The Hike by Lucy Clarke
Published by HarperCollins UK
Publication Date: 27th April 2023
My thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication.
Book Description:
THE PERFECT DAY FOR A HIKE
Leaving behind their everyday lives, four friends hike out into the beautiful Norwegian wild – nothing between them and the mountain peak but forest, sea and sharp blue sky.
THE PERFECT PLACE TO DISAPPEAR
But there’s a darker side to the wilderness. A woman went missing here one year ago, scarring the mountain with suspicion and unanswered questions.
Now, the friends are hiking into the heart of the mystery. And waiting on the trail is someone who’d do anything to keep their secrets buried – and to stop the group walking away alive.
My Thoughts:
One of my favourite books ever was written by Lucy Clarke, so to be offered the opportunity to read this new one ahead of publication is absolutely amazing - thank you so much to the team at Harper Collins UK!
The four friends featured in this book go way back to school days and have been a pretty tight group of four ever since. Even though they have very diverse jobs and family situations back home they have kept in close touch and insist on a girls' trip away every year. This year local GP Liz has decided they need something a little more challenging than a week soaking up the sun and has chosen to make a childhood dream come true and come hiking up a mountain in Norway. Not everyone is keen on the idea - in fact Joni hasn't even responded to the suggestion, so it's just the three others who set off on the trip of a lifetime to climb the mountain which featured in their school geography project.
The first part of the book, the preparation for the trip and the travel there, is fairly slow but sets the scene that despite all the ladies being a tight knit group that certainly doesn't mean they don't have secrets from one another - and quite significant ones at that. Once part two kicks in and the mountain starts making its presence felt then the pace ramps up - and, it would seem, the ladies aren't the only ones with secrets. The locals let slip that a woman went missing at the same time the previous year - and some of them are more touchy about it than others. What is it between a small group of them which creates such a bad atmosphere the night before the girls set off on their trek?
I loved reading about the experiences of the different women on the hike - the fact that Liz was the only one who had done any of the prep work and exercise plan beforehand; Maggie's worries about her daughter and whether she's brave enough to complete the journey and Helena's constant whinging about her blisters right from the get-go. The mood changes as the weather closes in and the plot takes a decidedly sinister turn. Will any or all of the women get back safely? And who is that who keeps making shadowy appearances along the way?
I was perched on the edge of my seat at one part of the story (and literally yelled "NOOO!" at my kindle at one of the characters for the action they took) and I can say quite assertively that I won't be signing up for a mountain hike in Norway anytime soon, no matter how beautiful the scenery is before the weather takes a turn for the worse!
A great story of friendship and how far we will push ourselves out of our comfort zone for those we love.
About the Author:
Lucy Clarke has a first class degree in English Literature, and is a passionate traveller and diarist. She has worked as a presenter of social enterprise events, a creative writing workshop leader, and she is now a full-time novelist. Lucy is married to James Cox, a professional windsurfer, and together they spend their winters travelling and their summers at their home on the south coast of England.
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