I enjoyed this story, Cecily's character is well written as are the others. I found the whole story interesting and there was certainly plenty of twists to keep me guessing all the way through.

Up on one of the most dangerous mountains, Cecily is determined that this time she will complete her summit, and not fail like the times before. But when she starts ascending with her team, she realises that someone is out to get them, with no WiFi signal or a way to get help who will survive the killer mountain?

REVIEW - NO SPOILERS

From the first paragraph, I thought this novel would leave me BREATHLESS! This was not the case, as I continued the book and did not, in parts, hold my attention. The plot can be gleaned from the blurb.

The writing is fresh and modern. Cecily Wong, a journalist for Wilder Magazine, is invited by Charles McVeigh, an elite alpine mountaineer & his team, to climb Manaslu in Nepal, achievable for a first-timer (Cecily).
Cecily is ambitious & wants the prestige of reaching the summit of Manaslu, for personal reasons. The climbing descriptions in the book didn't relay the pressures or tensions the climbers were under and felt flat. There are plenty of detailed descriptions, etiquette and procedures with regards to mountain/alpine climbing.

I give a 3 star rating.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

A murder mystery with a difference, with its setting in the elite mountain climbing world. Cecily Wong, a relatively new journalist, has been invited to join the crew of the world's most famous free-mountaineer, Charles, who has pledged to climb the 14 highest mountains in the world without oxygen or assistance. The mountaineering world is agog at his challenge and wants to know more, but he is enigmatic and mysterious and insists on Cecily summiting with him before he will give an interview.

In the base camp and along the journey, some dangerous moments put Cecily on edge, but without the interview, her career will never take off so she has to continue on despite her misgivings

I really enjoyed the storytelling and despite reading it by the pool, the cold and snow felt very real. Im pretty sure mountain climbing is not for me

I have seen lots of praise for the story and can certainly say its well deserved

This was a completely new topic for me but I love suspense/ thrillers so figured I could learn little mountain climbing whilst I'm at it! And boy, did I!! It was really fascinating and seemed very well written and accurate from the mountain climbing side which made the story all the more realistic. The story over all was a bit slow to start but it was still quite an enjoyable read if you stick with it. It wasn't the most shocking but the characters are well written and relatable and even without any experience or knowledge of being on a mountain..... you'll still find yourself hooked and in for the long haul!

“There was only one way that anyone ever got up a mountain: by putting one foot in front of the other.”

4.5 stars for this 'breath-taking' book! Breathless by Amy McCulloch read like a high-octane action movie, with a gripping "whodunnit" thrown in for good measure. A few contractions in the dialogue wouldn’t go amiss - but I’m sure they’ll be caught before publication and in children’s books speech is more sing-song stilted so I suspect its just a habit that needs breaking.

Wannabe travel journalist, Cecily Wong, has already had one terrifying experience climbing, but for the story of a lifetime, she's prepared to brave the treacherous peak of Nepal's Mount Manaslu.

When press-shy, mountaineering legend, Charles McVeigh, invites Cecily to accompany his team on their final summit, she knows the climb will be brutal. Over 8000 meters, they will face the death zone - that lethal altitude where oxygen is insufficient to sustain human life for an extended period. But, with multiple teams racing for the summit, a storm brewing on the horizon, and a possible murderer in their midst, it is impossible to know who to trust.

The technical expertise and knowledge in this book shines through - a result of McCulloch's personal experience.
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). I've never read one of her children’s books, but if they are anything like this one, I bet she keeps the kids up at night! A thrilling rollercoaster ride that just keeps climbing.

There was such a long, drawn out build up to the tense and thrilling finale that several times I nearly gave up. Was it worth persevering? Not really. I guessed some of the conclusion and while it played out somewhat differently, it all had an air of inevitability about it. The detailed descriptions of extreme mountaineering were either very well researched or from personal experience and it was an interesting insight into the incredible dangers and immense amount of preparation that is needed to succeed in such harsh conditions. I feel I am better informed now and will view the sport with renewed vision. However, for the general reader it was maybe too much detail and not enough substance. I can’t say I particularly warmed to the main character of Cecily but the fact she was vulnerable and focusing on the wrong things helped the story progress. Just the 3 stars from me as although attention to detail and research is important, the story must be strong enough to hold the reader’s attention throughout.

