What do you think?
Rate this book
South Face
2015 Readers Favorite International Book Award Winner*****
In 1989 Karl Blaine and his wife Fiona traveled to Nepal to climb Mt. Everest with their college friend Zachary. Only Zachary came back alive.
Two decades later, in 2009, a French climbing expedition discovered Karl's frozen remains. Of the five man party who finds Karl, only the Sherpa guide makes it down alive. He brings with him a whooper of a ghost story no one can believe.
When a much older Zachary is notified of this discovery it sets off a dangerous chain of events that puts Zachary and Karl and Fiona's son Derrick on a collision course.
What did Karl have in his possession when he disappeared?
What really happened in 89?
Can what the Sherpa guide reported really be true?
And one other question . . .
Is Fiona Blaine still entombed at the top of the world?
Disclaimer: This book contains dangerous airports, bribery, frozen corpses, trophy wives, gold diggers, ethnic stereotyping, and hotel staff behaving badly. Also workplace infidelity, drug abuse, bad coffee and things that go bump in the night.
Any resemblance to actual living persons is accidental, but if the shoe fits . . . .
"A cleverly written page-turner . . . absolutely amazing . . .
Gripping and unexpected . . . fascinating and downright scary"
-AMAZON REVIEWERS -
"Unusual and inspiring . . . something truly strange and
dangerous . . . engaging from the first chapter"
-GOODREADS-
"Well researched . . . left me breathless . . . highly recommend . . .
A novel worth reading"
-KINDLE REVIEWS-
"Dead on key . . . In the zone . . . land on this one . . . Americans in tibet"
-LABEL PRESS-
In 1989 Karl Blaine and his wife Fiona traveled to Nepal to climb Mt. Everest with their college friend Zachary. Only Zachary came back alive.
Two decades later, in 2009, a French climbing expedition discovered Karl's frozen remains. Of the five man party who finds Karl, only the Sherpa guide makes it down alive. He brings with him a whooper of a ghost story no one can believe.
When a much older Zachary is notified of this discovery it sets off a dangerous chain of events that puts Zachary and Karl and Fiona's son Derrick on a collision course.
What did Karl have in his possession when he disappeared?
What really happened in 89?
Can what the Sherpa guide reported really be true?
And one other question . . .
Is Fiona Blaine still entombed at the top of the world?
Disclaimer: This book contains dangerous airports, bribery, frozen corpses, trophy wives, gold diggers, ethnic stereotyping, and hotel staff behaving badly. Also workplace infidelity, drug abuse, bad coffee and things that go bump in the night.
Any resemblance to actual living persons is accidental, but if the shoe fits . . . .
"A cleverly written page-turner . . . absolutely amazing . . .
Gripping and unexpected . . . fascinating and downright scary"
-AMAZON REVIEWERS -
"Unusual and inspiring . . . something truly strange and
dangerous . . . engaging from the first chapter"
-GOODREADS-
"Well researched . . . left me breathless . . . highly recommend . . .
A novel worth reading"
-KINDLE REVIEWS-
"Dead on key . . . In the zone . . . land on this one . . . Americans in tibet"
-LABEL PRESS-
364 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 28, 2014
31 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
C.F. Waller
10 books72 followersAward wining author C. F. Waller is best known for 2015 Reader Favorite Award winners SOUTH FACE and FREE DIVE. He recently released TOURISTS OF THE APOCALYPSE which was recognized by Readers Favorite in 2016, as well as Shelf Media.
He published his first science fiction novel at age forty-seven, after a flight on an ill-fated commercial airliner over the Atlantic Ocean nearly became an episode of Why Planes Crash. This experience illustrated for him first hand that writing about exotic or dangerous locales was safer than traveling to them. Since then, he likes to think his meticulous research and storytelling gives readers a clear sense of their grandeur, without the inherent risk of flying.
After narrowly escaping the academic death-grip of several universities, Charles worked in nightclubs, took a turn as a new car salesman, and also as a hurricane shutter engineer. His favorite authors include, Oscar Wilde, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., and Michael Crichton. The later being especially close to his heart as Crichton epitomizes the tecno-thriller genre and the failure of humans to interact with technology.
Though he will forever be a Midwestern boy at heart, he now lives on the gulf coast of Florida with his wife, Tina, and one fuzzy feline companion. If he’s not working on a new novel, you can find him volunteering at church, playing overly competitive Yahtzee with his spouse, or indulging in an unhealthy addiction to competitive cooking shows on television.
.
He published his first science fiction novel at age forty-seven, after a flight on an ill-fated commercial airliner over the Atlantic Ocean nearly became an episode of Why Planes Crash. This experience illustrated for him first hand that writing about exotic or dangerous locales was safer than traveling to them. Since then, he likes to think his meticulous research and storytelling gives readers a clear sense of their grandeur, without the inherent risk of flying.
After narrowly escaping the academic death-grip of several universities, Charles worked in nightclubs, took a turn as a new car salesman, and also as a hurricane shutter engineer. His favorite authors include, Oscar Wilde, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., and Michael Crichton. The later being especially close to his heart as Crichton epitomizes the tecno-thriller genre and the failure of humans to interact with technology.
