I love the mountains and I've always dreamed of climbing the mountains however this book was such a gripping story! I really loved this unique thriller story.

I must say this is my first book about mountain climbing (combined with murder, no less) and this story was packed with beautiful imagery. At times, I almost felt like I was on the mountain with the rest of the group. I didn’t see until the end of the book that the author had actually reached the summit of this mountain, Manaslu, and while she did it without a killer on the loose, her experience still made for a vividly written novel!

Cecily is a journalist, freelancing and struggling with money and her career. Then comes the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to interview Charles, a man known worldwide for his mountain climbing skills. Having done all of the “regular” climbs, he has decided to take on the highest fourteen mountains in the world, all without safety ropes or supplemental oxygen.

These fourteen mountains are all over 8000 meters tall (as an American, that means nothing to me, but I assume that’s pretty high) and put climbers into the “death zone”. Without proper skills, supplies and Sherpas, people can easily succumb to the elements, become hypoxic and make one wrong step that will lead to the end of their life. Cecily is taking on this challenge because Charles made a deal: he would grant her this interview, but only after she has reached the summit of Manaslu with him.

The first half of this book is slooow … at over 50% in, the group still hadn’t started their ascent. This is, without a doubt, a slow burn thriller. Normally those can tend to bore me, but the first half explaining mountain climbing, the risks, the rewards, and then introducing all of the characters, was actually quite intriguing. As people start dying and strange things start happening, you soon realize that there are many people on this mountain who may be the killer.

Then the climb begins, and the book takes you to all new heights (sorry for the pun). My muscles almost ached along with Cecily’s, I felt her anxiety and exhaustion, I longed for the local dishes she was eating, and I was excited to see who was behind all of the awful things happening in the middle of nowhere. Will she make it to the summit? Will she stay safe, as an inexperienced climber? Will she find out who “the bad guy” is? Will she land the interview that will catapult her career to the next level?

All of these questions were answered, but with many red herrings, I ended up being surprised by the ending. This was definitely a slow read, but something about it was so original and interesting that I didn’t mind. The whole thing was entertaining, well-written and had truly breathtaking mental images. This book gets a solid four stars from me!

(Thank you to the Knopf-Doubleday Publishing Group, Amy McCulloch, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

Breathless was my first novel by the author Amy McCulloch. There were lots of things I really enjoyed about the novel and lots of things I didn't, so I settled for a middle of the road rating.

What I most enjoyed were the descriptions of high altitude climbing and its risks. That aspect of the novel definitely kept me "breathless". The author did an AMAZING job of describing what climbers do and what the risks are, the importance of sherpas, and why people are driven to do these climbs in often miserable conditions.

What I didn't love about the book was its predictability. I figured out the mystery early on and kept hoping the writers would veer a bit and surprise me. They didn't ever really do that.

Despite its predictability, I definitely think Breathless is a book worth reading for its unique setting and the inherent thrills of the high altitude climbing.

After reading mainly urban fantasy for the last few months 'Breathless' was a welcome change...a breath of fresh (ice cold) air one might say!

I've always enjoyed reading about the arctic and antartic explorers of the early 1900's. I'm aware that Denali is the highest peak in the American continent, Everest the highest peak in the world and that the majority of the major peaks are located in the Himalaya range. Everest, K2, Eiger... but the only book I can remember reading about that involved one of these behemoths is 'The Eiger Sanction'.

'Breathless' is a suspenseful, informative read involving Manaslu, the 8th highest peak in the world. Our heroine Cecily, is a novice mountaineer and budding journalist. She's famous for a blog post called 'Failure to Rise' where she posted about her failure to summit ANY of the large European mountains she's ascended. And, on her last failure to summit Snowdon in Wales, a person died while attempting to help her. But now the apex mountaineer Charles McVeigh has invited her to witness his attempt to summit all 14 of the highest peaks in the world, alpine style in one year. Manaslu is his final peak. And if Cecily summits with him, she'll land the interview that will make her. But 8,000 meter peaks are killers and there's a suspicious amount of deaths happening among skilled alpinists in the 'dead zone' of 8,000 meters and above.

