Sara's Reviews > Breathless

'Where better for a killer to hide, than somewhere already known as the death zone?'

I think that sentence alone is the perfect way to sum up this rather chilling thriller. Cecily is a down on her luck journalist, searching for the big article that will kick start her career. When she's invited onto an expedition to the summit of Mt Manaslu with one of the world's most illustrious and media shy mountaineers, she seizes the opportunity. But when mistakes start to happen, Cecily begins to wonder if something other than the mountain may be out to stop her summit attempt. There may be a killer among them.

I liked some of the conversations that are discussed within Breathless. It's a heavily male dominated arena, rife with massive egos and bragging rights. The mountain is also a lawless place. Above 8000 metres, everything relies on trust and good will and little can be done to police the actions of others - especially when symptoms of hypoxia can lead to hallucinations, bringing into question the reliability of what is happening. Cecily is entering this environment as an ameateur female, mixed race climber. She constantly questions her own abilities, which is further reinforced by her privileged male team members who see her as a weak link. She has to prove she can summit not only to herself, but everyone else too. Add to this an increasing sense of paranoia as Cecily makes the ascent and the overall story has this permenant sense of dread to it that really helps set the tone.

The overall plot is intriguing, and you can tell Amy McCulloch really has a passion and a personal insight into mountaineering and the environment the characters find themselves in. We have wonderful descriptions of the landscape, and I could vivid imagine just how cold that mountain was. However, I did find the ending a little lacklustre. We spend a lot do time building up to the climax and ultimwte showdown but it felt really rushed. Also, we never really get to see our villain have any kind of comeuppance, although it is heavily implied. I wanted more closure. I also found certain aspects of the plot to be a little redundant, such as Cecily's relationship with her ex boyfriend which adds nothing to the plot.

Great setting that feels incredibly realistic and incorporates some really interesting insights into what it takes to be a top class mountaineer. I just wish this had a bit more meat on the bones and a more satisfying payoff for the excellent build up.