This gripping book based on the life of the Alpine and Everest climber George Mallory is an excellent read. We are reminded in the first chapter of the tragic outcome of the June 1924 attempt to scale Everest, however, Archer is still able to build and hold the tension right up to the final dénouement. The life of Mallory is told in a masterly fashion, with pace, a lucid style and very good characterisation. The dialogue is well handled and the descriptions of the Everest Committee meetings at the Royal Geographical Society capture the tensions between the competing interest groups superbly well. As far as I can tell from reading a biography of Mallory (The Wildest Dream by Peter & Leni Gillman) the book stays largely with the known facts, although one or two side-tracks in Mallory's life are ignored, possibly to maintain the magnificent pace and focus on the main story. A short section at the end of the book provides thumbnail sketches of the later careers of the real-life characters who appear in the story. I have no hesitation in recommending this excellent book which, in the old phrase, once picked-up, readers will find hard to put down.