Wong, journalist and fairly novice mountain climber, is at great risk. However, the author keeps the reader guessing, as there are multiple plausible suspects for the saboteur and murderer, and multiple possible motives. One of the aspects of the book I particularly appreciated was the respect the sherpas receive from the climbers/clients, and how their lives, talents, sacrifices, and beliefs are an important aspect of the story.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I thought this book was wonderful. It takes place almost entirely during a mountain climbing expedition. I love reading about experiences and places I will probably never visit. Mountain climbing, caving and deep sea exploration fascinate me, but I never want to actually do any of them.

In Breathless, you get a sense of what is driving these people, and also how extreme the conditions actually are. Cecily is a journalist invited to accompany internationally famous mountaineer Charles McVeigh on his latest climb. It all starts out great, until a body is found at the base of the mountain. Despite her concerns, Cecily continues with the group and heads up the mountain. But something doesn't seem right to her. As more people are killed, she attempts to find the murderer before it is too late for her and her friends.

This book started strong and continued strong. I loved every minute of it. Cecily and the other members of her expedition were interesting characters. I was kept guessing the whole way through.

I received a free copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Breathless by Amy McCulloch

My Rating: 4/5 stars

Release Date: May 3 2022

Thank you to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and NetGalley for an early review copy of this book!

My Thoughts: This book follows a young journalist named Cecily Wong who was chosen to write an article on Charles McVeigh, a famous mountain climber. We follow Cecily as she goes through the perils of mountain climbing, and tries to survive the terrain as well as a murderer. Overall this book was great! I love survival thrillers and it was great reading about a mountain climbing one! You could tell the author had experience and passion on the subject.

The plot twist at the end definitely threw me off balance because I was expecting it to go one direction and then it turned around. There are definitely red herrings in this book. At first I was kind of disappointed because the prologue made it seem obvious, but that was not the case! Some people will rate thrillers or mystery books lower for having a reveal that is too obvious, and while I’m sure many people will discover who the bad person is before the ending, the thrill of the book itself made up for it.

While this book wasn’t a 5 star, I still think it’s a great book and I’m glad I read it! Overall I’d recommend this to lovers of thriller and mystery books and I advise you to give it a read when it gets released!

I was excited to read this book. I instantly dived into the world where Cicely was at her finest. I was intrigued to read about the turnout of how a person who works for the government unravel a murder case on top of an ice mountain with a crew of no experience on how to capture suspects. The suspense was entertaining. I thought the story reads at a slow pace, but there were different background stories to plug into the plot that helped keep the story moving. The story had a lot information on the ins and outs of mountain climbing. From your gear that you choose. How to harness that gear and were to travel beat up the mountain and with what. A number of people seemed suspicious on this trip, but Charlie was in for the plug to his career. The ending was great!

Thank you to Knopf Doubleday and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Breathless by Amy McCulloch is a chilling survival thriller that will appeal to fans of No Exit or Shiver. The story revolves around journalist Cecily Wong, who has journeyed to a mountain-peak to interview famous hiker Charles McVeigh. But when climbers start dropping off one by one, Cecily finds that she may be in for the scoop of a lifetime - if she survives, that is.

Here is an exciting excerpt from the Prologue:

"So is he coming? Or is he waiting below?
She didn’t think it was possible for her heart to beat faster, but it did, galloping inside her chest. Her breath sped up too as she gulped down the thin air. She swooned, her head spinning.
What did it matter if he was above or below her?
Worry about him later. Worry about survival now.
She moved as fast as her body would let her. A thousand-meter drop was one misstep away. Meanwhile, phantom footsteps haunted her from behind.
She had to get down the mountain.
And she was going to have to do it on her own."

Overall, Breathless is a fast-paced survival thriller that you won't be able to put down. One highlight of this book is how exciting it is. Reading about how Cecily is stranded basically in the middle of nowhere without anyone to help her was scary enough. Add in the freezing cold and the elements, and reading this book made chills go up and down my spine. I took off 1 star, because when I saw that the protagonist was named Cecily Wong, I was expecting some sort of Asian/Chinese representation. I wasn't expecting muh, but at least a mention or reference would have been nice. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of survival thrillers, I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in May!