An exhilarating thriller set against a 250-mile foot race in the Sahara Desert, where more than one ultramarathoner will be running for their lives
Seven years ago, Adri left the running world after a major scandal. She leveled an explosive, and as it turns out career-ending, accusation at one of the world’s most celebrated coaches—and then he died suddenly. Now, after years away from the limelight, she’s ready to race again. Adri is hungry for a challenge, and she’s picked one of the toughest events imaginable: a 250-mile trek through the Sahara Desert organized by a mysterious and famously sadistic race director. It will be a true test of her will and her stamina, proof that after all these years, she can still do it. But she’s also there to get closure on the mysteries that cloud her past. Was her family targeted by one of her coach’s defenders? Was his death due to natural causes?
Adri is determined to finish the race and to find the answers to these long-buried questions. But clarity is hard to come by out in the Sahara’s extreme conditions. And as a number of runners start dropping out, some from the heat and others under more mysterious circumstances, it becomes clear that there’s someone out there in the desert trying to stop anyone from winning—by any means necessary.
“The most tense, gripping and breathless novel I’ve read in a very long time. With more terrifying twists and turns than a mountain ultramarathon, I already predict it’ll be the thriller of the year.” —Tim Lebbon, New York Times bestselling author of The Silence
"Amy McCulloch does it again! Runner 13 is an absolute scorcher of a thriller that examines the lengths we are willing to push ourselves for what's right. Each chapter left me out of breath and desperate to learn what would happen next. Reading this book was a race to the very last page. All in all, Runner 13 proves that no one does an adventure thriller quite like Amy McCulloch. —Sarah Ochs, author of The Resort
"McCulloch's firsthand experience of ultra running shines through every page. I felt like I was there! A fast-paced adventure thriller that will get your pulse racing. Not to be missed." —Lucy Clarke, author of The Hike
"Brilliantly atmospheric and with relentless pace, Runner 13 is one of the most propulsive adventure thrillers I’ve read. It will leave you gasping for breath. I loved it!" —Liv Matthews, author of To Love a Liar
"Utterly breathtaking—absolutely loved it. Amy's best yet." —Catherine Cooper, author of The Island
AMY MCCULLOCH is the internationally bestselling author of Midnight, an instant national bestseller, and Breathless, which won the 2022 National Outdoor Book Award for Fiction and was one of Indigo's "Top Ten Thrillers of 2022." She has also written eight novels for children and young adults, including the bestselling The Magpie Society: One for Sorrow; her work has been translated into fifteen languages. Amy lives in London, UK.
View titles by Amy McCulloch
An exhilarating thriller set against a 250-mile foot race in the Sahara Desert, where more than one ultramarathoner will be running for their lives
Seven years ago, Adri left the running world after a major scandal. She leveled an explosive, and as it turns out career-ending, accusation at one of the world’s most celebrated coaches—and then he died suddenly. Now, after years away from the limelight, she’s ready to race again. Adri is hungry for a challenge, and she’s picked one of the toughest events imaginable: a 250-mile trek through the Sahara Desert organized by a mysterious and famously sadistic race director. It will be a true test of her will and her stamina, proof that after all these years, she can still do it. But she’s also there to get closure on the mysteries that cloud her past. Was her family targeted by one of her coach’s defenders? Was his death due to natural causes?
Adri is determined to finish the race and to find the answers to these long-buried questions. But clarity is hard to come by out in the Sahara’s extreme conditions. And as a number of runners start dropping out, some from the heat and others under more mysterious circumstances, it becomes clear that there’s someone out there in the desert trying to stop anyone from winning—by any means necessary.
Reviews
“The most tense, gripping and breathless novel I’ve read in a very long time. With more terrifying twists and turns than a mountain ultramarathon, I already predict it’ll be the thriller of the year.” —Tim Lebbon, New York Times bestselling author of The Silence
"Amy McCulloch does it again! Runner 13 is an absolute scorcher of a thriller that examines the lengths we are willing to push ourselves for what's right. Each chapter left me out of breath and desperate to learn what would happen next. Reading this book was a race to the very last page. All in all, Runner 13 proves that no one does an adventure thriller quite like Amy McCulloch. —Sarah Ochs, author of The Resort
"McCulloch's firsthand experience of ultra running shines through every page. I felt like I was there! A fast-paced adventure thriller that will get your pulse racing. Not to be missed." —Lucy Clarke, author of The Hike
"Brilliantly atmospheric and with relentless pace, Runner 13 is one of the most propulsive adventure thrillers I’ve read. It will leave you gasping for breath. I loved it!" —Liv Matthews, author of To Love a Liar
"Utterly breathtaking—absolutely loved it. Amy's best yet." —Catherine Cooper, author of The Island
AMY MCCULLOCH is the internationally bestselling author of Midnight, an instant national bestseller, and Breathless, which won the 2022 National Outdoor Book Award for Fiction and was one of Indigo's "Top Ten Thrillers of 2022." She has also written eight novels for children and young adults, including the bestselling The Magpie Society: One for Sorrow; her work has been translated into fifteen languages. Amy lives in London, UK.
View titles by Amy McCulloch
