by Victoria Tait

Rhino Charge (A Kenya Kanga Mystery)
by Victoria Tait
About Rhino Charge
Rhino Charge (A Kenya Kanga Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Publisher: Kanga Press (February 5, 2021)
Number of Pages: ~290
Digital ASIN: B08PV45HYJ
GoodReads Link Coming Soon
A treacherous race to stop an extinction. A mysterious death linked to the past. Can a silver-haired sleuth track down the clues in time to save a life?
‘Mama Rose’ Hardie has always fought to conserve Kenya’s precious wildlife. Officiating at an off-road fundraising race in the iconic Maasai Mara, she’s shocked when a vehicle crash claims the life of a friend. And worse still, this was no accident…
When another friend is accused of plotting a deadly sabotage, the clever amateur sleuth vows to clear his name. But with motives between teams reaching deep into an unfortunate past, the determined woman must work fast to track down the wily killer. .
Can Rose catch the culprit before more lives are endangered?
Rhino Charge is the thrilling third tale in the Kenya Kanga cozy mystery series. If you like sharp heroines, suspenseful reveals, and iconic African settings, then you’ll love Victoria Tait’s breathtaking story.
Buy Rhino Charge to set a trap for a callous murderer today!
About Victoria Tait
Victoria Tait is the author of the enchanting Kenya Kanga Mystery series. She’s drawn on her 8 years of experience living in rural Kenya, with her family, to write vivid and evocative descriptions. Her readers feel the heat, taste the dryness, and smell the dust of Africa. Her elderly amateur sleuth, “Mama Rose” Hardie is Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple reincarnated and living in Kenya.
Like all good military wives, Victoria follows the beat of the drum and has recently moved to war-scarred Sarajevo in Bosnia. She has two fast growing teenage boys. She enjoys horse riding and mountain biking but is apprehensive about learning to ski. Victoria is looking forward to the sun, sand, and seafood of neighbouring Croatia when the world returns to normal.
Author Links
You can find Victoria at https://www.victoriatait.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaTait
Blog/News: https://victoriatait.com/news/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20373879.Victoria_Tait
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/vataitauthor/
Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo –
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
February 4 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
February 4 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
February 5 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
February 5 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
February 6 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
February 7 – I Read What You Write – GUEST POST
February 8 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
February 8 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
February 9 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
February 9 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
February 10 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author Blog – SPOTLIGHT
February 11 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
February 11 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
February 12 – Ruff Drafts – GUEST POST
February 12 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – SPOTLIGHT
February 13 – Here’s How It Happened – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
CHARACTER GUEST POST
Craig Hardie, husband of the protagonist ‘Mama Rose’ Hardie
Hello, my name is Craig Hardie and I’m Rose’s husband. I’m very disappointed not to be joining her at this year’s Rhino Charge event. I’m not very well, and truth to say, I’m unlikely to get any better.
I contracted polio as a child, which left my left leg partially paralyzed and I have always walked with a limp. Unfortunately, I have developed a secondary condition, which is now called post-polio syndrome, which is working its way up my left leg, causing pain and weakening the muscles and joints. And to cap it all, I suffered a minor stroke a few weeks ago. So I’m stuck at home and Chloe is joining Rose as an official at the Rhino Charge.
Let me tell you about the Rhino Charge. It’s an annual off-road 4×4 vehicle challenge held in Kenya. The idea for such an event was conceived in 1989, to raise funds to construct an electric fence around the Aberdare forest. The dwindling rhino population needed protecting from poachers and people who lived on the edge of the forest, with whom they were they coming into conflict with. The Rhino Ark Charitable Trust was established.
A friend of mine, Brian Haworth, conceived the idea for an off-road team event and in February 1989, thirty-one cars took part and raised 250,000 KSH, just over $2,000.
Each team comprises 2 to 6 members and a 4×4 vehicle which is registered to drive on Kenyan roads. There are two classes: U class cars are unmodified vehicles and M class vehicles are modified. The latter are stripped down and rebuilt with increased chassis heights, over-sized wheels, winches and other alterations.
The location of the Rhino Charge changes each year and is a closely guarded secret, which is only disclosed a few weeks before the event. Competitors do not receive maps of the course and area until the evening before the contest.
The entrants are required to visit thirteen guard posts scattered over a hundred square kilometres of rough terrain. They have ten hours to do so and the winner is the team which completes the course, within the time, and travels the shortest distance. Teams often have to make a decision during the competition as to whether they take a longer, easier and quicker route, in order to complete the course, or a slower, more treacherous but direct cross-country route.
The drivers need to be brave and skillful, as they negotiate densely vegetated slopes or winch their cars up rocky outcrops.
Since 1989, the number of teams taking part has risen and is now capped at 65. There is strong competition for places which are designated on pledges to raise certain levels of funds. In 2015 the event raised 4.2m shillings, or $38.000 and since its inception the total raised has exceeded 1.6 billion shillings, or $14.5m. This is an incredible feat.
The funds raised have been used to construct and maintain an electric fence around the Aberdare forest and support conservation projects within its ecosystem. In 2010, Rhino Ark formally committed to supporting conservation in the Mount Kenya and Mau Eburu ecosystems. Like the Aberdare region, Mount Kenya suffers from wildlife poaching and human-wildlife conflict, and the Mau Forest from illegal logging and deforestation.
The money raised from spectators is used for community projects, such as the construction of school classrooms or the installation of a borehole, in the area where the event is held.
The Rhino Charge has become a sporting event in its own right, and competitors come from all over the world to battle it out to raise the most money and become the ultimate champion.
MY REVIEW
This is the third book in Victoria Tait’s atmospheric Kenya Kanga Mysteries (not counting a novella), and it’s the best so far. Rhino Charge doesn’t feature a charging rhinoceros, as you might think, but in fact, is the real name of an exciting, very popular, annual off-road race which benefits The Mara, a game reserve in Kenya that protects many wild animals, including Rhinos.
This race is not for speed but for rugged endurance. Winners are those with the least mileage spent to reach all the points – sometimes meaning the drivers must take dangerous shortcuts if they hope to win. The competition is fierce, and this year, two competing family teams allow personal animosities to affect their choices. And someone dies.
Mama Rose, our friendly, sixty-something sleuth is invited to be an official for the race. But besides her official duties she soon finds herself investigating the death of a driver. She discovers it was no accident, and she has to force her way through a maze of lies, false accusations, and hard evidence before discovering the tragic truth. Readers will probably guess who the victim will be, but I guarantee, they will not guess who is responsible. Or what happens then.
The book was well written and very satisfying. If you love Africa as I do, you will revel in the descriptions of Kenya, its varied people and its animals. And Tait cleverly sets us up for the next book in the series; Jackal and Hide. I can’t wait.
GIVEAWAY – WOW!
For a chance to win a copy of the book, a $20 Amazon gift card, and to ADOPT A RHINO! CLICK HERE