Review: Ivory Ghosts by Caitlin O'Connell

Ivory Ghosts

by Caitlin O'Connell

Publisher: Alibi

Pages: 240

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Still grieving over the tragic death of her fiancé, American wildlife biologist Catherine Sohon leaves South Africa and drives to a remote outpost in northeast Namibia, where she plans to face off against the shadowy forces of corruption and relentless human greed in the fight against elephant poaching. Undercover as a census pilot tracking the local elephant population, she’ll really be collecting evidence on the ruthless ivory traffickers.
 
But before she even reaches her destination, Catherine stumbles onto a scene of horrifying carnage: three people shot dead in their car, and a fourth nearby—with his brain removed. The slaughter appears to be the handiwork of a Zambian smuggler known as “the witchdoctor,” a figure reviled by activists and poachers alike. Forced to play nice with local officials, Catherine finds herself drawn to the prickly but charismatic Jon Baggs, head of the Ministry of Conservation, whose blustery exterior belies his deep investment in the poaching wars. 
 
Torn between her developing feelings and her unofficial investigation, she takes to the air, only to be grounded by a vicious turf war between competing factions of a black-market operation that reaches far beyond the borders of Africa. With the mortality rate—both human and animal—skyrocketing, Catherine races to intercept a valuable shipment. Now she’s flying blind, and a cunning killer is on the move.

Kritters Thoughts:  A book that takes you to Africa and into the thick of elephant poaching and the business of tusks - this one kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning to the end.

Although I am definitely not knowledged about the world of Africa and their relationship with elephants and tusks and poaching, so at moments I was a little lost, but I just kept reading and loved learning about what all is going on, not positive but informative.  Catherine was the best main character to help inform the reader and to show so much passion, I felt how someone who is in the thick of trying to save these elephants may feel.  

If you are a reader who has been reading a lot of mystery thrillers, try out this one as it is a little spin on the genre with an international twist.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2015 Challenge: 25 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.