The Hike

Written by Susi Holliday

Narrated by Imogen Church

“Susi Holliday is one of our best and most original creators of tense and twisty tales.” —Ian Rankin

Four hikers enter the mountains. Only two return. But is it tragedy? Or treachery?

When sisters Cat and Ginny travel with their husbands to the idyllic Swiss Alps for a hiking holiday, it’s not just a chance to take in the stunning scenery. It’s an opportunity to reconnect with each other after years of drifting apart—and patch up marriages that are straining at the seams.

As they head into the mountains, morale is high, but as the terrain turns treacherous, cracks in the relationships start to show. With worrying signs that someone might be following them, the sun begins to set and exhaustion kicks in. Suddenly, lost high on a terrifying ridge, tensions spill over—with disastrous consequences.

When only two of the four hikers make it down from the mountain, the police press them for their story—but soon become suspicious when their accounts just don’t add up.

What really happened up on that ridge? Who are the survivors? And what secrets are they trying to hide?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Oct 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781713673705

Susi Holliday

Susi Holliday grew up near Edinburgh and worked in the pharmaceutical industry for many years before she started writing. A life-long fan of crime and horror, her short stories have been published in various places, and she was shortlisted for the inaugural CWA Margery Allingham Prize. She is the bestselling author of eight novels and a novella, several of them written as SJI Holliday. Along with three other female authors, she provides coaching for new crime writers via www.crimefictioncoach.com. You can find out more at her website, www.susiholliday.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SJIHolliday, on Twitter @SJIHolliday, and on Instagram @susijholliday.

Reviews for The Hike

[Lara Pretorius · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Entertaining story with many twists. The narrator did an amazing job.

[Laura Cunningham · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wildly entertaining from beginning to end! So many twists and turns. Some I could see coming and some I could not. Listened to it in just over a day because I just had to know what happened next. Great listen!

[marklacy-355086 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I don't know what to say about this book, except it disappointed me. It started with a bang, and fear, and horror. I expected it would be like a story by Stephen King. But then the story turned into one long nightmare. (For the main character.) No rhyme or reason, just trial and tribulation mixed with a dollop of absurdity and a dash of pointlessness. I stuck with the story, thinking sooner or later secrets would be revealed, one hint at a time, until it all made some kind of sense. But the closer I got to the end of the book without any resolution, the more worried I became. And then the story ended, and I scratched my head, and wondered why I faithfully followed the main character on his journey for so long.

[pepperwings · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Some people have classified this as science fiction, but I think it's more fantasy than sci-fi, and ultimately more light horror than fantasy. What is this weirdness?? This story is parts adventure, parts fantasy, and ultimately I wonder if it's just a philosophical journey with symbolism. I still haven't worked it out, but it's an enjoyable read, if you want to learn more about a crab's opinions and how to handle a giant, this may be for you.

[dmturner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Readable, sometimes gruesome, original. At times I was impatient with the protagonist—he’s not terribly sympathetic and he has rather extreme reactions, and he’s such a masculine cliche sometimes. . I’m glad I read the whole thing, because as it happened the ending was interesting and satisfying.

[evano_21 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bizarre and entertaining, The Hike is never a slog or a drag as the story becomes an odyssey through a videogame-like world. Giants, smoke-monsters, magic seeds, puzzles and talking crabs are there to help or hinder you. But the only choice you can really make is the one you have no choice about: stay on The Path. In the shiny absurdity of its world and its quest, it reminded me of Ernest Cline's "Ready Player One."

[being_b-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

So that was not as nihilistic and self-indulgent as I'd feared. I liked the ending quite a bit, and Crab was fantastic.

[krau0098 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a stand alone book that was a bit strange but still enjoyable. It’s a fantasy horror that for some reason reminded me of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series in tone.I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator has this slightly sardonic tone to his voice the whole time that fits the story really well. Character voices were done very nicely too.Ben decides to go on a hike behind his hotel and finds himself in a horrific world where he must stay on the path to survive. He faces horrors followed by short breaks of comfort as he journeys down the path to find the Producer, hoping that this Producer can finally send him back home. While this is definitely a fantasy it’s very heavy on the horror aspect. While I didn’t find it too scary or creepy, there is definitely a lot of gore and swearing. Some of the horrific descriptions are incredibly graphic and will make you go “ewwww”.The story is strangely compelling and I had trouble “putting it down”. The story is adventure, horror, fantasy, and irony all mixed up in one. I loved the ending and the irony of it all.Overall this was a strange little book that I found strangely engaging. I loved the blend of horror and fantasy and the somewhat creepy fairy tale tone to it as well. I really enjoyed the irony of the end and was happy that I picked this up to listen to.

