The Hike

September 25, 2023
Clarke (One of the Girls) paints by numbers in this derivative outing centered on a deadly girls’ trip. Lifelong friends Liz Wallace (a doctor), Joni Gold (a rock star), Helena Hall (an event planner), and Maggie Padden (an artist) have a tradition of taking an annual vacation together; this year, Liz, who’s teetering on the edge of a messy divorce, has chosen a four-day hike in Norway. When the women arrive near Blafjell, the mountain they plan to ascend, they learn that Maggie closely resembles a young woman who disappeared there a year earlier. After the four friends start their climb, they face harsh weather and a devastating landslide, which turn out to be the least of their worries—soon, they begin to fear the locals may not be so friendly, and secrets they’ve concealed from each other bubble to the surface as they fight to stay alive. Clarke alternates each woman’s perspective, but fails to make them more than archetypes, and few readers will be surprised by how the plot unfolds. Chapter-ending cliffhangers make it easy to keep reading, but this is a largely formulaic affair. Agent: Gráinne Fox, Fletcher & Co.