Enthralling... combines an intricate murder mystery with lyrical passages describing ice cliffs and spectacular skies... She has an eye for edgy and unusual settings, and the new novel is easily as good as her first Sunday Times

Amy McCulloch | Goodreads Midnight by Amy McCulloch | Goodreads

My last summit attempt taught me that,” she said, suppressing a shudder. “I actually wrote something about it online. I don’t know if you saw . . .” The fact that McCulloch has actually climbed Manaslu allows her to ground her zippy thriller in first-hand experience. McCulloch knows what it’s like to be on a commercially guided ascent of an 8,000-meter peak. She knows what it’s like to be a relative novice in that context—surrounded by guides and Sherpas and other climbers who’ve got far more experience in the mountains. She knows what it’s like to be plopped down in a community of ambitious and sometimes disagreeable strangers in a setting that requires mutual trust. And she knows what it’s like to feel, as one of the few women on the mountain, like you’re ‘a target’ for misogyny and unwanted sexual advances. And so, in between the deaths and cliffhangers through which the plot hurtles, McCulloch puts her firsthand knowledge on display—in the process winning our trust as readers and shedding an uncomfortable amount of light on some of mountaineering’s less admirable aspects.” Between 3.5 and 4 stars - What I loved about this book was the atmosphere. I felt like the author really put me in the setting of this ultra difficult climb in the Himalayas, and I was was caught up in that part of the story. I also thought the oxygen deprivation and the overall extremity of the conditions added a layer of tension and suspense that was effective. My main quibble was that it was so obvious to me whodunnit from the jump. It was so clear to me and that really took the wind out of the sails of the mystery for me while I waited for our main character to catch up That’s right, buddy, our hero of the Himalayas. OK, guys, love you so much, but I gotta run. The mountains are waiting for me!” He ended the call and exhaled loudly. “Strange to think that might be the last time I talk to them like that for a while. You called any family yet?” Sounds like exciting stuff, right?? Sadly this book just didn’t give me any feeling of the tension which I should have felt throughout, even the climb got tiresome. There are some characters, i.e. her old boyfriend James, who could have been left completely out of the story.Amy McCulloch has been previously known as a successful YA Author. Breathless is her first book in crossing the great divide into Adult genres... And Amy? You have made the leap like a champ! 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??

Breathless - Penguin Books UK

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. You covered all James’s costs to Antarctica! And this interview will be much, much bigger than that piece. You said yourself it’s the profile of a lifetime.” cecily wong is a british-chinese adventure journalist who has gambled her entire career - her life’s savings, even - on one story that will captivate the world: she will climb mt. manaslu in nepal alongside charles mcveigh, a luminary in the mountaineering community. their ascent marks the last before charles clinches his record-breaking title as the only person to have climbed all 14 peaks over 8,000 metres - in the span of one year, and without supplementary oxygen or external aid. The smell of puri, the traditional Nepali fried bread, wafted up from the kitchen. More people stirred from their rooms, and the teahouse came alive with activity. Across the way, on the terrace of another blue-painted guesthouse, more hardy souls emerged, stretching and breathing in the fresh Himalayan air. It is difficult for Cecily to trust the people around her. Does she have the endurance and stamina to survive? Will she get her interview? The plot explodes with heightened action, jeopardy, more deaths, injuries and heartache.Cecily Wong, a young journalist, has been invited by acclaimed Mountaineer, Charles McVeigh, to accompany him on his ascent to the summit of Manaslu. He is famous for breaking mountaineering records and performing heroic rescues. This will be his final climb of eight mountains over 8,000 metres within a year to establish a world record. What's more, he intends to climb without using oxygen or ropes. We are taken along for the hike in the Himalayas, learning all the items that hikers need to take, challenges that the hikers face, and the danger that is inherent in the activity. There seems to be extra danger following Cecily and one hiker dies before they even really get started. There are lots of big egos on this trip and the leader Doug, seems to have anger issues. Beside her, Zak drew himself up to his full height—which wouldn’t even bring him to Charles’s shoulder. Still, she understood the impulse to impress. In the world of mountaineering, Charles McVeigh was already famous. Soon he would be legendary. He was on the brink of becoming the first person to complete an unprecedented, near-impossible feat: climbing the only fourteen mountains in the world that stood taller than eight thousand meters without using supplementary oxygen, alpine style—and all within a single year. In brief - Pacey and enjoyable at times, unconvincing at other times. Probably 3 or 4 and full review nearer publication