Runner 13: A Thriller

The problem with running faster than everyone else is that you can find yourself miles from anyone who can save you...

A scorching new thriller set in the world of extreme ultra-marathons, from the bestselling and award-winning author of Breathless and Midnight.

It’s the ultimate challenge: a multi-day, two-hundred-and-fifty-mile race across the Sahara, with only the supplies you can carry on your back. It’s the race that Adrienne Wendell was born for.

Years ago, Adri had to abandon her career as a star ultra-marathon runner in the wake of a scandal. She could cope with the threats to herself, but when her young son was endangered, she gave it all up.

Now, at long last, she’s ready to run again. She’s running to win—and to get some answers from the enigmatic, legendary race organizer. Because the past has begun to show up in the present, in troubling ways.

It takes a while for Adri to realise that something is wrong. After all, in a fierce desert environment, the first dead body is too easy to explain away. But once the race begins, it becomes clear that there’s a killer stalking the hot sand, and he's got Adri in his sights.

AMY McCULLOCH is the internationally bestselling author of Midnight, an instant national bestseller, and Breathless, which won the 2022 National Outdoor Book Award for Fiction and was one of Indigo's "Top Ten Thrillers of 2022." She has also written eight novels for children and young adults, including the bestselling The Magpie Society: One for Sorrow; her work has been translated into fifteen languages. Amy lives in London, UK.

ISBN: 9780735248359
Format: Paperback
Pages: 336
Publisher: Penguin Canada
Published: July 01, 2025

"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.

—Sarah Ochs, author of The Resort

"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."

—Lucy Clarke, author of The Hike

"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!"