Everyone pays a premium to live in this town. But someone’s paid with their life.
The rules of the running club are the same as they have always been: keep your breath steady, keep your mind sharp, record your laps! Only now there’s a new one: don’t get killed. The wealthy community of Esperance is picture-perfect. Big houses, stunning views, beautiful people. A brand new running track for the local club to jog around in the evenings. From the outside, it looks like paradise.
But the women of the town know the truth: you can hide anything – from wrinkles to secrets from your past – if you have enough money.
You could even hide a murder.
The Running Club is the gripping, twisty page-turner from the author of The Trivia Night, full of secrets, lies and reveals you won’t see coming.
Buy a copy of The Running Club here.
Read some great reviews from our Preview readers here:
The Running Club by Ali Lowe is a fast-paced thriller filled with many twists and turns. Set in the wealthy suburb of Esperance, Australia, the story is told through the perspectives of key characters in each chapter, moving from the past back to the present. The tension and build-up in the novel were well-written and I loved how I was kept guessing throughout. This book is highly addictive and kept me hooked until the very end. I look forward to reading more works by Ali Lowe. Brittany, VIC, 5 Stars
Fans of Ali Lowe’s debut book The Trivia Night are going to love her follow-up, The Running Club. Opening with a snappy and intriguing prologue, the reader is catapulted into a world of friendship, secrets, and lies. The Running Club was formed as a safety initiative, but dangers lurk on the edges. We delve into the exclusive and established community of Esperance and realise that all isn’t what it seems on the surface. The characters are big! There is a taste of, ‘with friends like these, who needs enemies’. Each time we dip into one of the character’s pasts, a new perspective is put into place and adds to the mystery of how they’re all connected and what their true feelings are. Ominous premonitions propel the reader forward, trying to figure out who has been murdered and who has done it. I turned the pages ever so quickly, eager to know how it was all going to unravel. This fast-paced thriller is going to be a crowd-pleaser! Kaneana, NSW, 5 Stars
The Running Club by Ali Lowe was a most enjoyable read. I took this book on holiday with me and it was the perfect accompaniment to the beach. The book centres on a group of friends who reside in a privileged suburb, with the stories intertwined from when the group were youngsters and living on opposite sides of the track. It’s hard to know who the villain is here: some have obvious character flaws, while others frankly are just not that likeable as people. When one of the group is murdered, there is no shortage of suspects, and the book jumps from present day to the past, and looks at the motives for who would be the likely killer. The book takes many twists and turns and I doubt many people will foresee the ending. The book is suspenseful and cleverly written. If you are a fan of Liane Moriarty, then this is a book you will very much enjoy. Kelly, VIC, 5 Stars
Another Australian writer that I have been introduced to thanks to Better Reading Preview. The Running Club will hook you right from the start. Each chapter is set around one of the main characters and the book moves from the past to the present, as we delve into the relationships between these women and where they have come from. There are many twists and turns along the way, with a few that I totally didn’t expect. I stayed up late reading the last 100 pages because I couldn’t tear myself away and simply had to satisfy my curiosity. I will certainly be getting Ali’s first book, The Trivia Night, and will be adding her to my list of must-read authors. Maree, QLD, 5 Stars
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is very well written and tells the story from the perspective of each of the female characters. There is so much secrecy, deception and lies told by a group of supposed friends of many years. The book becomes exciting with the twists and turns and keeps you wondering right till the end who exactly did what and why. A surprisingly great read with good sized, easy to read print. Karen, VIC, 5 Stars
Ali Lowe’s new Book The Running club is a cross between Gone Girl and Big Little Lies! Wow, her second book has certainly made it impossible to put down and I read it in 2 days. It’s not just a running club, it’s a club to survive, thrive and look great. Each chapter – told by a female character who you either love, hate or suspect – is a dive into their lives, marriage or secrets. Well done Ali. The ending took my breath away. Thanks to @hodderbooks and @betterreadingau for my ARC to review it was awesome. Put it onto your TBR pile. Debbie, SA, 5 Stars
Ali Lowe writes a thrilling book that keeps you guessing until the last chapter. The Running Club did not disappoint and loved it to the end. Lizzie, QLD, 5 Stars
The Running Club had me on the edge of my seat from the first page right to the last page! It is written in the present with a backstory as well. There is tension among all of the characters, mainly due to affluence, dysfunction and poverty, which you will notice as the lies, deceit and secrets are revealed. The twists and turns keep the novel fast-paced and every character, except one, has a reason to be the murderer. Samantha, QLD, 5 Stars
