Jackal & Hide Mystery Character Guest Post

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Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Jackal & Hide: A Compassionate Cozy Murder Mystery (A Kenya Kanga Mystery) by Victoria Tait. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!

Limited time. A murderer hiding in plain sight. Can she crack the deadly puzzle without breaking her own heart?

Jackal & Hide: A Compassionate Cozy Murder Mystery (A Kenya Kanga Mystery)

by Victoria Tait

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Jackal & Hide: A Compassionate Cozy Murder Mystery (A Kenya Kanga Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Publisher: Kanga Press (May 14, 2021)
Number of Pages 290

‛Mama Rose’ Hardie just wants to make her ailing husband comfortable. So she puts aside her dedication to wildlife and community and whisks him off to a luxury lodge for a breathtaking getaway. But when a guest enters the bush and never returns, Rose is torn between remaining at her partner’s side and her fears for the woman’s plight.

Shocked when the missing person is found strangled to death, Rose struggles to balance her priorities when her husband takes a serious fall and ends up in the hospital. And with her estranged son demanding she stay by her husband’s bedside, the anxious investigator worries the killer may escape into the grassland…

Can Mama Rose solve the murder before time is cut short?

Character Guest Post

I’m Chloe Collins and I’m going to tell you all about training for and running in the Lewa Half Marathon. When I moved to Nanyuki in February, I couldn’t understand why my lungs ached, and I found it difficult to run.

My husband Dan and I were living in London which, as Mama Rose explained, is located at sea level whereas Nanyuki is on the Laikipia plateau, some 6,300 feet above sea level. For the first month I had to take things steady whilst my body produced more red blood cells to increase the circulation of oxygen to my muscles. I then began my training running on tracks around Nanyuki, and up to Mount Kenya Resort and Spa.

The Lewa Marathon and Half marathons, together with a children’s race, are held in June at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, in Northern Laikipia. The first marathon was held in 2000 with 180 participants. This year there were nearly 1,500 competitors. The race attracts elite runners for the full marathon who have included the 2004 Olympic silver medallist Catherine Ndereba, and former marathon world record holder Paul Tergat. Luckily, you don’t have to be an international athlete to take part, and most locals and amateur runners participate in the half marathon. Some people walk around, and this year they include a group of Mums from Nanyuki’s Podo school.

The event is very popular, and places are limited. I was lucky as the author of the Kenya Kanga Mystery series, Victoria Tait, collected entries at Podo school in Nanyuki.

I’ve seen articles in running magazines about the Lewa Marathon as it is considered one of the toughest in the world, and the ultimate bucket list challenge.

The course comprises 13 miles of dirt roads over undulating terrain. The half marathon course is one lap whilst the full marathon runners complete two laps. We ran along river banks, through acacia woods and up steep hills to reach large expanses of savannah plains. There is a huge range of wildlife on Lewa and despite the overhead helicopters, a spotter plane and crowds of runners, officials and helpers, the wildlife I saw was surprisingly unfazed. I didn’t spot any large cats or buffalo, which would have worried me, but there were giraffes, impala and zebra.

The race starts at 7am so most runners can complete it before the temperature rises too high. As the sun rose I had breathtaking views of Samburu, and Mount Ololokwe to the north, and as I turned for home, Mount Kenya in all its majesty to the south. Lewa sits at 5,500 ft above sea level hence the need for altitude training and acclimatisation.

I have to thank the huge team of helpers, most of whom are volunteers. Many manned water stops and first aid posts which were situated every 2.5 km around the course. As well as aerial support, a team of armed rangers ensured competitors’ safety. Medical support was provided by Kenya’s team of flying doctors, Amref, together with members of the Red Cross and local hospitals.

The half marathon was tough. At the beginning it was difficult to find my rhythm because of the sheer number of competitors. I had to run alongside the track, across uneven ground, to overtake runners until I had some space. I had been told not to push myself too hard up the hills, some of which were steep, and conserve my energy, and allow my stride to lengthen on the downhill sections.

I made a mistake of thinking the final, flat section was shorter than it actually was, and I embarrassed myself when my legs gave way and I fell around the final corner, in front of the finishing line. Still, I was delighted with my time, and my medal and goodie bag, which I was presented with on finishing.

I could also feel content knowing that my entry fee, and those of all participants, is being used by Tusk Trust, and Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, to aid projects around Kenya, particularly those on and around Lewa. These include contributing towards schools, hospitals, community projects and wildlife conservation. Since its inception, the marathon has raised over $5 million. It’s now time to begin training for next year’s marathon.

About Victoria Tait

Victoria Tait is the author of the enchanting Kenya Kanga Mystery series. She’s drawn on 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 currently lives in Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She has two fast growing teenage boys and enjoys horse riding and mountain biking.

You can find Victoria at VictoriaTait.com, at Bookbub and her readers Facebook group, Victoria’s Voracious Readers (with her cat Izzy)

Author Links

BookBub – https://www.bookbub.com/profile/victoria-tait

Website – https://victoriatait.com/

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20373879.Victoria_Tait

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Tait/e/B089S74WX7

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