QUEEN OF THE RHINO

Seventeen-year-old Claire’s role in a dramatic effort to save two rhinos while visiting South Africa caused her to become a social media sensation known as #QueenoftheRhino, but the trauma of the encounter left her with emotional scars. When Claire agrees to travel to Kenya with her father and his annoying new wife to meet a potential donor for her Rhino in the Room Foundation, she suspects she may have been brought to Africa under false pretenses. Can Claire face her demons and unravel who is behind the sinister events in time to save the endangered rhinos she cares so much for?

Reviews

I’ve been to Africa, Tanzania, and it was a powerful experience for many reasons. The people I met and the animals I saw are unforgettable; lions, cheetah, elephants, and more. What I did not see is a rhino. So rare, that even trained safari guides seldom locate one. In The Queen of the Rhino, Jill Hedgecock takes readers into that world, a breathtaking and heart-pounding journey which also serves to remind us of what is at stake, what could be lost.
Dan Ashley
ABC7 News Anchor, SF Bay Area

Claire, Queen of the Rhino, is back. With a stepmother who drives her crazy, a boyfriend half-way round the world, PTSD from her traumatic experience with poachers (see Rhino in the Room), and the responsibility for convincing the mysterious Mr. Sudan to fund her Rhino in the Room Foundation, she holds the fate of the rhino species in her hands. She travels to Kenya to face her challenges and her demons where Jill Hedgecock takes her readers through the twists and turns of this complex story to hope for the future.
Aline Soules
Author, Meditation on Woman and Evening Sun
Emerita Librarian and former selector, Juvenile/Young Adult Collections, Cal State East Bay

As an avid lover of these beautiful creatures, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the The Queen of the Rhino. The reality of rhino poaching has been a scourge on our planet and the rhino population for many years now with 3 rhinos a day being slaughtered in South Africa. The rangers face a never-ending battle fighting the poachers, often putting their lives at risk. Education is key, when people realize that the rhino horn is made of keratin and offers no medicinal value whatsoever will things start to change, unfortunately in many cultures these beliefs are ingrained. Thank you to Jill for putting her story out there and bringing this important topic to the forefront. We need to do whatever we can to save these magnificent creatures!
Graeme Mitchley
Wildlife Photographer and Conservationist

I had the pleasure of sitting next to Jill several years ago at our Porini Mara Camp in the Ol Kinyei Conservancy, over a candle light dinner, and I was inspired by her passion to educate people, and especially the youth, on the plight of the rhino. The Ol Kinyei Conservancy used to be famous as an area for Black Rhino and now had none! The need to save the species is real, is urgent and needs action. Many people feel the need however very few do anything about it and it’s motivating to see people like Jill that are making a difference.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this sequel to Rhino in the Room and definitely a book to buy, read, share and gift to others!
Dr Mohanjeet Brar
Managing Director
Gamewatchers & Porini Camps, Kenya

Hedgecock does it again! The sequel to Rhino in the Room offers a captivating mystery surrounding an elusive wealthy donor who has brought our heroine, Claire, back to Africa. The reader is kept in suspense trying to distinguish whether unusual events are clues or just imaginations from Claire’s PTSD-induced flashbacks. The truth all gets sorted neatly into a satisfying and thrilling conclusion.
David King
publisher The Diablo Gazette