Look out Liane Moriarty! Ali Lowe has delivered a fast-paced thriller with twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s told from multiple points of view and I loved these money-fuelled characters and the privileged setting compared to their upbringing and background. I was kept guessing to the end. Leanne, SA, 5 Stars
I loved reading “The Running Club” so much that I will be re-reading it very soon. So many interesting characters, twists and turns. Now I want to read Ali Lowe’s other book. Thanks so much. Martina, SA, 5 Stars
Two of my favourite things – running and thrillers! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story centres around 4 women and their husbands that live in a rich Northern Sydney suburb. Their lives are changed following a death and the story flips between the past and the present to reveal long held grudges, past loves and ulterior motives. The story was so engaging that I read it in a couple of sittings. It’s told through multiple perspectives, and I felt this allowed for great character development and really kept me guessing the whole way through! And just when I thought it was all resolved, another twist was thrown in! Well written, easy to follow and entertaining. I would highly recommend and think this would be a great book club book. Rosanne, NSW, 5 Stars
Don’t be expecting perfect lives to go with the perfect Lycra workout gear and polished perfect hair and make-up… in The Running Club relationships are strung together with complexity and more than a few knee grazes. Some of the characters are nastier than year 9 schoolgirls, which has the reader rallying for their downfall. Which member of The Running Club will be killed, and who did it? Horribly real characters and enough twists and turns to leave you breathless (without having to lace up your sneakers). Amy, NSW, 5 Stars
The Running Club is a fantastic second novel by Ali Lowe. It had me on the edge of my seat right from the first page. It was quite addictive. Written in the present with a back story for each of the characters, there were twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. There was tension between all of the characters, mainly due to affluence, dysfunction and poverty in their youth, which became more apparent as the lies, deceit and secrets were revealed. This story had an equal balance of male/female characters who all but one had a reason to be the murderer. I loved it. Can’t wait for Ali’s next book. Helen, NSW, 5 Stars
The Running Club is a whodunnit set in the fictional Sydney suburb of Esperance. The residents of Esperance all appear to lead picture perfect lives, but what are they hiding? Chapters are narrated by Carole, Lottie, Freya and Shelby, all members of the running club. Shelby’s chapters take place in the past, revealing old lives and loves. Remaining chapters take place in the present revealing the murder and finally the murderer. This is an intriguing mystery with a late twist that I didn’t see coming! Anne, VIC, 5 Stars
Absolutely thrilling book. Ali has you thinking you know the storyline and who is who but the twists and turns keep you on the edge of your seat. I could not put this down! A fantastic read. Sarah, QLD, 5 Stars
An interesting story with many possibilities and some twists I didn’t guess. We know right from the prologue that one of the “running club” has been murdered, but then the story goes back 6 weeks – as well as way into the past – so we don’t find out who the dead woman is until much later on. There were certainly many possibilities for the victim, with many animosities between the different women. And once we did find out who the victim was, there were many possibilities for who had killed her, because everyone had a motive! I have a love-hate relationship with psychological thrillers, because I enjoy trying to work out whodunnit and why, but they’re often about horrible people who I wouldn’t want to spend any time with. I enjoyed trying to work out the mystery here, but I’m glad those women aren’t my “friends”. Helen, VIC, 4 Stars
Another great read by Ali Lowe. Set in Australia, the story revolves around a group of friends and is set in two timelines: back when the friends were teenagers and current time when the group are in their early forties. There is a slow build-up to all the different personalities of each character, and the reader may find themselves liking more individuals than others. Mystery simmers underneath the storyline throughout and part two becomes a thriller as the reader and the characters try and solve a murder. The author has a brilliant way of surprising the reader just when we think we have it worked it out. A very clever writing style indeed, and I recommend reading this novel. Toni, QLD, 4 Stars
Well, with friends like these… Firmly established in the exclusive Esperance community, a group of friends meet regularly as a running club. I say friends loosely, because there is a LOT of murky history and background shenanigans. And secrets that are big enough to kill for. And dry cleaning. They appear to do a lot of dry cleaning. Now, don’t stress – if this was a Jodi Picoult novel you would have all the heavily researched FACTS about running. The phases of the running cycle and what not. A gentle dabble unto kinetics and kinematics. There’s none of this here. Not a whiff of plantar fasciitis or stress fractures. It’s just a juicy murder mystery about a group of acquaintances who frequently run around an oval and are consistently ethically icky. It follows the domestic thriller category to a tee – carrot dangling prologue, deliciously wicked characters, solid banter and lots of ominous premonitions dropped throughout. A formula that works. It’s a very neat thriller – the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed. The strength most definitely lies in the characters, they’re so delightfully vile. I loved Carole! A really enjoyable read that you’ll race through (pun intended). Kate, VIC, 4 Stars
