The stark extremes of Nepal, Iceland and the Arctic. Check out these three chilling adventures. Perfect for armchair traveling!
Breathless
By Amy McCulloch
Cecily Wong has the journalistic opportunity of a lifetime. All she must do is summit the eighth highest peak in the world – Mount Manaslu, Nepal – to get an exclusive interview with world renowned mountaineer Charles McVeigh. Cecily doesn’t have much climbing experience, but Charles conveys a sense of confidence that is contagious. He has carefully picked his trusted sherpa guides and an array of climbers, and Cecily desperately wants this interview that can change her entire career. Excited and nervous upon arrival, she befriends another climber who dies in a freak accident before they leave base camp. As the journalist in Cecily investigates the accident, the minimal reaction from the others appears highly suspicious. Climbers are surrounded by accidents and death regularly, but when a second climber perishes, Cecily is determined to get to the bottom – or rather, top – of this mysterious mountain where a murderer is on the loose. Her mantra begins: summit, interview, truth. Filled with bone-chilling cliffhangers from the very first page.
The Color of Ice
By Barbara Linn Probs
It is bitter cold when freelance photographer Cathryn McAllister arrives in Reykjavik, Iceland. Visiting the smallest “big city” in the world is a tremendous adventure for Cathryn, who has spent the last 15 years mourning the loss of her husband and the family they were meant to be. Excited to photograph the blue icebergs and illustrious glaciers, Cathryn has been hired to interview a prominent glassblower named Mack and has extended this opportunity into a much-deserved solo vacation. At 48 years old with two grown children and a well-established client list, Cathryn is desperate to rediscover passion and purpose in her life and work. Her shoot with Mack is quickly completed, but something about the man intrigues Cathryn, who has not felt romance in many years. Contrary to Cathryn’s inflexible nature, she rearranges her itinerary to learn more about glassblowing. Packed with breathtaking descriptions of the land alongside the intricacies of glassblowing. With all senses in overdrive, we can see and feel the sharp beauty of Iceland.
Girl in Ice
By Erica Ferencik
Val never imagined she would find herself in the below-freezing temperatures of the Arctic on an island off the Greenland coast. She has been summoned by Wyatt, her late brother Andy’s fellow researcher and mentor. As a renowned linguist and professor of dead Nordic languages, Wyatt needs her assistance with a young girl he and his team rescued from a solid glacier. A terrified petite 8-year-old has thawed from the ice alive and speaks a language no one can understand. Val must overcome her fear of flying, terror of meeting people and general anxiety over anything outside her rigid routine at the university. From the moment she arrives in this frozen tundra, she feels overwhelmed with suspicion surrounding her brother’s death and the little girl. With the assistance of a young couple diving the surrounding icy waters and Jeanne, who oversees the team’s day-to-day activities, the group sets out to make sense of this mystery. An icy thriller with surprises on every page.
WATCH TIP: “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible” is a Netflix documentary featuring a climber’s unprecedented expeditions. For an equally captivating journey, check out “Arctic Drifts” on PBS Nova. Scientists set out on a year-long polar voyage to uncover the Arctic’s climate secrets.
