PJ Skinner

ALLi Author Member

Location: United Kingdom (the)

Genres: Thriller, Fantasy/SciFi/Speculative, General Fiction, Mystery

The author has spent 30 years working as an exploration geologist managing remote sites and doing due diligence of projects in more than thirty countries. During this time, she has been collecting tall tales and real-life experiences which inspired her to write the Sam Harris Adventure Series chronicling the adventures of a female geologist as a pioneer in a hitherto exclusively male world.
The Sam Harris Adventure Series is for lovers of intelligent adventure thrillers happening just before the time of mobile phones and internet. It has a unique viewpoint provided by Sam, a female interloper in a male world, as she struggles with alien cultures and failed relationships.
PJ’s childhood in Ireland inspired her to write Rebel Green, about an English family who move to Ireland during the beginnings of the Troubles. She has written a follow-on in the same Green Family Saga called Africa Green which follows Isabella Green as she goes to Sierra Leone to write an article on a chimpanzee sanctuary. The third in the series, Fighting Green, is about Liz Green’s return to live in Ireland to renovate a house. The series is written under the pen name Kate Foley.
Her latest book, published under the name of Pip Skinner, is a whodunnit set on Mars. Think the Martian with fewer potatoes, and more murders; a cross between Agatha Christie and the Da Vinci Code. It follows the first crewed mission to Mars to pick up the Perseverance samples from the surface...
She is now mulling a series of Cosy Mysteries, or a book about… You’ll have to wait and see. Follow PJ on Amazon to get informed of her new releases.

PJ Skinner's books

Fool's Gold: Sam Harris Adventure Series book 1

A woman geologist's first contract morphs into an enthralling adventure in the jungles of South America

When geologist Sam Harris finishes university, she is determined to make her mark in a man’s world. But exploration roles are hard to come by. Desperate for her first job, Sam accepts a contract with Mike Morton, a dodgy entrepreneur, searching for gold in the remote rainforests of Sierramar.

Sam soon questions her decision, as she struggles with a violent colleague, and living conditions in the field. But everything changes when she photographs some Inca steps hidden deep within the jungle, which may lead to an ancient archaeological site.

Mike sends her back to the site to search for artifacts with a drunken historian. But rumours about priceless Inca relics have spread among their team, and Sam is deep in the jungle, far from help.

Can she trust her colleagues, or is one of them planning to take the fabled treasure for himself?

If you like classic adventure stories with gutsy female protagonists, exotic locations, and complex characters, then you'll love PJ Skinner's thrilling novel.

Hitler's Finger: Sam Harris Adventure series book 2

When an alcoholic historian goes missing, is it a drunken bender, or something far more sinister?

It’s 1988, and Geologist Sam Harris needs an escape. When her friend, historian Alfredo Vargas goes missing, she has the perfect excuse to get away from her problems at home and return to Sierramar.
Hidden in a remote mountain setting, a village’s dark Nazi history has remained a secret for nearly 50 years. Now they are preparing to unleash it on the world. If Sam can’t stop them in time, Alfredo will be eliminated.
Can Sam blow the lid on the conspiracy before the Third Reich makes a devastating comeback?

Hitler's Finger is the second book in the riveting 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.

Start reading this fast-paced semi-finalist from the 2018 Adventure Writers’ Competition

The Star of Simbako

Diamond mining should be easy; Especially in an area famous for large gems. But the secrets lurking at Fona are bigger than any of them

It’s 1990 and Geologist Sam Harris goes to West Africa to work in the diamond fields of Fona. She is soon involved with a cast of characters who operate in a dangerous mix of superstition, cultural practices and ignorance (mostly her own).

When she uncovers the tale of a massive diamond missing since a rebel attack during the civil war, the stakes are raised even higher. Add a love triangle and a jealous woman who wants her dead, and Sam is in trouble again.

Where is the Star of Simbako? Is Sam going to survive the chaos?

The Star of Simbako is the third book in the riveting Sam Harris Adventure series of international thrillers. If you like Indiana Jones, you'll love this exciting adventure with realistic storylines, set in an exotic location before modern technology.

Get it now!

The Pink Elephants: The Sam Harris Adventure Series book 4

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.
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The Bonita Protocol: The Sam Harris Adventure Series book 5

Her new boss is a drug fueled harridan, and her friends’ marriage is dissolving; Maybe the project will be a winner?

It’s 1996 andGeologist Sam Harris has been around the block, but she's prone to nostalgia, so she snatches the chance to work in Sierramar, her old stomping ground. But she never expected to be working for a company that is breaking all the rules.

When the analysis results from drill samples are suspiciously high, Sam makes a decision that puts her life in peril.

Can she blow the lid on the conspiracy before they shut her up for good?

The Bonita Protocol is the fifth 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.
Buy The Bonita Protocol and have your own gold rush today

Digging Deeper: The Sam Harris Adventure Series book 6

Sam strives for acceptance at a diamond mine but the rebels have other ideas

It’s 1998 and geologist Sam Harris is so desperate for money, she takes a job in a tinpot mining company working in war-torn Tamazia. The rebel ceasefire is holding, but only just, and she is horrified to be shipped out from the capital to a remote camp.

