There's an episode from the podcast "Radio Rental" where a ultra runner is in Hawaii and mistakenly encounters a ghostly figure.

Take that story (and terrifying photo) add in the heat, and runners falling ill or injured, and you've got Runner 13. Something is happening during the 250-mile race, Adri, a disgraced marathoner, is back to try and save her reputation, but it might be too late.

Among the other runners is a murderer, turning this not just a story of strength, but of literal survival.

The athletes must do whatever they can to last the full marathon. The heat and run is only part of the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

Seven years after a scandal ended her running career, Adri returns to the sport by entering a brutal 250-mile race through the Sahara Desert, hoping to prove herself and uncover the truth about her past. As she pushes her limits in the extreme heat, she also searches for answers about her former coach’s sudden death and whether her family was targeted. But when racers start dropping out under suspicious circumstances, Adri realizes someone may be willing to kill to keep the past buried. This was a great book, well done and a different type of thriller. I enjoyed it and enjoy her writing.

As a superfan of IRONMAN, the Olympics, and thrillers (obviously), "Runner 13" by Amy McCulloch had me hitting my runner's high, a euphoric trifecta of adrenaline, ambition, and absolute suspense.

In a grueling 250-mile ultra-marathon across the Sahara, elite runner Adri returns to the sport to reclaim her reputation—only to find herself outrunning more than just competitors. As injuries mount and suspicions rise, she realizes the real danger isn’t the race, but the killer hidden among them.

This novel hit the ground running (literally!) with the disposition and background executed swiftly and effortlessly to deliver the reader to the starting line of this epic race. I was giddy with anticipation for the gun to go off but this race turns into something sinister immediately. The multi-POV elevates the story into a robust web of plot points heading for a collision course at any moment. This adds a layer of juicy suspense knowing we're all headed down a dark and windy path with an array of twists you won't see coming.

Three-quarters in you might hit your wall, feeling as though you are running along side these uber-athletes but out of no where will come your second wind. Ok I am done with the running puns...
But it's all part of the journey to the end of the race and to solve the mystery.

"Runner 13" is the perfect pick for sports fans—that love a murdery vibe—all from the comfort of their couch.

Thank you to Amy McCulloch, Doubleday, & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my authentic review.

A - no pun intended- thriller with a mystery at its core and a villain that will surprise you. This moves back and forth in time and between narrators Adri, an elite ultramarathoner, and Stella, daughter of the famous Boones who is engaged to Adri's ex and photographing their race through the Moroccan desert. Interspersed with the narrators is a transcript of a podcast which provides some context but which I found superfluous (I get that this is a current popular conceit). Adri's been haunted for seven years by an accusation she made against her coach and a hit and run driver who almost killed her small son. Stella's similarly haunted by the death of her sister, also a top runner, in Ibiza. Now everyone and everything is colliding as odd and dangerous things are happening in the desert in a race for which certain competitors have been promised something they want if they win. McCulloch does an excellent job with the atmospherics and details of running in the desert (even just being there). You will feel the heat, the cave of pain, the sandstorm. Is someone trying to kill Adri? You will feel the urgency of trying to identify the sabateur/killer. No spoilers from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A real page turner and a great read.

The Amerpersands are a series of extreme marathons, coordinated by a man who delights in making his courses as brutal as possible. Adri left the world of competitive runnings years ago, her reputation in tatters, but she's been lured back in with a promise that if she wins she'll learn the truth about what happened during her last marathon. If that means risking her life on a 250 mile run through the Sahara Desert, she's willing. I really enjoyed this thriller, which gave me a chance to vicariously experience something I'd never get near in real life.

Runner 13 - Amy McCulloch
Pub Date - 7/1/25
Rating - 3.5/5 rounded up to 4/5
Thoughts - Thank you to Netgalley, Amy McCulloch, and Doubleday Books for this gifted advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. This book is a claustrophobic, stress inducing story about a woman who is tapped to participate in a 250 mile race in the middle of the Sahara Desert.
The story that unfolds reads quickly and will have the reader hooked. The only reason i didn't rate this book higher is because the twists just okay instead of being mind blowing. Overall really fun and fast book to read!

