Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Runner 13.
This is my type of read to start my summer vacay.
I liked it a lot, but full disclosure, I loved the movie bloodsport, even though JC Van Damme is a terrible actor (maybe our younger members don’t know him).
I am sure my score is inflated, but, you like what you like.

An extreme running race, murderous plots, a past that affects the plot. Fun read.
Sometimes, when reading, you need to throw all caution to the wind and just know what you enjoy, my level of enjoyment was quite high.
Adrienne is an extremely likeable character. There is something about Stella to like even if you know she is hiding something. Even Yasmine, who is only talked about because she died earlier is intriguing. The reader is left wanting to meet and cheer for her..

McCulloch blends the raw intensity of ultra-running with creeping paranoia, turning the desert into a pressure cooker where trust erodes mile by mile.

3.5 Stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting my request for the ARC of 'Runner 13' by Amy McCulloch. I was pleased to receive the early digital edition of the book, as I had enjoyed her previous two thrillers, Midnight and Breathless, which featured women facing danger in extreme environments —specifically, an Antarctic journey and mountain climbing. This book is centred on Adrienne, a well-known runner in extreme ultra-marathons.

Seven years earlier, Adri was at the top of her sport in an earlier ultra-marathon. When she crossed the finish line, she learned that her young son was in the hospital. An unknown hit-and-run driver had seriously injured him. Adri had made herself unpopular by blaming a trainer for sexual assault. People thought she was lying, and fans and some racers turned against her. Was the attack on her son in revenge for her scandalous claim? She quit the racing world at the top of her game to be with her son, who has now recovered. Her ex-husband, Pete, is now engaged to Stella, who photographs the extreme races, and is the daughter of Boones, the enigmatic and sadistic race organizer. He is inattentive to Stella, putting all his thoughts and energy into organizing the ultimate in extreme races.

Adri receives an invitation from Boones to participate in the most extreme, exhausting, and difficult upcoming ultra-marathon called Hot and Sandy. The race will begin in Morocco, covering 250 miles through the Sahara Desert. She wants to prove she still has her former endurance and skills, and has been promised the answer to who deliberately injured her son if she finishes the race. Other participants have been told they will have a wish granted, and the winner will receive $500,000. This sets up extreme rivalry, and the competition is fierce.

These experienced runners will face extreme heat, rough trails, slippery terrain, strenuous climbs to mountain passes, hunger, and dehydration with only the equipment they can carry. These are not the only obstacles that one must endure. Boones delights in changing rules, adding unpleasant surprises, and putting the participants in further danger.

The story is told through the perspectives of Adri and Stella, with excerpts from a podcast by Jason and Marc. This is a clever, complex, multi-layered storyline. It immersed the reader in the gruelling, heart-pounding race through the desert landscape. The physical preparation and calm mental state of the racers were of utmost importance. I found the narrative and descriptions to be loose, and tension and suspense would have increased if the writing had been tighter. There were some amazing twists revealed after early hints and clues, as well as deliberate misdirection.

Problems began as soon as Adri arrived at the starting point. Her ex-husband, Pete, was there with Stella, and he was joining the race. He was sent home for failing a drug test, which was foreign to his nature. Once the race begins, Adri feels she is being stalked. The coach she outed as a sexual predator had been killed, and she dreads that her accusing him put her son's life in danger. Several die under mysterious circumstances or receive life-threatening injuries. There seems to be a killer with a gun among the racers and perhaps another with lethal intent. What could their motive be? With the injured and dead piling up, who, if anyone, will be left alive at the finish line?
I recommend Runner 13, as well as the author's two previous and exciting thrillers. The date of publication is July 01/2025.

I always love the premises of Amy McCulloch's thrillers, they're set in exotic locations that feel very well-researched. I thought this plot was good and the setting was compelling, but the number of POV's and the way the timelines jumped back and forth was VERY confusing to me - I got really lost by the end.