Working in Gemsite was never going to be easy with its culture of misogyny and corruption, but the project is full of landmines, both real and metaphorical. Her boss, the notorious Adrian Black, is engaged in a game of cat and mouse with the government over taxation, and her colleagues are trying to force her out.

After Sam makes a breakthrough at work, she hopes to finally get accepted by her peers. But when the situation takes a sudden turn for the worse, her lack of allies puts her in mortal danger.

Can she survive the consequences, or will she succumb to her fate?

Digging Deeper is the sixth book in the riveting 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.

Buy Digging Deeper and experience the tension for yourself

Concrete Jungle: The Sam Harris Adventure Series book 7

Armed with an MBA degree, geologist Sam Harris is storming the City; But has she swapped one jungle for another?

Forging a new career was never going to be easy, and Sam Harris soon discovers she has not escaped from the culture of misogyny and corruption that blighted her field career.

Her heroic past is revealed at a mining drinks party, and she finally achieves the acceptance she has always craved. But being one of the boys is not the panacea she expected. When her due diligence on a project uncovers a scam, she is presented with the stark choice of compromising her principles to keep her new position, or exposing the truth behind the façade.

Will she finally get what she wants or was it all a mirage?

Concrete Jungle is the final book of the Sam Harris Adventures and completes the saga. Unlike the other books in the series, it is not a standalone, as it incorporates threads from all the other books. If you like strong female protagonists, international adventure and financial thrillers, and have followed the series, you’ll love Sam's final hurrah.

Get it now and Complete your adventure

Rebel Green: The Green Family Saga book 1


Relationships fracture when two families find themselves caught up in the Irish Troubles

The Green family move to Kilkenny from England in 1969, at the beginning of the conflict in Northern Ireland. They rent a farmhouse on the outskirts of town, and make friends with the O’Connor family next door.

Not every member of the family adapts easily to their new life, and their differing approaches lead to misunderstandings and friction. Despite this, the bonds between the family members deepen with time.

Perturbed by the worsening violence in the North threatening to invade their lives, the children make a pact never to let the troubles come between them.
But promises can be broken, with tragic consequences for everyone.

If you like family dramas in an authentic Irish setting, Rebel Green will thrill and move you in equal measure.
Buy it now

Africa Green: The Green Family Saga book 2


Will a white chimp save its rescuers or get them killed?

Journalist Isabella Green travels to Sierra Leone, a country emerging from civil war, to write an article about a chimp sanctuary. Animals are her obsession, and she can’t resist getting involved with the project, which is on the verge of bankruptcy. She forms a bond with local boy, Ten, and army veteran, Pete, to try and save it.

When they rescue a rare white chimp from a village frequented by a dangerous rebel splinter group, the resulting media interest could save the sanctuary. But the rebel group have not signed the cease fire. They believe the voodoo power of the white chimp protects them from bullets, and they are determined to take it back so they can storm the capital.

When Pete and Ten go missing, only Isabella stands in the rebels' way. Her desperate situation unlocks the fighting spirit within her.
Can she save the sanctuary, or will she die trying?

This is the second book in the Green Family Saga. If you like adventure and romance in an exotic setting, you'll love this follow up.
Buy it now and immerse yourself in a good read.

Fighting Green: The Green Family Saga book 3

Going back to your past can be harder than you imagine

Liz Green is desperate for a change. The Dot-Com boom is raging in the City of London, and she feels exhausted and out of her depth. Added to that, her long-term boyfriend, Sean O’Connor, is drinking too much and shows signs of going off the rails. Determined to start anew, Liz abandons both Sean and her job, and buys a near-derelict house in Ireland to renovate.

She moves to Thomastown where she renews old ties and makes new ones, including two lawyers who become rivals for her affection. When Sean’s attempt to win her back goes disastrously wrong, Liz finishes with him for good. Finding herself almost penniless, and forced to seek new ways to survive, Liz is torn between making a fresh start and going back to her old loves. Her options diminish as the problems mount, and she doesn't know who to trust anymore.

Can Liz make a go of her new life, and maybe find a second chance romance?

This is the third book in the Green Family Saga. If you like drama and romance in an Irish setting, you’ll love this follow up to Africa Green.

Buy it now and immerse yourself in a good read.

Mortal Mission: a Martian Murder Mystery

Will they find life on Mars, or death?

When the science officer for the first mission to Mars dies suddenly, backup Hattie Fredericks gets the coveted place on the crew. But her presence on the Starship provokes suspicion when it coincides with a series of incidents which threaten to derail the mission.

After a near-miss while landing on the planet, the world watches as Hattie and her fellow astronauts struggle to survive. But, worse than the harsh elements on Mars, is their growing realisation that someone, somewhere, is trying to destroy the mission.

When more astronauts die, Hattie doesn’t know who to trust. And her only allies are 35 million miles away. As the tension ratchets up, violence and suspicion invade both worlds.

If you like science-based sci-fi, and a locked-room mystery with a twist, you'll love this book.

Buy it now

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