I was very impressed by the detail and descriptions of Nepal and the big peaks. Imagine my surprise upon reading the author's notes at the end of the book and finding that she herself has summited Manaslu. Explaining the wealth of detail and thoughts, feelings and impressions of the area.

The book keeps you guessing til the very end. I was fairly sure i'd pegged the culprit early on, (and was partially correct) but there's a lot of people on this peak with their own itineraries. It's the ultimate game of cat & mouse and it's always up in the air whether Cecily is going to survive either the mountain OR the unknown killer stalking the mountain.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was fine, but not as riveting as I hoped. The characters development felt a little lacking. A good idea for a story but perhaps not executed to its full potential.

This was an intense page turner. The setting and weather added to the suspense and though I’d never attempt mountain climbing I could imagine myself there. This was my first book by this author but I will be looking for more. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

2.5 stars. I was hoping for a more fast paced thriller - it didn't really pick up until about 85% in. There was a lot of filler about mountain climbing and no real action. It wasn't a bad book, but I don't think it should be marketed as a thriller as it was pretty slow paced and did not really hold my attention until the very end. If you are interested in mountain climbing, this may be of more interest to you than it was to me.

What a joy and surprise to find a book on snow & mountain climbing! I am definitely one who loves reading about it but never would try doing it in real life. This is my kind of book with surprises, suspense, little of the romance but thrilling action packed also. I have to have lots of that for sure. I don't want to know what's going to happen in a book either so reviews need to just hint and not tell a lot when I want to be the one to read it first! The book has such a good story and interesting people who may or may not be the villain of the book, it keeps you guessing who that could be. Thank you for sharing Net Galley and publishers!

I wanted to love this but unfortunately I didn't. It felt very predictable. I was hoping for something more.

This thriller was enjoyable and kept me guessing until the end. The plot had me rooting for the main character throughout and reminded me of ‘No Exit.’ I highly recommend for anyone who wants an action thriller that involves climbing.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.

This book was so good! I want to see more from this author in the future!! I couldn't put this book down. What a page turner!!!

Not every book is for every reader and this one was not for me. The ending was predictable, and the dialogue was unrealistic. Enjoyed the journey of a woman on a mountain climb.

I loved the premise for this one, but felt it was pretty slow for a thriller. I was ready for it to be over long before it was.

Gripping page turner. Once you start, you won't want to put it down! Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book

I cannot believe how intense this book was! I stayed up way too late to finish this book because I couldn’t put it down! The nail biting suspense the characters were in while trapped with no help made me want to flip forward to see how, if at all, they escaped. My heart was pounding from the first moment of action until the very last page!

I read this one because I have a strange fascination with mountain climbing although it's something I'd never try. This was very intense - the thrill of mountain climbing combined with the mystery at the center of the book. The plot moved very quickly and I kept turning pages.

This book is fast-paced and suspenseful. Not only does the plot feature high-stakes, dangerous mountain climbing in extreme conditions, but there is also a murderer on the loose, picking off people one at a time. The atmospheric locale of this book is perfect for the chilling storyline. A great edge of your seat thriller!

This book took my breath away...literally at times! A harrowing whodunnit set atop one of the highest places on the planet, this gripping book has suspense, murder, and a touch of frostbite all wrapped up in an avalanche of tension. I gave it 4.75 stars out of 5. I'm even more impressed that that author, Amy McCulloch, is the youngest Canadian woman to summit Mt Manaslu--the eighth tallest mountain in the world. Her real-life alpinist background lends credibility to her writing, and the visuals she paints are so realistic you can almost reach out and touch those icy crags. A well-done adult novel debut from an author I can't wait to read more of.

Breathless is an incredibly atmospheric and tense thriller. The characters are complex and interesting with the mountain being the most mysterious and dangerous character found within this novel.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

I have mixed feelings about this thriller. During the first 30-40% of the book I found myself slightly bored. I didn't particularly care about any of the characters, or feel that they were developed enough. I found myself mixing people up. Once the action started, closer to 60%, I was drawn in. The book became much more plot-driven and I was now enjoying the plot and the thrill and suspense of the mystery. The atmosphere was terrific and I learned a lot about the subject of mountain-climbing. If I had felt more attached to the characters I would have rated it higher.