A book that left me breathless as a reader!
Cecily is invited to join the most famous mountaineer of the modern age as he attempts to summit his 14th mountain without oxygen. Cecily agrees to join in return for the mountaineering story of the century - the tale of Charles and his career highlight. Shortly after joining the team on location, things start to wrong and an early death shocks Cecily to her core. Was it an accident or something more sinister - is there a murderer with them on the mountain?
I raced through the ending of this book and gasped out loud more than once at the twists and turns of the tale. Would recommend. Thank you NetGalley for my copy.

I didn’t expect to enjoy this book at all to be honest. I got a little click-happy when selecting it. When I come to read it, I thought “what have I done?” this isn’t my area at all… Mountaineering has never really been on my radar let alone of interest. There it sat on my kindle, and I thought there must have been a reason for me to choose it so let’s give it a try!

Well, here I am on the other side really glad that I gave it a go. While it was based on a mountain and all about the climb it was o much more as well.

We follow Cecily on her first high peak, and she has been specially chosen by Charles as his journalist of choice to accompany him on the final trek of his challenge. The plot follows their ascent of the mountain and training necessary to acclimatise in order to summit, which is going to be particularly difficult for Cecily.

The book is well written and flows nicely, keeping your interest well even when it’s not your natural subject. I learnt a lot that I didn’t know and enjoyed the experience, though couldn’t say how realistic it is. There are some twists that keep you guessing about what’s happening until the final, quite dramatic reveal.

The characters are well thought out and developed. Some were more likeable than others but each was from a different place globally and a different background which was great to see.

I really enjoyed the ending particularly and hadn’t guessed the twists and reveals which was a great treat.

I would recommend this to others, there are some lovely parts and thoughts that will stay with me for a while. Just take care on those dangerous mountains…they will leave you truly breathless!

This is an exciting book, with an incredible setting for a thriller. The main character, Cecily Wong is memorable and believably drawn. Her frustrations with the climbing world make it tangible and as we get to know her, we feel her fear grow with each passing chapter, creating a successful build-up of tension. I would recommend this book.

I would never be brave enough to climb a mountain like Manaslu in Nepal where this incredible book is set, so I absolutely loved how Amy McCulloch brought that experience to me through her incredibly detailed and descriptive writing!

Breathless tells the story of Cecily Wong, a journalist who has been invited by Charles McVeigh to join his expedition as he tackles the final summit of “Mission: Fourteen Clean”. He aims to be first person to ever climb the fourteen mountains in the world that are taller than 8000 feet, all within a single year and without using supplementary oxygen; something that is known as ‘Alpine Style’. This seems like the chance of a lifetime for Cecily, a chance to secure an exclusive interview with the legend himself once they summit Manaslu. But little does Cecily know just how deadly the expedition will be! When their small team starts to climb things soon start to go wrong and a note pinned to Cecily’s tent does little to alleviate her fears “There’s a murderer on the mountain”! The higher they get, the more dangerous the climb becomes and that’s when Cecily finds the first body...

This was such a thrilling story and the tension continued all the way through the book which I loved. I could feel Cecily’s adrenaline and fear as I was reading and her struggles as she tried to become more confident with all the climbing techniques required to stay safe on Manaslu (especially as she was the least experienced climber in Charles’ team)!

I really enjoyed learning about camp life on a mountain, all of the techniques involved in the climbing and just how incredibly dangerous the conditions can be and how the human body can react as a result. It was eye opening and I loved how Amy McCulloch gave me this incredible insight into the mountaineering world!

