Cecily Wong has been offered the chance to interview world-beating mountaineer Charles McVeigh, who climbs without the use of oxygen and fixed lines. The only catch is that she must join his team to reach the summit of the fourteenth 8,000m mountain that he's climbing. 

Cecily had a bad experience climbing Mount Snowdon, but although scared, this interview will make her career so decides to take on the challenge. It quickly becomes apparent how underprepared she is.

Altitude climbing can cause a range of physical and cerebral problems and this cleverly written book keeps you undecided as to whether Cecily is correct in her suspicion of crimes, including murder, being committed, or whether she is experiencing paranoia.

The description of the stunning scenery, constantly changing with altitude and weather conditions, and the detailed information regarding mountaineering made this a fascinating book. The conclusion is exciting and unexpected.

Thank you to Penguin Michael Joseph and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A chilling thriller in more ways than one! I thought this was a great read—the perfect choice for cold winter nights. (Although even when I was snuggled under a blanket, McCulloch quickly and masterfully swept me to the icy heights of one of the world’s highest mountains.) Excellent scene-setting, and the central character of journalist Cecily Wong is both relatable and inspiring. I definitely recommend Breathless to fans of suspenseful, immersive thrillers.

Cecily has been chosen to climb one of the mountains, over 8000 feet. Charles a renown mountain climber wants her to interview him, but only after she had reached the summit with him and his team. Thrilled at the chance that Cecily hopes will ignore her career as a writer.
Things are not as they seem and Cecily is son aware that there is a killer on the mountain. Will she survive? Can she let go of the demons from her pay and the ones she perceives to be near her now. Although I found it a little long winded the story was good.

I was initially attracted to read this book by the cover, and I've enjoyed some other novels which involve murders in snowy locations so I hoped that I might enjoy this one too. Luckily I was right!

I know absolutely nothing about mountain climbing, and I actually really enjoyed learning about it. Manaslu is definitely the star of this novel and the locations are described so well that although I had no knowledge at all of what it's like up a mountain, I found that I could picture it quite well. I watched some videos afterwards as my interest was piqued and it wasn't far off what I had in my head.

The plot itself was interesting and I thought the pacing was good. I really liked the side characters, especially the sherpas and I enjoyed getting to know a bit about their culture. My one criticism would be that I was never entirely convinced by main character Cecily. I never felt like I got to know her properly and I definitely couldn't get on board with some of her thought processes. You do also have to suspend belief a bit towards the end, but for the sake of a good story I was happy to do that.

Overall I would recommend this as it held my interest throughout, the sense of place was fantastic and the plot was very good.

Reporter Cecily Wong is invited to join a high altitude expedition. A very successful alpinist is going to climb an 8000 metre peak and wants her to do the interview with him when he succeeds. However this is on the condition that she also reaches the summit assisted. This would be a real scoop but a very serious challenge. Charles McVeigh is the climber and he is intending to complete his plan to scale all 14 of the 8000 metre peaks without oxygen - this one will be the last. Cecily on the other hand is virtually unknown and is a complete amateur in terms of climbing (and to some degree reporting).

The book follows the story of the climb through Cecily's eyes. While it seems an overwhelming challenge to her she believes she can do it. After the small team get together on the walk in rather strange things start to happen. Among the other pressures Cecily faces is that her job is on the line. If she gets to the top and gets the interview she will be very well placed. If not she will probably be unemployed. Another facet of this is that the team she is with is not the only one hoping to climb the mountain which adds to the tension. Are there climbers with other agendas here?

There is obviously a lot of research about high level mountaineering gone into this book. However the idea that walking up some hills might prepare you for taking on an 8000 metre peak is simply silly to me. Allow that and some suspension of belief in the possibilities and I guess I found this an ok read. It's not badly written and was fairly well paced. The characters were not very well developed I guess other than Cecily maybe. However they weren't bad. The descriptions of the climbing environment are very good.

This is essentially a climbing thriller. There are some twists and turns in this story which were ok. All in all I found this quite interesting and entertaining as a read. I don't think I was fully convinced by it though. I doubt anyone who has read true stories of high mountain climbing would be convinced by this but I'm sure quite many people will be entertained. 3.5/5

A brilliant creepy y thriler perfect for a cold night. This was well written really atmospheric story. Amazing. Highly recommended xx

I have learnt a lot reading this book on mountaineering. I am sure that the fact that this is fiction will leave a lot of experiencedmountaineers feeling sceptical about it, but it was a good read, if a little implausible, especially the ending. However it was nice to cosy up with it on a winter's afternoon without having to eperience the high mountains.

Not bad but not great.
Not very believable and over long.
Shame because this cold ice scenario often bodes well but this didn't cut the mustard

Wow! Where to even start with such a fantastic novel. Before reading, I knew absolutely nothing about mountaineering, nor was I particularly interested in it; however, through this story I felt gripped and almost like I was on the journey up the mountain alongside the protagonist, feeling every step and every bit of tension along the way!

The book perfectly builds up the suspense with strange happenings before the climbers begin their ascent. As they climb higher, so does the tension, and readers will be left wondering: is there a killer on the mountain, or is it paranoia induced by hypoxia from lack of oxygen?

I could not recommend this book more to anyone who enjoys a good thriller with twists and turns, only amplified by the pathetic fallacy of the atmosphere and setting that the character find themselves in. My biggest regret is finishing this book- I wish I could’ve kept reading!

Ice cold… You’re miles from help… Yes, we have us are trapped up the mountain murder mystery!

