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