Breathless

Journalist Cecily Wong secures a career-defining opportunity to interview a world-famous mountaineer as he attempts to summit Manaslu, one of the world's highest peaks. As the expedition enters the oxygen-depleted "death zone" in the Himalayas, a series of suspicious accidents suggests that a killer is hiding among the climbing party. Wong must navigate extreme altitude sickness, treacherous ice falls, and thinning air while uncovering the truth behind these fatalities. The narrative tracks her physical struggle against the elements alongside a mounting realization that a predator is using the mountain's natural hazards to mask deliberate murders.

This book is for readers of survival thrillers and high-altitude adventure stories who enjoy technical details about mountaineering equipment and physiological responses to extreme cold. Those interested in the commercialized world of professional climbing will find a realistic portrayal of the risks involved in elite expeditions. Readers walk away with a visceral understanding of the mental disorientation caused by hypoxia and the specific logistical challenges of conducting a criminal investigation in a location where the environment itself is lethal.

Practical, clear-cut and escapist; an easy read.

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