Ooo y'all, this was an amazing thriller! It kept my interest the whole way through. The characters were fantastic... must read if you are a fan of suspense and drama and thrill!!

This is a tense well written thriller, both about conquering the elements and dealing with a possible killer in their midst. The main character, is at a crossroads, no job, no home and no boyfriend. In order to get an interview with her hero, she must climb to the death zone, to the summit of a mountain. She had made two prior attempts to climb other mountains and hasn't succeeded. Lots of info on the challenges of the mountain and the elements. Lots of questions is he really a hero, a larger than life mountainer or is he a cheat. Are the deaths accidents or is their a killer in their midst. while her ability to survive, might have been over exagerated for the sake of the story. I still found it enjoyable

I am a huge fan of wilderness survival books! They are some of my favorite thrillers so I was so excited to read this one. I definitely enjoyed this book. It kept me turning pages, wanting to know more and more. Parts of it were intense, but over all it was a bit of let down. It had so much potential and unfortunately just fell a little flat for me.

It started off kind of slow, and even though it picks up a lot of it felt redundant to me. And while I did enjoy the fun twists this book had, I definitely saw them coming. Overall, this is a decent slower paced thriller, but I was hoping for way more thrill and definitely more character development.

Thank you to the Netgalley and the publishers for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is due for publication 5/3/22.

3.5⭐

I really liked this overall. My main feedback would be that the internal thoughts and dialogue was a bit stiff and unrealistic at times. I also felt like the ending was a bit over dramatic, but it didn't bother me too much.

350-something pages and I still know almost nothing about the main character. It’s too bad; because of that I could never connect with her, and while her adventure is well told and relentless, I couldn’t care less what happened to her. It’d make a good thriller movie, but as a book, it didn’t work for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity of an early read.

The innovative setting belies the classic structure of this whodunit. A group of climbers trying to reach the summit of Mount Manaslu, one of the highest in the world, with a killer amongst them. But it’s not only the baddie who’s putting their lives at risk, the mountain itself is a killer. With low oxygen, sharp ridges, crevasses, ice, snow, wind… death is everywhere. As with all these stories, everyone is hiding secrets. Emily, the main character, has to get an interview with the mysterious lead alpinist in order to save her career. Charles McVeigh (great name!), the climber, is either one of the best ever, or a cheater. There is an influencer (my favorite character), a rich tech guy, several creeps and a group of awesome sherpas. Many of my theories were wrong, so the plot is unpredictable. I didn’t like Cecily at all, so I was surprised at how much I was invested in her story. I wasn’t too excited by the final explanation, even if I liked the actual ending. But my favorite thing about this book is learning about climbers, how they train and how they make it all the way to the top. The author has done it herself, so it’s interesting to learn what it takes.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group!

This story is the tail of a beginner adventurist mountain climber Cecily, who is going to climb a mountain for an exclusive story. This novel was too long and drawn out. It had lots of plot twists but I could not wait to finish it.

This was a book on a subject I’ve never read about before but has always fascinated me. Mountain climbing is not something I’ll probably ever do but it’s very intriguing. And so the parts of the book explaining the ins and outs of mountain climbing: acclimatization, gear, climbing schedules etc was really interesting. The story didn’t grab me as much, but overall I liked the characters and the way it all turned out. 3.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a face-paced thriller set in the Himalayas - on Mt. Manaslu, the eight highest mountain in the world at more than eight thousand feet high. Cecily Wong is a struggling journalist, but strangely enough has been invited to interview legendary mountain climber Charles McVeigh, a climber who has the distinction of having summited mountains without the use of oxygen. The interview is to occur after he ascends Mt. Manaslu, which means that Cecily is to be part of the team that ascends the mountain along with McVeigh. Cecily is by no means an experienced climber. In fact, her climbing record is frayed after a public debacle on another climb, which she was at turns praised for her aid, but she documented in a blog as a failure on her part. Nevertheless, here she is in Nepal with the opportunity of her career to make amends, summit Mt. Manaslu, and write the article of her lifetime for a well-known outdoor magazine. But things are not that easy. Besides the strenuous and dangerous climb and the unpredictable weather, things begin to happen - theft, death, strange happenings, rivalry among teams, and more. This is a tense atmospheric book that kept me glued to the pages. I enjoyed the backdrop of mountain-climbing challenges, what it takes to be up there on the mountains, the formidable and unforgiving terrain, and the self determination and mental and physical strength necessary to scale the mountain. The characters were interesting, but I found Cecily to be a bit naive at times and wanted to, at times, shake her and tell her to get a grip! I wonder if she would have survived in the real world attempting to climb Mt. Manaslu. Since the book is fiction, she did! Overall, I enjoyed the book and loved the setting - a great locale for a mystery thriller. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

"A high-altitude thriller that will take your breath away - Cecily Wong is on her most dangerous climb yet, miles above sea level. But the elements are nothing compared to one chilling truth: There's a killer on the mountain.

There’s a killer on the mountain...

