The Contest

The exhilarating and addictive new thriller from the bestselling author of THE PERFECT GIRLFRIEND

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THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME. A PRIZE WORTH KILLING FOR.

'Brilliant twists and an absolutely killer reveal in the final pages' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ READER REVIEW
'I flew through this in a day' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ READER REVIEW
'Karen Hamilton is the queen of thrillers' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ READER REVIEW

'Peak tension and perfect plotting' Victoria Selman
'A hike from hell... one that will make you feel thankful for keeping your feet firmly on the ground' Daily Mail
'Leaves you breathless' The Sun
'Karen Hamilton moves from sly comedy to tragedy with unsettling ease' Sunday Times
'Exhilarating and addictive' Prima

We call it the Great Escape. The annual trip where my boss asks us expert travel guides to escort a group of privileged, uber-wealthy clientele on some far-flung expedition, a cut-throat contest for riches and glory.

The stakes have never been higher, nor the challenge harder: I must summit Mount Kilimanjaro before my rival guide to win the ultimate prize.

But this once-in-a-lifetime trip was never about winning to me. I'm here for answers, even if no one is ready to give them up. By the time we reach the top I will have the truth, if it kills me.

THE QUESTION IS, HOW FAR WILL THEY GO TO KEEP ME QUIET?

Praise for Karen Hamilton:

'Fabulously dark' Harriet Tyce
'An irresistible slice of escapism' TM Logan
'Full of twists and turns, it will keep you furiously turning the pages' Sarah Pearse
'Compelling, absorbing and highly entertaining.' Allie Reynolds
'Sizzles with tension, desire, and menace.' Jack Jordan
'Be prepared to put your life on hold' Good Housekeeping
'This is the must read book of the summer!' Steph Broadribb
'Fast-moving and fun' Observer©2023 Karen Hamilton

Karen HamiltonHeather LongWildfire

Family Life

Genre Fiction

Psychological

Thriller & Suspense

Suspense

Fiction

Family Life Genre Fiction Psychological Thriller & Suspense Suspense Fiction

Critic reviews

Peak tension and perfect plotting in this thrilling new novel from the author of The Perfect Girlfriend.

Karen Hamilton moves from sly comedy to tragedy with unsettling ease

Hamilton's story leaves you breathless trying to spot the good guys amid shifting loyalties.

A hike from hell... one that will make you feel thankful for keeping your feet firmly on the ground

Exhilarating and addictive

Dripping with rivalry, lies and deception... the tension ramps up with every turn of the page.

More twists and turns than a Kilimanjaro path, The Contest is the ultimate book for this summer. Secrets and lies, deception and double crossing, you wouldn't want these characters to buy you a drink, let alone join you for a climb up a mountain.

A book of inescapable rivalry, deceit, and family drama. Karen delivers a tightly plotted and fantastically researched thriller about climbing the heights of Kilimanjaro, upping the tension the higher the climb. I raced through it.

This brilliant thriller made me feel like I was taking every step up Mt Kilimanjaro. It's a fabulous read, exploring what lengths we are prepared to go to succeed.

Karen Hamilton takes suspense to new heights in this nailbiting thriller that had me hooked from the start. An original voice, characters to love and hate, and a strong sense of place, make this an engrossing read.

I devoured The Contest. Terrifyingly claustrophobic. This is the must read book of the summer!

I loved The Contest. A totally addictive thriller that I couldn't put down. The perfect summer read.

On a race to the top of Kilimanjaro, everyone has a motive to win and some have motive to kill in Karen Hamilton's latest gripping thriller. Each rise in elevation will have you turning pages faster than you can catch your breath. I'm still recovering from the altitude.

Loaded with the kind of edge-of-the seat tension that adds up to a cracking good thriller.

Most relevant

Totally worth it's price or Audible Credit.

Kudos to both the author and the narrator. Together they have produced a phenomenal work of entertainment. I loved listening to it, dying to find out what happens next, and yet not wanting the end to come too soon in order that I could prolong the adventure.

This is a different kind of story written in an unusual way. But it's totally gripping from start to finish.

Everything centres around an organised climb of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The central characters all either work for or are clients of an elite travel company. As the story develops events unfold one after another, building up to a head spinning climax.

In my opinion this book is a fabulous movie just dying to be made by a director worthy of it.

It's my first experience of this author. But on that basis I believe she's right up there with the very best of her trade. As is the narrator who completely brought this work to life.