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Considered an odd choice, Cecily was selected to be Charles’s exclusive interviewer after he read an article about her failed attempts at climbing Kilimanjaro and Snowden with a tragic death concluding the latter. Cecily is the least experienced of the group but she is intent on proving herself in spite of the many difficulties she encounters. mcculloch was part of the team led by mountaineering luminary nimsdai (“nims)” purja, who was at that time undertaking his renowned, record-breaking “project possible” - a mission to complete all fourteen 8000-metre summits in seven months. I just wish this had a bit more meat on the bones and a more satisfying payoff for the excellent build up. Amy McCulloch combines her own experience climbing Mount Manaslu with a vivid sense of place and the challenges involved in a puzzling murder mystery.
Breathless by Amy McCulloch - This Is My Everybody Review | Breathless by Amy McCulloch - This Is My Everybody
Cecily vows to let nothing get in the way of her dream interview, especially not the fact she is a novice at best when it comes to climbing.This was an atmospheric thriller that transported me to the terrifying, chilling environment of Mount Manaslu, the world's eighth highest mountain. Her technical explanations of the near-military precision required to successfully complete such an undertaking are much more than merely interesting. And with a hostile expedition leader, a rumour of a suspicious death on Everest and an early death at base camp, Cecily soon has more to worry about than just the mountain itself and is on on high-alert for a very real killer in her midst.
Breathless by Amy McCulloch | Goodreads Breathless by Amy McCulloch | Goodreads
If you want to read something just for entertainment or to get a glimpse into what climbing is like at these altitudes, then you will enjoy it. Breathlessis a high-altitude, high-stakes thrillerthat combines fascinating, authentic mountaineering experience with pure thriller entertainment. McCulloch combines extreme mountaineering with murder to create a novel that’schilling, vivid, and entirely unique.The writing was good - the author gave us vivid descriptions of the various locations in this story. And so, in between the deaths and cliffhangers through which the plot hurtles, McCulloch puts her firsthand knowledge on display—in the process winning our trust as readers and shedding an uncomfortable amount of light on some of mountaineering’s less admirable aspects. Mount Manaslu is a the eighth highest mountain in the world and wonderful setting for a freezing, snowy and dangerous adventure. The fact that McCulloch has actually climbed Manaslu allows her to ground her zippy thriller in first-hand experience.
Breathless: A Thriller - Amy McCulloch - Google Books
Avertigo-inducing page-turner by an author who brings the high-stakes world of expert mountain-climbing to life on the page. McCulloch clearly has a solid grasp of the realities of climbing logistics, inter-personal dynamics, mountain politics, unpredictable weather, equipment, the medical considerations of altitude and oxygen deprivation, and much, much more. 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. Cecily on the other hand is virtually unknown and is a complete amateur in terms of climbing (and to some degree reporting). Charles McVeigh, pure climber, is deemed the worlds greatest alpinist, he is a legend and renowned as superhuman in the death zone (above 8000m) and he’s a hero rescuer of climbers in trouble.
My only niggle with this was I figured it out fairly easily but I do read a lot so perhaps that was why but I definitely didn’t regret my time on the mountain regardless. Mesmerizing and haunting, this enthralling suspense will make you shiver with dread and tear through the pages tothe pulse-pounding end. The catch is that he will only grant her the interview if she climbs the eighth highest peak in the world, Mount Manaslu as part of his climbing party.
Watch the Story Behind Breathless… - Amy McCulloch
Overall, a very atmospheric read with loads of potential but was a bit too bogged down by details to get over the "mediocre" hump. She knows what it’s like to be plopped down in a community of ambitious and sometimes disagreeable strangers in a setting that requires mutual trust.By her own admission, journalist Cecily Wong is a novice mountaineer, but she's come to the eighth-highest peak in the world, Manaslu, at the invitation of world renowned mountaineer, Charles McVeigh. But this story puts us there with all the stress of the endeavor and then with the threat of a murderer on the mountain. that being said, i loved the way mcculloch wove specific nuances and details into her story, elevating it to new heights (pun intended). The characters could have been more well developed, it would have added to my motivation to “root for them” during all of the mishaps.
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