Journalist Cecily Wong is in over her head. She’s come to Manaslu, the eighth-highest peak in the world, to interview internationally famous mountaineer Charles McVeigh on the last leg of a record-breaking series of summits. She’s given up everything for this story - her boyfriend, her life savings, the peace she’s made with her climbing failures in the past - but it’s a career-making opportunity. It could finally put her life back on track.

But when one climber dies in what everyone else assumes is a freak accident, she fears their expedition is in danger. And by the time a second climber dies, it’s too late to turn back. Stranded on a mountain in one of the most remote regions of the world, she’ll have to battle more than the elements in a harrowing fight for survival against a killer who is picking them off one by one."

This takes the stranded in the snow with a killer to the next level. Literally.

This would be a really interesting movie! It would be such a heart pounder! Also, it would be really cool to watch how they climb.

The technical climbing facts and scenes in this book were very interesting. It made me feel like I was really there, and I had no idea about all the different bridges, ropes, sherpas, etc. Everything that goes into climbing! I know climbing a mountain cannot be easy, and you'll never catch me on one (I hate the cold), but this gave me a whole new appreciation for those brave and wild climbers!

Also how terrifying is this premise! Not only are you ON a killer mountain already but there is also a killer on the mountain with you? That is terrifying. You can't just race away when every step could mean your life.

I enjoyed watching our main character overcome her fears and try to summit. She was a strong woman, and I appreciated her strength. The comradery of some of the characters was also very satisfying and warming to read. I did like Doug despite everything, poor guy.

Sadly, I had a really hard time reading this one. Normally this is something I would have loved but it felt like it dragged a bit. I wasn't thrilled, I didn't really care who the killer was. It made me feel like I was trudging through waist deep snow to read it and I'm really disappointed about that. I guess I didn't really connect with any of the characters and the scary bits were a bit too few and far between. I can appreciate how terrifying it must be to be in a tent and have someone outside of your tent, that has always been a big fear of mine.

Overall, it missed the mark for me.

Because of my pandemic-induced obsession of mountaineering and adventuring books, I've read many non-fiction accounts of Everest, K2, Antarctica, and more, but never a fiction book, so when I stumbled upon this one on Netgalley I was super excited, and it did not disappoint. The high-altitude setting, the twists and turns, and the suspense were all great. I saved this to binge on a plane ride and was sad when I finished it. I hope to read more mountaineering fiction books by this author!

This debut adult novel certainly lived up to its title and left me gasping for more oxygen. The setting in Kathmandu, Nepal, the famous Himalayas, is awe inspiring. Add in some questionable deaths, oversize egos and a diverse team for a high altitude thriller. It took me on an adventure I didn't know I needed. Great location and extraordinary atmosphere.
Cecily, is on a personal journey to prove to her boss that she's a good adventure travel journalist. The exclusive story about legendary climber Charles McVeigh is a once in a lifetime chance for her. She's also attempting to overcome her previous personal failure to reach the summit. Cecily learns just how strong she is on this harrowing adventure.
Charles will only give Cecily the exclusive interview if she finishes the climb. He's very conceited, aloof and secretive. The team is made up of seven young, very different strangers. Doug is the expedition leader, trusts Charles abilities and  believes in his accomplishments. Zak is a high-tech CEO. Grant, a film-maker, is cocky, loud and drinks too much. Elise, a social media influencer, is the only other female. She and Cecily soon  become close friends. Mingma is the trusted and likable Sherpa for their journey. Great background and insite into that culture, traditions and the way of life.
There are deaths on these expeditions each year, many attributed to avalanches, equipment failure, climber error, etc. There is little investigation due to the terrain and harsh weather. Cecily begins to question the circumstances and accounts of a climbers death. She's certain someone else is on the mountain, she keeps hearing distinct whistling and a drone. She's accused of being paranoid, inexperienced and unprepared.
There is a thief, missing money, tents torn apart, a camp destroyed, accidents, equipment failure, spotty or jammed Wi-fi signal, cheating, more death, secrets and lies. With the various teams, personalities and competitiveness, suspects abound.
Very suspense filled, action packed thriller, couldn't read fast enough. I have an entirely new understanding and respect for mountaineering. Short summer hikes in the Colorado Rockies is more my speed, but I quite enjoyed being out of my comfort zone vicariously. While I wasn't surprised by the 'who', the 'why' kept me off balance. Thought the character development was authentic.
The author seemed to have done either lots of climbing or extensive research, as it included very technical terms. There was unfamiliar equipment and mountaineering terms I had to look up which slowed the pace, but I learned lots.
You will need to read to see if they all reach the summit and more importantly how many return to base camp alive. An author I would read again. Strong four and one-half stars.
Many sincere thanks to NetGalley for the advance digital copy of "Breathless" by Amy McCulloch and to Anchor Books. These are my honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily.

Ever since I interviewed a man who had just summited his first 8,000 meter peak, I have been fascinated by people who climb the big mountains in the Himalayas. Because of that, Breathless sounded like a great book, and it did not disappoint. I could not put it down and read it in three days.