[karenvg3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What did I just listen to? This was the most bizarre book I have ever encountered. If you are up for a bit of WTF is happening... this one is for you. The first night commute I was a bit scared to get out of my car then it just got weirder and weirder as it went. This finishes off my good reads goal though!! 3 ???

[lauranthalas-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is banana-pants and now one of favorites!

[john.cooper · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A different kind of beach read—part fantasy, part horror, part self-help book. The plot is like nothing so much as one of those text-based adventure games from the dawn of the computer age: "You enter a large room. On your left is a large pile of bones. In front of you, you see a small crab. 'Watch your step,' says the crab." For better or worse, it seems that anything can happen at any time. The chapters are short and things move fast. It's strange, and you'll be surprised. By the end of the book, it becomes clear that the author wants to impart a lesson to his readers. That's a shame; lessons in fiction are always off-putting when they're put front and center. "Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot," wrote Mark Twain at the beginning of Huckleberry Finn, one of the most morally didactic books in history. For the sake of his book, Magary should have hidden his moral a little deeper.

[gwendydd · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I didn't bother finishing it because it was just a bunch of random events and nothing happened.

[5hrdrive · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Deeply strange. Owes a lot to The Matrix, John Dies at the End, The Talisman and similar mind bending weirdness. Pretty enjoyable though and I liked the ending.

[kittenfish_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a long, strange trip it's been! That was a wild ride......terrifying and hilarious. Sort of a choose your own adventure book................ Drew Magary is one fantastic weirdo. Not my normal genre, but thoroughly enjoyed.

[msf59 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ben is a thirty-eight year old businessman. A father of three young children. He is on a trip for work, visiting thePocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. He decides to take a hike on a trail behind his hotel, before attending an important meeting. The walk is soothing and easy, until he meets a large man wearing a Rottweiler face mask, attacking a little girl. The dog-faced killer begins to pursue Ben. Instead of exercise, Ben finds himself tumbling into a particularly bizarre rabbit hole, as the life he knew disappears behind him. He encounters many trials along the way, including man-eating giants, demons and giant insects. His sidekick is a sarcastic crab, with a foul mouth, who helps steer him through this labyrinth, as Ben tries to find his way back home.Part nightmare, fable and video game, this fun mash-up, is an entertaining ride, filled with laughs, chills and suspense. If you are looking for something different and a bit off the wall, look no further. And please, if you run across a man in a dog mask, run like hell.

[thedivineoomba · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An interesting book about a man's uneventful hike that leads him into a world of something else. "Stay on the Path" says the old woman, who is the first person Ben meets on his hike. In typical fairy tale spirit- he first has to weed her garden. Than he meets a fast talking crab, who becomes his travelling companion. Of course, nothing is easy, nothing is what it seems. But all Ben wants is to get home to his beautiful wife and three kids, but it will take an eternity of effort to get there.This is one of those books that the story is the point- which means I can't say a whole lot about it, without spoiling it. Lets just say, nothing is what it seems. Overall, I enjoyed the story. The Minnesota references were fun - but I loved the relationship of Ben and his family. He really loves them. There are no other women, no other what if I didn't get married scenarios - just a man trying to get home. I did find the ending a bit generic - Once the world was revealed, the ending was rather obvious, although the author managed to make it his own.

[teencentral · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A masterfully weird title. To call The Hike surreal is a significant understatement. If Twin-Peaks-era David Lynch and an adept Dungeon Master with a significant acid habit had a baby, it would closely resemble this novel. The early quick switch from ho-hum realistic fiction to genre-blending not-realistic fiction leaves the reader off-balance in the best way. The slow reveal of the protagonist's personality and character could teach many a current author a few things about show vs. tell. The Hike belongs in every library's collection; give it to your gamers & your weirdos as well as any reader who likes their books to leave them simultaneously thinking "wow" and "huh?".

[jjbooklvr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am a fan of road trip books and this one has a journey like few others. Pink Floyd told us that we got to keep the loonies on the path. Ben should have listened as he makes the mistake of wandering off the path and finding himself in a different world with a whole new set of rules. Odysseus did not have this much trouble trying to find his way home. The bonds of love and family are put to the ultimate test as Ben meets some very unusual characters and is faced with challenges that will push him to his limits. But only if he is chooses wisely.