BREATHLESS

Narrator Katie Leung's strong performance is a major plus for this mystery set on Nepal's Mount Manaslu, the eighth-highest peak in the world. Outdoor writer and neophyte climber Cecily Wong wants an interview with the legendary mountaineer Charles McVeigh, but he agrees only if she joins his climbing party and successfully scales the mountain. She trains, sinks all her money into the venture, and starts climbing. But soon, people start dying. Leung does credible international accents. She's a bit weaker at narrating McCulloch's exposition, but it might be difficult for any narrator to maintain the listener's engagement in those long passages. Overall, Leung captures the terror, fun, adventure, and difficulty breathing that are inherent in climbing high peaks. G.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2022]