Waiting on Wednesday - Runner 13

'Waiting on Wednesday' is an event where I feature an upcoming book that I am extra excited about.  I love doing this, letting the 'word' spread about authors and series that I enjoy.   Hope you'll stop by often and see what I'm 'waiting' on!

This week's book is by an author that is very gifted at sharing 'extreme' settings with her readers - Amy McCulloch.  I've read two other books by her - Breathless, set in the Himalayas, which I wrote about here and Midnight, which takes us on a cruise to Antarctica.  I shared my thoughts on that one here.  Her new book takes place in the Sahara Desert and has a protagonist who is an ultramarathoner.  What is an ultramarathon you might ask?  Well, apparently it could be a 250-mile (or less) race as opposed to a 26-mile run.  Wowee!!  Yeah, I won't be doing that, but I also don't want to climb in the Himalayas.  I will, however, read about those things.  I don't find the cover of this one quite as lovely as the ones featuring mountains, but I think the description sounds interesting.  So, what do you think?  Have you read any books by this author?  She also has written YA and children's books.  Want to be an ultramarathoner?  Ha!  Let me know.  

Runner 13

by Amy McCulloch

Publication Date: July 1st

An exhilarating thriller set against a 250-mile foot race in the Sahara Desert, where at least one ultramarathoner is running for her life.

Adrienne Wendell was once an exceptional ultramarathoner, a runner whose times were within striking distance of setting records. Years ago, she gave it all up when her son Ethan was hit by a car while she was in a race and unable to come to his help. He survived, but it horrified her that she had not been around to help. There was another reason she put running behind her: she had leveled a career-ending accusation at one of the world’s most celebrated coaches—just before he mysteriously died. She instantly became a pariah in the running community.

Now seven years have passed, and Adri is back on her feet. She’s headed to Morocco for a staggering 250-mile race through the Sahara Desert organized by none other than Boones—a race director so mysterious and elusive he goes by only one name. Boones’s races are famously sadistic. Routes can change moments before the starting gun fires, and inevitably there are bizarre challenges that test the runners’ will and stamina. Adri is here to prove that, despite everything that has happened, she can still do it. But she’s also here for answers to the mysteries that cloud her past, and she’s as determined to find them as she is to finish the race. The only question is who is trying to stop her.

There are secrets swirling in the hot desert sands, and as Adri gets closer to the explosive truth, the danger climbs with every step she takes.