If Gary Cantrell (Barkley Marathon) and Marathon Des Sables decided to stage an Agatha Christie story over an ultramarathon, this would be the result! Everyone had secrets and over the course of the 250 mile race, so many secrets are uncovered from the runners as well as the support staff. Combined with all of the normal (?) stresses of a multi-day race, it was truly a great set up for a thrilling read. I did chuckle on several occasions to read how the non-elite racers were referred to as "fun runners." Honestly, I am not sure how at all that this would be considered fun! A huge solid amazing challenge, but fun? I expect that readers who already have a background in running might appreciate this book more than those who don't, but I believe the great story and writing will captivate most people who enjoy a good mystery or adventure!

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the advanced copy of this adventurous and intense thriller. The author Amy McCulloch always finds fun ways to add suspense and potential murder to extreme competitions in books.
This book centers on a group running ultra marathon competition in the desert. As the runners make it to each stage, large and dangerous problems start to occur, and they realize that they're not safe and are without access to the outside world.
The book had a fast and exciting pace. The book seemed to depict the ultra running well. I was able to picture the settings and difficulties the runners endured.
The story perspective alternates between a previous champion runner, coming back from a long break, and a photographer, who is also the daughter of the person who created and is managing the running event.
I really enjoyed this one. My only complaint was the ending. Without giving anything away, I wished something else had happened or something wasn't revealed. Otherwise, it was a fun read!

I have been wanting to get into reading thrillers in an attempt to branch out and this book felt at a great intersection between exploring a new genre and an interest of mine: running. Although, I do not participate in ultra marathons, I found Amy McCulloch's descriptions about running and the depth of feeling involved to resonate with me.

Adrienne, once an acclaimed distance runner, has taken years off from the sport after she felt a terrible accident involving her son was caused by her status in the community. After years go by, she is offered the answers she has been looking for, if only she finishes a race.

However, it seems those invited to race have more in common that any of them realize, as they all race for their own promised reasons the route turns deadly. It turns into more than a race to the finish, but a race for their lives.

While we are given multiple points-of-views, there are still so many things that the characters know that we don't. I have realized that, although the plot of the story feels fast and that there are so many page turning moments at the end of the chapters, I needed a lot of breaks. I think maybe, I'm not ready to but a full-on thriller girlie. I was so nervous!

I had a great time with these characters and I am looking forward to reading more from McCulloch in the future! There were some points where, even though we were in different POVs, the language felt a little too casual, but maybe it was just me feeling weird about reading the word "legit" during a descriptive paragraph.

The Characters felt well defined and clear in their voices and motives. The twist was wild but also believable and the dialogue felt natural.

Runner 13 comes out July 1st. This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in Exchange for an honest review.

I had no idea what to expect going into this book and I'm starting to think that that was the best way to do it. This was a quick thriller but it was told with such a sense of urgency that I couldn't put it down. Our main character Adrienne is a dedicated marathon runner, or at least she was until she decided to quit several years ago. She is shocked when she receives an invitation to one of the most notorious and infamously hard "Boone's races". Thinking that there is no way she will compete she almost throws it out until she notices that there on the back is a car. Not just any car but a picture of a car that once hit her son and left him for dead. How could the people at the race know any of this? Desperate for answers Adrienne decides that the only thing she can do to get them into finish this race. I loved the mystery behind this book and I loved how it was written in a first person perspective. This helped the reader feel the tension as well as the struggle that Adrienne was going through as mentally she tried to figure out what was behind her invite and what they really wanted but also physically as she tackled the hardest race known to man.As if the race itself wasn't hard enough when a killer begins tracking the racers it really becomes a matter of life and death to not only survive the elements but to make it to the end. I haven't read anything like this before but I found myself glued to the pages. This was a completely fascinating read and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Right from the beginning I was holding my breath and I never let it out until the book had finished. I loved the tension that was felt throughout the whole book wondering what was going to happen to Adrienne and I was worried the whole time that a major shoe was going to drop on her as well as the impossible race she faced. I had no clue what to expect from this novel but it completely blew me away. Fantastic job and I'm so glad I got the chance to check it out. This is the kind of book that will leave you speechless and and jumping at every noise. I loved every minute of it. I can't wait until other people get to read this book as well.

