With his debut novel, Chris Elliott delivered a laugh-out-loud parody that delighted mystery lovers as well as his many devoted fans. The Shroud of the Thwacker was thrilling, witty, and zany, earning high praise from critics and audiences alike. Now Elliott returns with Into Hot Air, a wild and hilarious sendup of epic adventure tales that also takes aim at disaster movies, celebrity activism, and reality TV shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race.
For decades the world has credited renowned explorer Sir Edmund Hillary with being the first person to reach the peak of Mount Everest. But was he? Evidence to the contrary arrives one day on the doorstep of Chris Elliott -- an anonymous package that contains the diary of his Great Uncle Percy Brackett Elliott, an adventurer (and raving loony) who mysteriously disappeared decades ago while climbing Everest. The diary seems to indicate that Percy -- not Hillary -- was the first person to reach the peak. By retracing Percy’s journey, Chris believes he will be able to uncover the mystery behind his disappearance and perhaps once and for all determine who was really the first person to summit Everest.
Chris recruits an all-star cast of celebrities to join (and fund) the epic adventure. For three days and five nights the group endures the ravages of hurricane force winds, blinding blizzards, bitter temperatures, and at least one guy’s insufferable, off-key singing. But the amateur climbers soon discover that they are battling more than just nature’s elements. An uproarious, page-turning tale, Into Hot Air is unlike anything readers have ever encountered.
