***** - Runner 13

RUNNER 13

AMY MCCULLOCH

*****

It’s the ultimate test of endurance: two-hundred-and-fifty miles in the brutal heat of the Sahara, with only the supplies you can carry on your back.

Adri is ready. Returning to ultra-running in the wake of a scandal, she needs to prove to herself – and her young son – that she’s a winner.

When a fellow runner is badly injured, Adri knows something isn’t right. Yet in a race this extreme, even a dead body can be explained away.

But there’s a killer stalking the hot sand. And the problem with running faster than everyone else, is that you’re miles ahead of anyone who can save you...

MY REVIEW

*****

To read my review on Amy McCullochs previous book: Breathless, please click here!

I previously really enjoyed Breathless by Amy McCulloch, so I was excited to receive the ARC of her latest novel – Runner 13.

Adrienne has a lot to prove when she signs for a 250 mile race across the Sahara desert. However, it seems that secrets are being kept, and when a runner is seriously injured, the race is on to get to the truth and survive.

One of the reasons I love McCulloch’s writing is that her amazing, real-life experiences shape the books she writes. Breathless, for example - which is about a woman climbing the 8th highest mountain in the world, was inspired from her own experience being the youngest Canadian woman to climb Mt Manaslu in Nepal. She has also completed the 36th Marathon des Sables – a 250km stage marathon through the Sahara Desert which mirrors the backdrop for Runner 13 and helps to create a realistic feeling read that has you hooked from the outset.

I loved the setting of the book - the heat of the desert and the competitive nature of the other contestants makes for a great setting for a thriller. The stakes gradually build higher and higher, helped by segments from a running podcast which give vital backstory about some of the other runners. There’s also a previous scandal in Adri’s life, which we learn more about as the book progresses.

As someone who runs a little (although nowhere near that 250-mile mark!), I found the description of running to be accurate and inspiring. I also really enjoyed the female driven main characters which turn the tables on a sport which is very male dominated. In fact, I saw from McCulloch’s Instagram, her having to defend the fact that women do run these kind of races, and sharing accounts of other inspiring women that have done so recently.

Overall, Runner 13 is another fabulous book from super-woman Amy McCulloch and I’m very excited to see what’s next for her – in her real-life adventures, or the literary kind! Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Random House – Michael Joseph for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

LINKS TO BUY

Amazon UK

Waterstones