The Pink Elephants by PJ Skinner
Money is being syphoned from the Masaibu Project. The local elephant herd is being slaughtered. Nobody even mentioned the pygmies
It’s 1993. Geologist Sam Harris gets a call in the middle of the night that takes her to the Masaibu project in West Africa. The project is collapsing under the weight of corruption and chicanery.
She struggles to navigate the murky waters to get the project back on course, hindered by interference from people who want her to fail. When a slaughter occurs in the local elephant sanctuary, her problems multiply.
Can Sam protect the elephants and save the project or will she have to choose?
The Pink Elephants is the fourth book in the Sam Harris Adventure series. If you like Indiana Jones, you'll love this exciting adventure with realistic storylines, set in an exotic location before modern technology. Can be read as a standalone or as part of the series.
About the author
PJ Skinner is geologist who has spent thirty years roaming the planet and collecting tall tales and real-life experiences. Most of her postings were in remote and dangerous sites which provide background settings for her novels. She now writes fact-based novels from the relative safety of London. She still travels worldwide collecting material for the series and having her own adventures.
Review
‘The Pink Elephants’ is the fourth book in the excellent Sam Harris adventure series and is the best one yet! Yes, I know I have probably said that about the last two books as well but this really is the case. Sam is coming into her maturity and realising her potential while managing a multi million dollar project. Plus I loved the setting of the middle of nowhere in Africa and the logistical and cultural challenges that this entails. I flew through this book once again and thoroughly enjoyed it. I will be honest I am not having a great week and this book and series gave me a lot of comfort. Please be warned there is a scene regarding the title that is not for the faint hearted - I may have sobbed a little.
Sam is looking for her next job and when a recruitment company phones her in the middle of the night to manage a huge project in Africa she jumps at the chance. It’s for a well known mining company and no one else is willing to take it on as they see it as a poisoned chalice. Sam sees it as an opportunity to get the experience she desperately needs on her CV. It is a project full of corruption but she is determined to work through this and flush those who are responsible.
Sam is such a great character and it was if she really started to come into her own during this book. This is the first time you see her having to deal with a project this large and it was extremely interesting to see her cope with the community aspects as well. On this scale where the majority of the local population are reliant on the project in one way or another brings huge challenges. It was fascinating to read about these and again it all felt authentic - probably due to PJ’s experience in this sector. I must admit that the scenes in the hospital made me slightly sick they gave me flashbacks to a local hospital in India during the 1990s my mum and I were forced to use!
Roll on book 5!
