I had initially agreed to review The Hike with no small amount of trepidation, fearing that it might be too “weird” for my tastes. An existential, metaphysical journey into what would happen if you ended up in an alternate universe that challenged everything you thought you knew about yourself. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we use personally and believe will add value to our readers. Ain't no way I'm trekking through some unknown mountain eating dried food and shitting in the woods. Mix into it the Norwegian mountainside, Nordic gothic folklore, and villagers that warned of a storm, but somehow keep ending up on the same trail?

There is one person who is clearly meant to be the ‘best’ of the worst, but they all do despicable things to each other, so I wasn’t particularly disappointed to read the last page, but I was eager to solve the complicated puzzle that Holliday presented. The entire atmosphere of the book is threatening, with ominous signs facing the group at every turn: a buzzard (vulture) following them up the mountain, other hikers warning of loose rocks and potential hazards on the trail, a reliance on a paper map that no one is quite sure how to read. As the title suggests, it centres around a hike – a hiking holiday, to be precise – of four life-long friends. The start was a tad on the slow side; it does take a minute to introduce each of the four ladies, their problems, and their personalities. You want to know so you keep reading, so you can find out if they repair their relationships or if there’s some deeper secret going on there.The overarching theme of friendship is a strong force in this tale, making the story at hand incredibly compelling. But apart from that, I quite liked the characters, flawed as they were, they seemed real, though it baffles me how anyone can agree to a trip into the Norwegian mountains without being properly trained for it. The route that Liz selects for them to take is described by the locals as being a "thin place" where the dead are closer to the living.

The “story”, as it is, keeps going on like this, as Ben spirals deeper into despair, wondering if he’ll ever see his family again. No Escape has been filmed as a major international TV series for Paramount+ due for release in 2023, and three further novels are currently in development for screen.It was time for Liz and her to make their pact come true, but the women’s adventure goes from fun to dangerous and this is where the tension begins to build. But this time it’s a mountain hike in Norway and not everyone is exactly on-board with the decision. This book is also available from your local independent bookseller or wherever else you prefer to purchase your reading matter. It's like early, good Chuck Palahniuk leeched of all bitterness and class warfare--back when Chuck was still weird and tired and furious. Female-only groups have a very different dynamic than mixed sex groups, particularly friends of long-standing who have years of complex relationships to untangle and who know each other intimately, including all their darkest secrets.

This year, Liz, a type-A doctor whose marriage is on the rocks, decides that what she and the girls need is the healing power of walking. Four best friends - Liz, Joni, Helena, and Maggie - set off on a four day hike through remote Norwegian wilderness. Lucy Clarke leverages these bonds and resultant tensions to their limits to produce a book that is tense and emotional in its examination of what happens when secrets come out and relationships start to unravel in circumstances that push people to their limits and strain the facade of civility that society normally demands from us.The Hike will be published in ebook, hardback and audiobook formats on 27 April, with the paperback to follow in September. The narrative is very clever, we know early on that someone is in danger, that someone went missing a year ago, and I don’t want to say anymore as a spoiler other than this was a great twist. She encourages her three best friends - Joni (a rock star with substance use problems), Helena (a city girl who would never be caught ~dead~ without her lipstick), and Maggie (a sweet, single mother) - to ascend a literal mountain with her for this year's trip.

I picked up The Hike on a whim, in the mood for a thriller, and I got hooked from the start, pulled into the story and unable to put it down until I reached the end. There are some scenarios where The pace of the novel is slow initially but picks up considerably once the hike has got underway and then it varies from a brisk walking speed to hurtling pell mell down the mountainside. The Blafjell Mountain is a fantastic setting for this book and offers both a stunning and hostile environment.A woman went missing here one year ago, scarring the mountain with suspicion and unanswered questions.