This one was soooo fun and I felt the heat alongside the ultra marathoners as I tried to puzzle out what the heck was going on. Endless twists (and sand) made this one that I couldn’t put down!

I’m a sucker for multiple POVs and multiple timeline thrillers and this one hooked me good right from the start. I’m really looking forward to checking out more from this author as the pacing was phenomenal and it kept me reading past bedtime.

Check this one out if you love thrillers, running, a bit of murder, and twists!

**Thank you to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the eARC of this thrilling title!**

Thank you NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for my free and honest review. This was my first Amy McCulloch novel but it won’t be my last. This story was amazing, and made a reader feel like they were right in the middle of the race. Thrilling suspense filled novel that kept me guessing til the end, and intrigued dying to know the ending. Definitely recommend this one!

I sped through this! As someone who has competed in ultras, nothing remotely as extreme as this, I am fascinated by the human spirit to push through the pain and suffering in endurance races. This story was full of twists and turns that kept you guessing every page. 4.5 stars.

Runner 13 by Amy McCulloch was a thrilling novel about a 250 mile race through a desert using only supplies that fit into a backpack.
The mail protagonist is Adri. After a horrible scandal , she returns to running. She is praised by the organizer a view of the video that shows who tried to run her son over.
There is murder, injury and surprised in this exciting book. I highly recommend it if you like to read a book that makes you sit on the edge of your seat

I truly appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion, but sadly this book didn't work for me.
This was the third book I've read from this author and now I believe Amy McCulloch is the kinda "one-hit wonder'' author for me. I only truly enjoyed her first novel. The more books I read by her, the least I like them. :(
RUNNER 13 has a premise that appeals to me, and I do (usually) enjoy slow burn mysteries/thrillers, but this one simply failed to hold my attention and interest. I personally didn't care for anyone, so I couldn't truly enjoy it.
McCulloch's writing was something I enjoyed in her 2 previous novels, and I see nothing essentially wrong with this new one. However, it lacked something. To me, it seemed like this was her first ever written book. I mean, her two previous novels (again, in my opinion) are better written.

I could still recommend this book to any readers who have read a book by this author before and enjoyed it. They might enjoy this one much better than I did.

Should I have read “Runner 13” while running? Probably not. I think I burned extra calories because of how heart-pounding the book was. I was stressed out reading this and I’m not mad about it.

The book is so well-written, so vivid in the descriptions of the desert - I felt like I was there instead of on a treadmill. I loved the dual POV between Adrienne and Stella. The mixed media and dual timeline was also well incorporated. The pacing of the book is excellent and I found myself gasping more often than not. I suspected everyone and the twists were well executed.

Overall, this is 100% a 5 star read and likely to be in my top books of the year. Definitely add this one to your TBR when it is released July 1st!

One of the things I really enjoy about mystery/thriller books is how they can drop you into really interesting and unique settings and this book absolutely takes advantage of that. But, the desert setting and the central plot device of the ultramarathon aren’t just dramatic backdrops, they’re woven into the story in a way that makes sense and heightens both the physical and emotional tension.

I picked up this book expecting an entertaining, fast-paced thriller, but honestly was shocked by how good it ended up being. I definitely wasn’t expecting the story to touch on heavy themes like grief, guilt, and the weight of responsibility, but those are all touched on in a thoughtful way that adds to the narrative. The book gives just enough space to those emotions to feel believable without dragging down the pace, and that balance adds some nice depth without feeling overly emotional.

Something that stood out to me was how believable the characters were. I didn’t necessarily like any of them, but I believed them. Their decisions and flaws made them feel real, and that grounded the story in a way that really worked. I also respect when an author doesn’t force a necessarily happy ending just for the sake of it, which this author didn't shy away from.