Mission Fourteen Clean : Manaslu, Himalayas.
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. He is soon to enter the record books as the first to climb 14 mountains over 8000m without supplementary oxygen and all within a year. Cecily Wong is a journalist and she is prepared to go to any lengths to interview him hence her presence in Katmandu to join this expedition. She’ll get her interview when she conquers Manaslu so it’ll make or break her career. She is part of a team of seven, some are complete strangers as they set off to conquer a dangerous peak. The story is told from Cecily‘s point of view and interspersed with her excellent blog.

What I love about the book is the fantastic atmosphere the author creates, its as if you were there. There are some awe-inspiring descriptions that transport you to Nepal and it feels like you climb the mountain with Cecily. It captures vividly the inherent dangers of climbing and the difficulties of altitude, you feel that breathless pain and it seems extremely authentic. There’s a good blend of characters and I like the contrast of the humour and good-natured banter and excitement at the start as they acclimatise compared to the seriousness of the actual climb. There are some glacial frissons of dread up and down the spine from the start and a feeling of unsettling doom as suspicions and danger intensifies. There are some moments where it’s unbelievably creepy and if you add in the claustrophobia of being stuck in a hostile environment it makes it an absorbing read. I feel a bit let down by the ending as basically it just had to be but it doesn’t detract too much from this being a gripping thriller.

Overall, if like me you get vertigo climbing the stairs you’ll be swept off your feet by this one. It’s by far one of the better ones in this crowded market, principally because the author knows what she’s talking about. It’s a very enjoyable read.

Facts : Manaslu is the eighth highest mountain in the world at 8163 m above sea level. Manaslu means ‘mountain of the spirit’ and I believe the author has climbed it.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin, Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This book made me want to adventure, believe in myself and at least attempt to climb a mountain!

The best part about this book is Cecily learning who is is, how strong she can be, and what she can do.
I really enjoyed the journey, both emntal and physical that she went on and found it to be a subtley inspiring read.

Never has a book title been so apt.

Breathless from the off

Pacing is sharp and tension is off the scale. You really find out about what being a mountaineer and wanting to climb really must be like.

Tea and a sit down required after reading

I liked this book, even though the world’s 14 death-zone peaks have been a subject for other authors too. Here is a true whodunit, in this most unusual setting, which drew me in. The lead character was very real in her insecurities, and the wide ability gap between her earlier climbing fails and a death-zone peak was eased for the reader by a good narrative pace and a credible storyline. I thought that the technical accuracy was fine, although I am not an alpinist myself. Well worth a read for those who like murder mysteries or high mountains, or both.

As an amateur mountaineer myself, this book has been top of my to read list as soon as the deal was announced - and it did not disappoint! I loved being thrown headfirst into life on Manaslu, and it was the perfect setting for this claustrophobic thriller. I thought it would be tough to surprise me in such a tight setting, but even if I was not surprised by all of the twists, a few did come as a shock and I thought the motivations and depth behind each character made them all the more interesting. I heartily recommend!

CecilyWong had been offered the chance to interview world-class mountaineer Charles McVeigh, on the summit of the fourteenth mountain that he is climbing, without the use of oxygen and fixed lines. The condition of the interview is that she has to climb this final mountain too. The other climbers in the party are all experienced, whereas she has done an intensive course to prepare her for what has to come.

She hit the headlines herself, not too long ago, when she led a rescue team to the body of a dead woman, on a much smaller mountain in the UK. Cecily has poured everything into getting this interview, as she couldn’t get anyone to subsidise the cost. If she fails, she will lose everything. She has no idea how underprepared she is. The story gets creepy early on, with little things to start with, but the intensity and severity grow the higher they go.

It is a very atmospheric read, With the description of the stunning scenery constantly changing with altitude and weather conditions. I hadn’t a clue where the story would go and what the underlining stories would be as there are a lot of red herrings, and other climbers had their reasons for doing this particular climb. It is like ten little Indians as they won’t all come back. It isn’t just the elements that are working against the climbers.

I loved the twists that this story threw at me and didn’t know who could be the rouge in the group. The build-up is tremendous, and the delivery is perfection. It takes you right to the edge of your seat. OMG, when it comes down, it comes down. It is a brilliant round-up.

I wish to thank the publisher and Net Galley for an e-copy of this book, which I have reviewed honestly.

What a thrilling read set in the Himalayas. Once I started reading I didn't put it down til the end. The main character had very little experience in alpine climbing and therefore did find that being asked on a climbing expedition of it's kind a little hard to believe. However the storyline made up for this.

A chilling and brilliantly plotted thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. Cecily was a throughly relatable heroine who I was compelled to root for as her predicament worsened. Breathless is fast-paced and full of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. I loved this book and would absolutely recommend it.

A great read, thoroughly enjoyed it.
Take a deep breath first tho, it lives up to its name..
This will hit the heights.

Wow, wow and once more for the people at the back: wow!

This has got to be the most thrilling and addictive book I have read this year by far.
It's been a long time since a book has grabbed me from the first page and hasn't let go until the end.
This is a read in one sitting type of story, with interesting characters, intrigue, mystery and tension through the roof. I felt like I was holding my breath throughout (no pun intended!)
The setting on the mountain really added something extra as it's not a setting I usually read about, so to me it felt fresh. You can really imagine this as a movie.
Whilst I found it totally obvious from the very beginning who was behind all the goings on, it never ruined my enjoyment of the story.

There are lots of good reviews for this book. Believe the hype.

I understand this is fiction but even fiction should have some plausibility. This book stretched the imagination. The main character made it seem that one only had to have next to no climbing experience, kick off one's slippers and then go out and climb an 8000 ft mountain. Neither was it difficult to work out who the murderer was going to be so, sorry, not for me.
My thanks though to NetGalley and the publishers for this chance to leave an honest and unbiased review.