Set in a fictitious beachside suburb of Sydney where the rich and privileged take their indulgent lifestyles for granted, “The Running Club” is a murder mystery with all the twists and turns of an Agatha Christie story. I really enjoyed the book but I found it hard to empathise with any of the characters. Love, hate, greed, revenge are all present to add to the tension. All in all a great read. Robyn, NSW, 4 Stars
The Running Club is about a group of women and men, who on the surface all have their running club in common, but underneath each have dark secrets. I found this book very easy to read, definitely a page turner. It draws you in and keeps you engaged. The characters are all interesting, and the writing fleshes the characters out enough to get to know them without being too bogged down. I enjoyed the story line. The twists and turns were slightly predictable, but still enjoyable. Overall, I would recommend this as an easy holiday read for those who like light mystery/crime novels. Clare, NSW, 4 Stars
The Running Club is set in the affluent coastal suburb of Esperance. The club brings together a group of residents – some, like organiser Carole, are ‘native’ to Esperance, whilst others have climbed their way there from its rough neighbour, Shivers Beach. The book switches between narrators, and between past and present, and we see the group unravel when one of their members is found dead. I really enjoyed the setup for this novel – I was quickly drawn into the glamorous beach setting, and to seeing what would transpire in the lives of these Instagram-perfect people. But I didn’t feel the mid-section for the book lived up to that promise – because the narration was quickly shared between the female characters, none of them stood out strongly to me; I struggled to work out who was who and because they were all quite unlikeable, I found I lost interest. However, by the final section I had resolved my confusions about the characters, and, as the action picked up, the final section of the book was much more engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed following the twists and turns through to the end, and seeing the veneers over their glamorous lives lift. Chloe, VIC, 4 Stars
An interesting thriller, based in Australia. A small community with lots of secrets, and I don’t mind saying, I didn’t pick the killer. The story has alternate narrators, which I wasn’t rapt with, and the timeline did tend to move back and forth; however, once I got started, I did like this book. There was one element that I thought was a bit jarring, but as it would be a plot spoiler, I won’t detail it here. Nevertheless, I would recommend this to anybody looking for an interesting modern Aussie thriller. Thanks to Better Reading and Hachette for a free preview in return for an honest review. Tracy, VIC, 4 Stars
The Running Club by Ali Lowe was a compulsive read to find out who murdered the runner and why. There were lots of twists and turns and many tortured characters who all perhaps had a motive or reasons to dislike the victim. I enjoyed the flashbacks to some of the characters’ pasts, the backstories of the relationships and the backstabbing of the rich suburbs women and men. A great summer read and I would recommend this book. Thanks to Better Reading for the opportunity to review this book. Sally, NSW, 4 Stars
I got totally engrossed in this book, could not put it down, I loved the story and the on the edge of the seat chilling ride. Jessica, NSW, 4 Stars
Gripping and intense! This book has so many twists that I quickly became hooked. It had all the drama of a murder mystery. Revenge, love and hate – and all in equal measure. I was fully invested in the characters and in the tension that seemed to be founded on secrets. Each character had something about them to dislike, casting suspicion as well as pity. The book shifts between the past and present, each chapter giving more insight as the plot unfolds through the lives of the four main voices. The complex relationships and the depth of hate made this book unputdownable. If you like to be kept guessing, then this book is for you. Like the addictive nature of books by Liane Moriarty, the secrecy, lies and deceit provide motives that will keep you guessing till the end. Kath, VIC, 4 Stars
Everything, and everyone, are not what they seem… The “Insular Peninsula” definitely lives up to its rep in this book: not just a different world (to the rest of Sydney), I’d say a completely alien world! I’m an occasional visitor only to the Northern Beaches, and after reading this I might want to keep my distance even more (ha). Ayesha, NSW, 3 Stars
A fun read, quite humorous and entertaining. I found there were a few too many characters in the plot to keep up with. Otherwise, a clever novel with Aussie components I could relate to.
They are constantly trying to maintain their upper-class status on Sydney’s northern shores. All are connected from their school days. All have their own dirty secrets until one is murdered. I found it hard to like or connect with the female characters, not being from this social status. The plot thickens as the story unfolds. There are so many twists in the end, it becomes a bit ridiculous. Izabella, VIC, 3 Stars
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