Books
6 top thrillers set in adventurous locations
When I turned thirty, I decided I was going to make the next decade my decade of adventure. It started that same day – skinny-dipping into the freezing waters of Quelat National Park in Chile beneath a hanging glacier, before tucking into cake. From that moment I’ve walked with penguins in Antarctica, swum with sharks in the Galapagos, climbed the eighth highest mountain in the world and completed a 250km run through the Sahara Desert. Seeking out adventure is definitely a promise I’ve kept to myself! So it’s no wonder that adventurous spirit has taken over my writing too.
The inspiration for my debut thriller began in Nepal, home of Manaslu – the world’s eighth highest mountain. When I reached the summit back in 2019, it was the culmination of years of planning, months of training and days of acclimatizing, walking the same route up and down the mountain to get my body used to the high altitude. While mountaineering is a dangerous activity that requires skill and dexterity, it also requires the ability to endure an awful lot of boredom. One foot in front of the other, plodding in the snow. Waiting at base camp for a weather window to open for us. But, as a writer, I secretly loved all that free thinking time. I spent a lot of those ‘boring’ hours imagining how I might tell the story of the climb – how I might capture the experience in words. My imagination would run wild, playing out how some of the strange scenarios I was finding myself in – crossing flimsy metal ladders over deep crevasses, stabbing my ice axe into a serac, breathing ‘death zone’ air – might turn deadly. The result became Breathless – a novel I hope provides adrenaline-pumping suspense while also transporting readers to the stunning landscape of the Himalayas.
Adventures and thrills: it’s something I also love to find as a reader. Whether it’s to Westeros or West Africa, Middle Earth or the Midlands, I actively look for novels that can whisk me away to a different place. Here, I’ve chosen six of my most recently published favourites. Whether you’re at home on your sofa, or off on an adventure of your own, these books make the perfect companions.
6 top thrillers set in adventurous locations:
The Bay by Allie Reynolds
The Bay by Allie Reynolds
I wasn’t sure Allie could top Shiver, set amongst ultra competitive snowboarders in the French Alps, but I loved The Bay, which takes on the adrenaline-filled surfing world. Kenna is a former champion surfer, but she’s stayed far away from the waves after a tragic accident took her boyfriend’s life. Yet when she’s drawn back to the water by her best friend – who lives amongst a group of people who have dedicated their lives to surfing on a remote beach on Australia’s East Coast – she thinks she’s actually discovered paradise. That’s until members of the tight-knit surf group start to go missing. Then Kenna realizes that paradise might be something that someone would kill to keep secret, and the dark side of the dazzling beach is revealed… Allie’s beautiful writing means you can taste the salt water and feel the grit of sand between your toes, as you rapidly turn the pages to find out what’s really happening in Sorrow Bay.
The Cove by Alice Clark-Platts
The Cove by Alice Clark-Platts
What could be better for family bonding than a tropical island vacation? Two couples and their children head to a stunning eco resort with sea, sun, sand and jungle life aplenty, hoping for some fun and relaxation. But trouble is brewing between the locals and the resort-owners – and even that tension is nothing compared to what’s going on between the two couples. Alice does an incredible job of exploring the fractures and frailties of this ‘friendship’, keeping the reader on their toes. And set against the glorious backdrop of ‘Turtle Bay’ – with its tropical storms, searing heat and dense jungle – this is one I couldn’t put down.
Where Blood Runs Cold by Kristian Giles
Where Blood Runs Cold by Giles Kristian
The most recent winner of the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize, Where Blood Runs Cold is definitely one to have on your adventure thriller radar. Set in the far north of Norway, Erik is looking forward to taking his daughter Sofia on her first ‘long ski’ trip – exploring the arctic landscape, drinking hot chocolate and camping wrapped up in furs under a starry sky. Yet the idyllic trip takes a devastating turn when they witness a brutal attack that sends them on the run from the perpetrators. Giles has created an incredible story of endurance and survival that gripped me from the off, showing just how far we will go to protect the ones we love…
A Stranger On Board by Cameron Ward
A Stranger On Board by Cameron Ward
My next novel Midnight, coming in summer 2023, is set on a cruise ship, so I really enjoyed this superyacht-based thriller by Cameron Ward. A Stranger on Board follows ex-Royal Marine Sarah French, who thinks she’s taking on an easy job as security on board a superyacht that is being moved from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean. A simple Atlantic crossing. Or so she thought. I loved how Sarah must battle her own demons in order to solve the mystery of what’s happening on the high seas – before it becomes deadly for the entire crew. Claustrophobic and gripping.
No Country for Girls by Emma Styles
No Country for Girls by Emma Styles
Described as ‘Thelma and Louise for a new generation’, I absolutely adored this tale of two women on the run in the Australian outback. The two protagonists are so unique and the simmering tension between them propels the novel through the rugged and sun-blasted landscape of Western Australia. This is a stay-up-all-night-to-finish read that’s perfect for fans of Jane Harper.
One of the Girls by Lucy Clarke
One of the Girls by Lucy Clarke
I’ve loved Lucy’s writing for a long time, but she really hits her stride in One of the Girls. This is a twisty tale set during a hen party on a sun-drenched Greek island. This is everything I want from an unputdownable thriller – twisty, gripping and tense – while also being a genuinely moving portrayal of female identity, friendships and forgiveness. It actually moved me to tears – not an easy thing to do in a thriller!
What are your favourite thrillers set in adventurous locations? Let us know in the comments below!
Amy McCulloch is the author of eight novels for children and young adults, including the number one bestselling YA novel The Magpie Society: One for Sorrow. In September 2019, she became the youngest Canadian woman to climb Mount Manaslu in Nepal – the world’s eighth highest mountain. She also summited the highest mountain in the Americas, Aconcagua, in -45C and 90kmph winds, and has visited all seven continents. Breathless is her adult fiction debut.
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