Book Review: The Hike by Lucy Clarke

Rating: 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was intrigued by Lucy Clarke's latest novel The Hike after an event that I attended back in May at Waterstones in Tottenham Court Road. Alongside Lisa Jewell, Lucy spoke about her process behind writing The Hike, and how visiting Norway inspired her narrative. A popular author, recognised from her previous bestseller The Castaways, this was in fact the first of Lucy's eight books that I have read. Best known for her destination thrillers, Lucy has such a way of bringing a place to life; I actually felt like I was submerged into her narrative as one of her characters. What I loved the most about The Hike was the way in which each character's individual lives and stories interweaved with each other. Instead of focusing on one character, and only reading from one perspective, Lucy dedicates different chapters to each of the four friends: Maggie, Liz, Helena and Joni. The combination of the character driven narrative and the haunting atmosphere of the wilderness will only send chills up your spine. Not only that, the level of suspense brings such a pace to your reading that you will find the pages turning themselves! This book truly has it all: an engaging plot, surprising twists and completely unexpected conclusions. In spite of all the mystery and secrets, this is very much a story about friendship, and how the events that take place on the mountain, the sacrifices that the women make, will only continue to strengthen their bond together. The perfect read for fans of psychological, destination thrillers!

About The Book:

Leaving behind their everyday lives, Maggie, Liz, Helena and Joni hike out into the beautiful Norwegian wilderness. These old friends, who are bound together by history, adventures and secrets, challenge themselves with towering mountains, glass-like lakes, log cabins and forests stolen from a fairytale. However, there is a darkness to this wilderness, that no one had initially bargained for. A woman went missing here one year ago and that mystery has scarred the mountain with endless suspicion.

Now, the friends are hiking straight into the heart of the mystery, straight towards the one person who would do anything to keep these secrets buried. There's a killer on this trail, but will the group walk away from these mountains alive?