I still can’t believe that I worked out quite early on who was responsible for all of the devastation on the mountain. Amy McCulloch’s writing was so brilliant in this regard, as there were so many people to be suspicious of all the way through! But I just had a gut feeling and am glad I listened to it and kept it there in the back of my mind as I was reading! It was so clever and I couldn’t race through the pages quickly enough at times to find out what would happen to Cecily and her fellow team members next!

I thought it was clever too how Cecily’s previous experiences on Snowdon impacted in several ways on her current climb! The ending was also fantastic and I loved the final chapter! It was such a brilliant way to end the gripping adventure I went on whilst reading Breathless.

Murder in the Death Zone ★★★★☆

Reeling from personal tragedy, journalist Cecily Wong finds herself in a bid to secure the interview that will make or break her career.

However, to interview Charles McVeigh she must reach the summit of Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world. The dangers of the ice and the altitude quickly take two lives.

Yet as the accidents mount up and someone stalks to tents at night Cecily is forced to ask herself whether there is a murderer with them on the mountain. What better place for a murder to hide than in the Death Zone?

A perilous and exhilarating thriller which combines the dangers and skill of mountaineering with a cat and mouse game in which nobody can be trusted.

Whilst the murderer's character and motivations feel a little clichéd or two dimensional when they are finally revealed, the various threads and seeming coincidences all come together in a fast-paced adventure which I couldn't put down.

For fans of Into Thin Air by Jon Krakaeur, Thin Air by Michelle Paver, and One by One by Ruth Ware.

Oh wow! Breathless by Amy McCulloch has the perfect title; this story kept me on edge so much I swear I forgot to breathe in places.

Breathless takes place from the perspective of Cecily Wong, an adventure journalist who has been offered the scoop of a lifetime-an interview with legendary alpinist Charles McVeigh after he completes his campaign to reach the summit of all fourteen peaks above 8000km all within a year, his ‘Fourteen Clean’ ambition.

With personal demons in her past and both her career and finances resting on this interview, she needs to focus, but with troubling hearsay and tragic accidents dogging her team’s journey, and knowing she’s only guaranteed the interview *if* she reaches the summit, can Cecily achieve her goal, or will survival become the sole aim?

I loved this novel! I am a big fan of snowy/chalet noir type thrillers, and this one is a fabulous addition!

Cecily is a great character, strong yet vulnerable. Feisty yet flawed. I felt empathy with her past and anger on her behalf when her ex boyfriend treated her poorly. I was rooting for her to achieve all she set out to do, and was hoping she would recognise her own strength throughout the narrative. I also enjoyed the addition of her blogs and interview statements, as I felt it gave me a window into what she was thinking as well as give us insight into her interviewee.

I felt McCulloch crafted the setting well. It’s hard to keep the story moving whilst also trying to convey the harshness of the unforgiving terrain but McCulloch managed it without too much repetition of the constant walking and climbing needed for such an adventure.

I learned a lot about what it takes to climb a mountain, not only personal fitness and mental resilience but the team effort involved, from the equipment and technology to the Sherpas invaluable guidance. All this detail made for more interesting reading.

Tension and suspense were employed to great effect here, and I couldn’t stop reading. I had to know what happened next, a sign of a great thriller! I cared about the characters, and hoped they would make it!

I highly rate this novel. Yes it may share similarities to other thrillers set in the snowy locales (Ruth Ware’s One By One, Allie Reynolds’ Shiver) but I found this to be original and refreshing, not least because of the mountaineering angle.

I gasped, I cheered, my heart stopped and I almost forgot to breathe. To me, that makes Breathless a book to remember.

Certainly a well-researched novel. I now know more about mountaineering than I ever thought possible, The story is very atmospheric and I shivered with cold as I read it. But, for me, it took so long to get going, and, sadly, I never truly engaged with it.

An absolutely compulsive, can't-put-it-down thriller set in the world of mountaineering and the "Death Zone" above 8000 feet. Amy McCulloch brings the intricacies, rivalries, and technical details of the climbing community to brilliant life, making for a completely immersive experience. I felt utterly invested in Cecily's journey to discover both the truth about the alleged murders and whether she had what it took to make the summit. Such a joy.