As a runner, and someone fairly plugged into the ultramarathon world, I was worried the book might feel gimmicky; and there were a couple times where I found some descriptions to be a little too close to their real-life inspirations which pulled me out of the story. Some of the running jargon and explanations also came off a bit heavy-handed. I get that the author needed to provide enough context for readers unfamiliar with these events, and ultimately those elements help create the vivid, immersive setting. Still, it was occasionally a bit odd (like someone had suddenly shined a spotlight on a niche world that usually flies under the radar and is being thrust into the mainstream). That said, this likely won’t be an issue for the majority of readers and doesn’t take away from the story overall.

As for the structure, the dual POVs and podcast transcripts worked really well here. The structure allowed for multiple storylines, past and present, to come together, and despite how much was going on, it never felt overwhelming or confusing.

This is the best mystery/thriller I’ve read in recent memory.

Five stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is an excellent, edge-of-your-seat, twisty thriller set in the competitive world of ultramarathons. Adrienne is a runner who quit when her son nearly died. Stella is the daughter of Boones, a legendary race director who organizes ultramarathons that take humans to the edge of endurance. People have died during his races and now he is organizing the ultimate race through the Sahara. Adrienne returns only because she is promised answers about her son’s accident. Both she and Stella narrate how little by little, the runners start going down, either through accidents, rule-breaking or other mysterious reasons. Just like in the race, the author provides clues and red herrings that took me way off track. The solution was so simple, so obvious and I never saw it coming. I read a non-fiction book about this sport once and I knew how horrific it is, but McCulloch really nails down the feeling of isolation, the infinite pain, as well as the motivation that allows these people to endure and do it all over again. And this is because she has run these races herself. You’d think that Adrienne is more super-hero than human, but these people exist in real life, and everything she does is possible. Also, being set during a race gives the whole plot an extra layer of pressure. The desert is so well described that it also provides yet one more element to make this thriller exceptional.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Doubleday.

While far-fetched and wild, this suspense novel does present a unique setting and storyline for this murder mystery. Just suspend your belief while this story has you quickly turning the pages.

Adrienne Wendell quit running marathons seven years ago, for a couple of reasons. During her last race, her phone died and she didn’t know that her young son had been injured in a hit-and-run accident until she crossed the finish line. While he ended up being okay, her guilt at putting running before him made her give up her passion. She also spoke out about her former coach sexually assaulting her, right before he died, making her a target for internet trolls. It’s not until she gets a personal invitation to the “Hot & Sandy” race that she decides to run again.

Boones has hosted two of these ultramarathons, and this will be the third and biggest. It’s five days of running through the Sahara Desert, covering 250 miles of Morocco while carrying your own supplies and dealing with the harsh environment, all for the shot at $500,000. But Boones doesn’t make this seemingly impossible task any easier; he is known for adding “surprises” to his races, purposefully making tracks and rules that put people in danger, and overall being a sadistic jerk.

Adrienne flies to Morocco, joins up with some other runners she knew back in the day, then finds out her ex-husband Pete is also running. Furthermore, she finds out he’s engaged..to Boones’s daughter, Stella, who handles the photography for these marathons. The book is written from their points of view, along with excerpts from the Ultra Bros podcast, hosted by Jason and Mac. They knew this race will be monumental, not only because of what the contestants have to endure, but because Adrienne will be there, with all of her history dragging her down.

This book was flat-out AMAZING. The author also ran a marathon in the Sahara Desert, and you can tell from the imagery and the internal dialogue of the characters - so many times I felt like I was right there in the desert, too. There are so many layers to this book - it’s not just about the race, it’s about Adrienne’s love for her son, Stella’s hesitant love for her family, and the mystery of the dead coach. Did her son’s accident have anything to do with her outing him as a sexual abuser? If it did, can Adrienne forgive herself? Who will win the race, and will anyone die trying? This was unbelievably suspenseful, thrilling, unique, enthralling and heartbreaking. Five stars - don’t sleep on this one. It will probably end up in my top five books of the year!

(Thank you to Doubleday Books, Amy McCulloch and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on July 1, 2025.)