A Guest Post and a WONDERFUL Giveaway from Rachel Grant
CATALYST (Flashpoint #2) is the first book I’ve written in which the setting is a place neither my husband nor I have visited. I tackled this problem with research. Lots and lots of heartbreaking research.
Having achieved independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan is the world’s youngest democracy. But South Sudan isn’t a success story of free elections and political autonomy, of a thriving populace emerging from sixty years of war. No this is the worst example of what can happen with a nascent government undermined by corruption, tribalism, and other factors too complex to delve into here. Civil war broke out in South Sudan in 2013. It is estimated that up to 300,000 have been killed in the war. In a country with a population of 12 million, over 3.5 million have been displaced, creating a refugee crisis within […]
Readers and reviewers often mention the amount of research that goes into my books, and how they enjoy the history and prehistory woven into the story. This is satisfying because I spend a lot of time researching the setting, archaeology, and suspense elements for each book. But I also have a shortcut when it comes to researching archaeology and setting: my husband. 
This is the fourth book in Rachel Grant’s Evidence series, but fortunately, this is a series in which all the stories are self-contained, so it’s not absolutely necessary to have read the other books. There are some characters who have obviously appeared before and it’s clear that certain plot details were planted in previous books, but the author has given enough information here for a newbie like me to be able to dive right in and enjoy.