Possible spoilers

This appears to be a very well researched book,I say appears,because I know nothing about mountain climbing.
Or I knew nothing.
Now I feel like I know a bit and probably need to know more.
I was a bit puzzled by the main character,who seemed to think walking up a few slopes to be decent training for the climb.

Although I enjoyed the story,I felt it lacked a certain urgency that you'd usually get when the body count goes up. At least until almost the end.

So for me,the highlights were the descriptions of the climbing,the equipment and the prep... not the murders.

I found this an enjoyable read, it was twisty and tense and I loved the setting. It was a great idea for a story.

There are a few buzz words I have, concerning thrillers. These are private academic settings, snowy isolated settings, extreme sports, and modern fame such as reality TV or influencer lifestyle. When I discovered that this contained two of them I just knew it was going to be a book I loved. I was not wrong.

Cecily Wong is a journalist invited to join an expedition to climb one of the world's tallest mountains. An interview will be granted to her on completion of her climb and so she attempts to forget her fears and lack of experience as she joins the crew and begins the ascent. However, it becomes quickly apparent that their harsh surroundings is not the only thing to fear.

This was such an addictive and immersive read. I read it whilst sick and over one sleepless night. It kept me company whilst I sweated out a fever and I definitely attribute this icy setting to aiding me in returning to a normal temperature.

I did not read about the perils of the snowy climb, I lived it. McCulloch showed a clear skill in conjuring snowy settings and the dangers involved in it. I felt the title on more than one occasion, either from awe at what the character's were witnessing or through fear at what they were becoming exposed to. It was a read that truly defines the word nail-biting and I loved all it contained.

Having just read another ‘cold’ set thriller I wondered whether Breathless might be too much but I was enthralled by this book from the very beginning. With just the right amount of climbing information for the story, and descriptions that made ME want to go mountaineering this is a whip smart thriller that kept me guessing, and throughly entertained while I was guessing. The protagonist is someone I was rooting for from the beginning and I loved seeing her get stronger and more sure of herself as the book went on. This has a filmic quality to it along with a really well-drawn cast of characters/suspects. Loved it!

A thriller set on a mountain - sounds exciting. And in most parts it was. It was very close to a five star.

Cecily is a journalist waiting for that one big story that will make her name and when Charles invites her to join his team climbing an 8000m mountain, she thinks she has found it. Charles is the mountaineering man of the moment as he is one summit away from completing his 'Fourteen Clean' challenge. Charles climbs without oxygen and without following the fixed lines to the summits. He had climbed thirteen 8000m mountains and now is about to embark on his final summit. He has gathered a hand-picked team to join him and Cecily is surprised to be invited. She is not an experienced mountaineer, her ex-boyfriend took her along on his Three Peaks challenge which she failed to complete and it was her totally honest article describing her failure that caught Charles' attention. She will get her exclusive interview when she reached the summit.

So that sets the story up - Charles and his hand-picked team setting out in treacherous conditions to enter the Death Zone of a 8000m summit. On a mountain there is no where to run and when there are strange accidents and a death, Cecily starts to feel that something is wrong. She is convinces that there is someone on the mountain with them, someone who is going to kill them one by one.

This was very close to a five star for me. the description of the mountain, the icy environment were excellent, the premise too was excellent and as for the final chapters - wow! So tense. For me , I felt that the pace slowed a little in the middle - but that is a personal opinion only.

On the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed this chilly thriller. Did I work it out? No - I was as much in the dark as Cecily.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this.

Chillingly Tense…
This climb will be deadly. Cecily Wong, journalist, jumps at the opportunity of what she considers to be the chance of a lifetime - joining an expedition to climb one of the worlds tallest peaks. - she could never have imagined how this climb would pan out. A chillingly tense suspense, edge of seat scenarios, a solid cast of credible characters and a completely engaging plotline complimented by often beautiful description.