Runner 13

byAmy McCulloch, Sarah Durham (Read by), Jill Winternitz (Read by), Greg Jones (Read by), Charlie Beck (Read by)

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It’s the ultimate test of endurance: two-hundred-and-fifty miles in the brutal heat of the Sahara, with only the supplies you can carry on your back.

Adri is ready. Returning to ultra-running in the wake of a scandal, she needs to prove to herself – and her young son – that she’s a winner.

When a fellow runner is badly injured, Adri knows something isn’t right. Yet in a race this extreme, even a dead body can be explained away.

But there’s a killer stalking the hot sand. And the problem with running faster than everyone else, is that you’re miles ahead of anyone who can save you...

McCulloch writes vividly...an intense focus on the physicality of her characters is becoming her USP
Sunday Times

If there was a race to write a dark, immersive thriller that will transport you to a whole new world (of extreme marathon running) then Runner 13 by Amy McCulloch would be first across the line. A masterclass in atmospheric writing, it is told with resounding skill and authenticity, as deadly events at the extreme end of competitive running threaten the lives and families of troubled participants. This is gold medal storytelling and I raced through it.
JANICE HALLETT

Amy McCulloch does it again! Runner 13 is an absolute scorcher of a thriller that examines the lengths we are willing to push ourselves for what's right. Each chapter left me out of breath and desperate to learn what would happen next. Reading this book was a race to the very last page. All in all, Runner 13 proves that no one does an adventure thriller quite like Amy McCulloch.
SARA OCHS, author of The Resort

About Amy McCulloch

Amy McCulloch is the Chinese-White author of Breathless, an international bestseller and Waterstones Thriller of the Month selection. She has also written eight novels for children and young adults. She has climbed two of the world's highest mountains, completed an ultra-marathon in the Sahara Desert, and visited all seven continents, including Antarctica. Runner 13 is her third thriller.

Details

Imprint: Penguin
Published: 19/06/2025
ISBN: 9781405971706
Length: 659 minutes
Price: £14.00

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Runner 13

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McCulloch writes vividly...an intense focus on the physicality of her characters is becoming her USP

Fascinating, exciting and with a terrifyingly convincing depiction of people under savage stress this is an unmissable novel

Runner 13 is an utterly brilliant immersive thriller set in a terrifyingly arduous adventure race think Agatha Christie meets Marathon de Sables meets the Barkley Marathons. It is smart, visceral, deliciously dark and twisty.

Brilliantly atmospheric and with relentless pace, Runner 13 is one of the most propulsive adventure thrillers I’ve read. It will leave you gasping for breath. I loved it!

A thriller set around the fascinating world of ultra-running where there's always the threat that even the race might kill you. Utterly breathtaking - absolutely loved it. Amy's best yet

The twists will have you racing through every page

In Runner 13, McCulloch's firsthand experience of ultra running shines through every page. I felt like I was there! A fast-paced adventure thriller that will get your pulse racing. Not to be missed

Tense, exhilarating and deeply immersive, I raced through this epic ultramarathon thriller. So good on character, with a layered plot and vivid desert setting—I loved it as a runner, a reader, and a full-of-admiration writer

About Amy McCulloch

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