Cecily Wong had two failed climbing attempts--one on Kilimanjaro and one on Mt. Snowden in Wales. She turned those failures into a blog that went viral. Now famous mountaineer Charles McVeigh has tapped Cecily cover the last climb in a record-breaking series of summits in the Himalayas, and she agrees in order to jump start her career. But a climber dies before the group can even leave base camp and then another happens on the mountain. Cecily also believes she is being stalked by a mysterious mountaineer who prowls her camp at night. Is she suffering from altitude paranoia or is there a villain on the mountain?

McCulloch does a great job at creating the atmosphere of a big mountain climb. She took some license in describing the method in climbing those giant peaks by compressing the acclimatization process to move the plot along, so for that reason, climbers might throw the book at the wall. I am not a climber and was able to overlook some of the improbable parts of the book. Great setting with interesting details thrown in (particularly about the Sherpas). Fast-moving thriller that keeps the tension building.

Breathless will release May 3.

This is a thriller/mystery set on a mountain climbing expedition. The main character is a reporter named Cecily who is climbing along with a small group of other mountaineers. All the members of the group are climbing for very different reasons and it's interesting to get to know them throughout the book. When people begin to die on the mountain, the isolated setting means that the killer is one of the people in the group.

This book was so much fun (and a little scary)! It blends a murder mystery that's engaging enough on its on with a survival/adventure story that is rich in detail and horrifying in a different way. The author states in the acknowledgments that the first notes for this book were written while sitting on the mountain that this book is set on. You can tell from the small details that the author is extremely knowledgeable and familiar with mountain climbing.

I was so invested in finding out the solution to the mystery but I also wanted to know who (if anyone) would summit the mountain! It was also twisty without overdoing the amount of plot twists and reveals, which I appreciated. This was just an extremely entertaining read that I'd highly and easily recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC to review.

I’m a sucker for books set in unusual locales, so when I saw Amy McCulloch’s debut thriller on NetGalley, I knew I had to read it. It takes place during a climbing expedition in the Himalayas. I didn’t know anything about McCulloch, but from the very first page, I knew she’d Been There/Done That. And she transported *me* to Mt. Manaslu as well—from Kathmandu to the teahouses of Samagaun to the base camps . . . and on up the mountain.
Other reviewers have detailed the specifics of the plot, so I won’t repeat. Cicely Wong is a totally believable heroine. There’s a great mix of action/adventure and mysterious happenings. Talking off one star because she could have done so much more with the grand finale. Still, a satisfying conclusion. Highly recommend.
Thanks to @netgalley for the read!

An atmospheric adventure, Breathless is a tense thriller with strong characters and heaps of mystery, which all builds up to a nail-biting climax.

It took me a while to get into this one properly as it felt like more of an adventure/survival story at first as the thriller side slowly creeps in. But McCulloch shows a lot of skill in her writing, brilliantly describing the setting and techniques required to climb an 8k mountain. It's obvious that she is an avid traveller and mountaineer as she really makes you feel like you're with her on every step of this hike.

The thrills certainly build up towards the end as the story soon picks up pace and intensity. The final part is certainly full of suspense, and there's so much originality to enjoy beforehand that this is definitely the kind of thriller that will stick in your memory.

For a debut, McCulloch proves that she has a lot of talent as a writer and I'm definitely excited to see what she writes next!

A mountain climb is a super intense setting for a murder mystery. I have never climbed but you really get a sense for place in this book; Cecily is also a good narrator and her lack of confidence combined with her will to BE more made her both sometimes infuriating and inspiring. I didn't guess the central plot at all but I had some hints. In a world of cookie cutter thrillers this one really upped the stakes. 3.5 stars.

I really loved this book. I don't know anything about mountain climbing, but as I was reading it I found myself googling videos of summit pushes on Manaslu and "how to start mountaineering". The sign of an excellent book. There was so much information about mountain climbing here, from the technical to the historical, I truly enjoyed that aspect of the book. But there's a mystery/thriller too, so it was perfect.

Journalist Cecily Wong works for a outdoors lifestyle magazine and is picked by the one of the world's most famous, daring, and heroic mountaineers, Charles McVeigh for an interview as he completes his mission of climbing Mount Manaslu clean--without fixed ropes or supplemental oxygen, part of his 14 clean project, climbing all 8000+ meter peaks in the world, all without assistance However, she must summit Manaslu with him, and then only will he grant the interview. Cecily is an aspiring climber, but inexperienced, and has had some traumatic climbing experience in her past, but she decides to face her fears and join the climbing crew to Manaslu.

Everything goes well at first, with Cecily slowing gaining confidence, supported by an amazing team of sherpas and some newfound friends on the crew. However as they ascend further up the mountain people start to die and Cecily seems to be the only one seeing connections between these killings/deaths.

There were twists and turns, and the suspense was so taut that I gasped aloud multiple times. One tiny complaint that the twists at the ends were unnecessary and added some melodrama where we didn't need it. The natural suspense the physical challenge was enough!

I highly recommend.

I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. This book is amazing! The entire book takes place on a Himalayan mountain and the action never stops! The author is a mountaineer and takes advantage of her expertise to detail the climbs. The creep factor is unrelenting and the characters are flawed. I totally recommend this book to readers who enjoy action and never-ending drama. The twists and turns are so well-timed - it is difficult to predict the outcome.