The Meerkat Murders won Best in 2019 for the Mystery Genre in the 2019 IndiesToday.com contest! What a great way to start the new year!
Reader’s Favorite Review of The Meerkat Murders!
New review of the Meerkat Murders posted by Steven Robson for Readers’ Favorite.
The Meerkat Murders by R. J. Corgan is a murder mystery that delves into the darker side of human nature under the volatile skies of the Kalahari when Dr. Kea Wright is invited to join a research expedition by her good friend Tamaya Rose. This expedition, comprised of students and teachers from Burlingame University of San Diego, is studying several meerkat clans in Botswana. Kea’s initial surprise at being invited is pushed aside by a sequence of events that eventually leads to two deaths; one seemingly through sheer bad luck and one more sinister in nature. How Kea slowly unravels the mystery behind these tragic losses, whilst dealing with the majesty and brutality of the environment in which she is placed, will hold you captive until the very last word.
R. J. Corgan’s The Meerkat Murders is a slick and sublimely constructed voyage into the world of the African wilderness, juxtaposing the widely varied nature of human beings with the equally varied extremes of the ecosystem. Parts of this book will make you cringe at the depths of depravity people can plumb in pursuit of their own agendas, whilst other parts showcase the good that we are all capable of doing.
Read the full review here.
Long and the Short Reviews: The Meerkat Murders
Another 4-Star Review!
“… A really interesting story, filled with realism and excellent descriptions that proved to me the author had not only done his research, but also experienced much of the African landscape and settings detailed within the story. I was impressed how this story was woven together, with descriptions and details that really made me feel present – but not so heavily over-the-top to slow the plot or action down. It’s a delicate balance that isn’t easy to achieve and I feel the author managed this really well…”
You can read the full review by clicking here
A-Thrill-A-Week Reviews: The Meerkat Murders
So watch your back Timon, no hakuna matata for you!
New 4-star review of The Meerkat Murder on A-Thrill-A-Week!
“Did you know that the cute and cuddly meerkat, made famous by the Disney movie The Lion King is the most murderous mammal known to science? A 2016 study published in the journal Nature found that Suricata suricatta, also known as meerkats, beat out 1,023 other mammals at being the most murderous. They found that approximately 20% of all meerkats will be killed by one of their own. Sounds like a good topic for a good murder mystery, eh? Well, R.J. Corgan does just that with his latest addition to the Kea Wright series, Meerkat Murders…”
Click here to read the full review
A-Thrill-A-Week also reviewed Cold Flood, which you can find here
Murder on Masaya – Fieldwork Nibbles
My next novel, Murder on Masaya is set on the slopes of Volcan Masaya, Nicaragua and continues the adventures of Kea Wright. I’ve included on this blog some photos of tools and techniques the scientists were using in the field that might not make it into the book.
Fieldwork nibbles
One of the many research projects conducted on the slopes of the volcano involved the collection of gravity measurements. These required a great deal of patience due to the sensitivity of the instruments. Below you can see two researchers patiently taking gravity readings on the side of the road on the slopes of Masaya.
The gravity meter in our field work was similar to the one you seen below (image from University of Newbrunswick). Their unit is a 1964 machine that’s been refurbished.
As old as it is, believe it or not, it still is worth as much as two new cars…
For us newbies, the device can take either five minutes to take a reading to forty. Or, if you’re almost done after forty minutes and someone accidentally knocks the base plate with their foot, it can take one hour fifteen…
Mapping Mount Etna
In 2018, I was fortunate to participate on an expedition mapping Mount Etna!
You can read more about Etna’s location, geology and the fieldwork we conducted by clicking here.
Interactive Earthwatch Iceland Story Map!
ESRI Story maps are a free way to create inspiring, immersive stories by combining text, interactive maps, and other multimedia content. Publish and share your story with your organization or everyone around the world. I’ve used their tool to explain the research we conducted in Iceland (as described in the novel Cold Flood) with interactive maps.
Enjoy and remember you can create your own story maps just by going to https://storymaps.arcgis.com/
Guest Post on What Cathy Read Next: ‘Putting Science in Fiction’
Last week it was a pleasure to be featured as a guest poster on What Cathy Read Next, discussing the topic of ‘Putting Science in Fiction.’
Here’s an excerpt:
“Scientists leading expeditions in the remotest regions of the world are often doing a mad balancing act. Putting aside the fact that they have to acquire funding, manage the logistics for travel, food, and equipment for all of their team members, they also have to ensure the safety of every member under hazardous conditions. They do this while simultaneously mentoring and educating students, managing course loads, and addressing concerns, and enlisting the help, of local populations…
“I wrote Cold Flood as a tribute to these researchers. They labor to publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals, ones most of us will never read. I hope that by telling their story, the reader will get a glimpse of some amazing places and spend some time getting to know some truly amazing people – and maybe be inspired to join an expedition themselves.”
New Review on Yet another blogging mummy!!!
There’s great new review of Cold Flood now up on Yet another blogging mummy!! and the first review on Amazon.co.uk! Woo hoo!
Beware, spoilers ahoy!
And as the reviewer points out, there is a glossary at the back of the book for those who want to learn more about the geology/glaciology of the region. (Even includes the odd Icelandic swear word or two as well!)
You can read the review here!
New review of Cold Flood posted on A-Thrill-A-Week!
New review of Cold Flood posted on A-Thrill-A-Week, a blog that ‘Reviews Thriller Book Series from a Scientific Viewpoint’
Not only is it a great review, the blog provides additional scientific insight!
Also from the blogger’s page (which I love):
Signs you’ve become a mad scientist:
– When you stop calling the people who staff your laboratory “grad students” and start calling them “minions” instead.
– When doing your hair in the morning requires 1000 volts but no conditioner.
– When the number of burn marks or bloodstains on your white coat exceeds the number of coffee stains.
– When your inventions are labelled with any of the prefixes super-, mega-, death-, psychic-, or, with the obvious exceptions, space-.
– When your laboratory is located in any of the following: a cave, a castle, a dungeon, a zeppelin, or a geodesic dome.
– When any part of your equipment requires being struck by lightning to function.