Though he will forever be a Midwestern boy at heart, he now lives on the gulf coast of Florida with his wife, Tina, and one fuzzy feline companion. If he’s not working on a new novel, you can find him volunteering at church, playing overly competitive Yahtzee with his spouse, or indulging in an unhealthy addiction to competitive cooking shows on television.
.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 22, 2014
This is an original, tangled, and somewhat strange tale that combines elements of a mystery, mountain-climbing adventure, treasure hunt, and ghost story. It is told from several different points of view in first-person, present tense, often changing viewpoint within a chapter. The net effect is to lay out the story as a sort of mosaic in which the reader must assemble the separate elements to make sense. This is an unusual way to tell a tale, and somewhat challenging to the reader, but quite logical in a mystery; story structure is itself a sort of mystery.
Twenty years ago, Karl and Fiona Blaine climbed Everest with their friend Zachary. The Blaines were lost but Zachary survived. The plot is set in motion by the present-day discovery of Karl’s frozen body. Karl’s son Derrick sets out to locate the body and that of his mother for personal reasons. Zachary also wants to locate the bodies, but for unclear reasons. Derrick makes plans to ascend Everest, and Zachary hires mercenaries to do it for him. We soon meet a large cast of characters who play various roles in the adventure. Action moves slowly at first as the players make plans, travel, and cross paths. Later, as they are in place at the foot of Everest, the pace quickens. On an early venture up the slope, climbers encounter something truly strange and dangerous; later, the encounter recurs with dire consequences. A post-adventure Epilogue provides insights into what the tale was all about from a pivotal character who never says a word in the novel.
Twenty years ago, Karl and Fiona Blaine climbed Everest with their friend Zachary. The Blaines were lost but Zachary survived. The plot is set in motion by the present-day discovery of Karl’s frozen body. Karl’s son Derrick sets out to locate the body and that of his mother for personal reasons. Zachary also wants to locate the bodies, but for unclear reasons. Derrick makes plans to ascend Everest, and Zachary hires mercenaries to do it for him. We soon meet a large cast of characters who play various roles in the adventure. Action moves slowly at first as the players make plans, travel, and cross paths. Later, as they are in place at the foot of Everest, the pace quickens. On an early venture up the slope, climbers encounter something truly strange and dangerous; later, the encounter recurs with dire consequences. A post-adventure Epilogue provides insights into what the tale was all about from a pivotal character who never says a word in the novel.
May 8, 2017
My first from this author but definitely not my last! I have never read a novel that has to do with mountain climbing or takes place in this setting so I really enjoyed the originality of it (at least to me anyway). It had great character development and a very slowly building ghost story that revolves around a murder mystery. It was slow in parts but it kept me interested enough to keep going and I loved the ending full spoilers!
January 1, 2015
Waller has written a most unusual tale based on facts with a bit of fiction and mystery thrown in. The author takes the reader along with husband and wife, Karl and Fiona Blaine and their friend, Zachary as they climb Mt. Everest. But three went up only one came down, so the reader was left wondering… What happened to the Blaines? That, and the fact that the story is told from so many different perspectives, makes this an unusual and inspiring story. Lovers of suspenseful mysteries will have a fun time with this.
January 30, 2015
CLEVER BOOK
This suspense-thriller novel is engaging from the first chapter. The writing is interesting and rarely seen--every character speaks in the first person. This technique brings all the characters into a sharpness that keeps the reader's attention. Many unexpected twists spice up the novel. I strongly recommend it
This suspense-thriller novel is engaging from the first chapter. The writing is interesting and rarely seen--every character speaks in the first person. This technique brings all the characters into a sharpness that keeps the reader's attention. Many unexpected twists spice up the novel. I strongly recommend it
September 26, 2017
Ok,I liked this book.The story was good enough except that there was no identification of who was talking at what time.It was frustrating figuring out if it was a man or woman and which character.The narration could have been awesome,but it was bland and oddly timed at spots.Joe Formichella ,the narrator,needs to pep it up.“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”
March 27, 2020
a wee bit of a thriller, a wee bit of paranormal.
Three friends climb the Everest. Only one came back alive.
Betrayal, bribery, greed.
Years later, the man's body resurfaces... and the wraith his wife has become awakes. She is out for vengeance... and a new lease on life.
Three friends climb the Everest. Only one came back alive.
Betrayal, bribery, greed.
Years later, the man's body resurfaces... and the wraith his wife has become awakes. She is out for vengeance... and a new lease on life.
December 21, 2024
Interesting premise, the narration was rough. Really dislike how this author writes women.
February 9, 2015
It was a fair read. Parts were very good and a few very poor.
The paranormal plotline was interesting. The factoids on Mt. Everest were fair. This is a fiction, but some names of characters bothered me because they sounded like actual climbers from the 1996 disaster, e.g. Bo Feathers from Texas sounds like Beck Weathers (from Texas). I just think the author could have been more original and do a lot more research on Everest before using it as the main place of the story, and real people's struggles.
The paranormal plotline was interesting. The factoids on Mt. Everest were fair. This is a fiction, but some names of characters bothered me because they sounded like actual climbers from the 1996 disaster, e.g. Bo Feathers from Texas sounds like Beck Weathers (from Texas). I just think the author could have been more original and do a lot more research on Everest before using it as the main place of the story, and real people's struggles.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews