Three Metal Pellets (Priscilla Trilogy)

Political enthusiasts and anyone following the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict will find the sequel in the Priscilla trilogy engaging. The political thriller features a presidential candidate who supports restarting peace talks on the Israeli-Palestinian issue and advocates for establishing a Palestinian state through a two-state solution.

It all begins in the fall of 1987, a year after Priscilla, the main character, was kidnapped from her church on her wedding day and taken to remote southern Africa, where she ended up on the run. However, the assassins who failed to kill her are now in America. Yet, back at her home office in Ohio, she continues running her PR business and waits for something "earthy" to cross her desk, until one day, she receives a handwritten note: "Interested in spearheading the marketing campaign for the next president?" She doesn't even recognize the signature, so she looks into the presidential hopeful.

No sooner does she start working on the presidential campaign than her political gravitas is tested. This is especially true when she insists that issues like the candidate's stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict undergo extensive review before going public. Still, at every stage, she demonstrates her political savvy. As it turns out, Priscilla did not earn a Ph.D. in political science for naught.

Early on, she rekindles her relationship with her secret lover, who invites her to meet his family at their home in the rolling hills of New Hampshire; they are an affluent, eccentric lot. But they are more than that; their lineage could complicate the candidate's position on the controversial issue. Not only that, but the family might support a presidential candidate other than Priscilla's, which makes the situation even more intriguing.

As it turns out, Priscilla's role in the presidential campaign has, however, brought her into the national spotlight, which enables the assassins to close in on her.

Suspense heightens as, despite fierce opposition and threats from assassins, the presidential candidate remains firm on the controversial issue. However, no one could have foreseen what would happen when he and Priscilla arrived at Columbia University, where he was scheduled to give a speech on this long-standing, volatile debate.

Although the story is fictional, the historical background in the book is accurate. Solving the conflict was important then and still is today.

Meanwhile, the presidential campaign isn't the only thing happening.

Readers also discover Priscilla's double life, how her mother finds out about her secret love affair, how her lover's family welcomes her, and much more as this rollercoaster of a political thriller unfolds.

During the story's climax, a highly ambitious news reporter uncovers a long-held secret, prompting Priscilla to deliver the most crucial PR performance of her career, her lifetime, actually.

By the end of Three Metal Pellets, the third novel in what has become 'The Priscilla series' epic adventures, Priscilla realizes that her world and her possibilities in love and work are much broader than the limited scope of Ohio politics and her traditional family. She also discovers that she's a talented PR consultant.

This book is easy to read. Additionally, for anyone unfamiliar with the complex details of presidential campaigns, especially what happens behind the scenes, this book is essential. You can also explore career options in politics, particularly if you're skilled in statistics, technology, and writing.

As it turns out, who would have guessed that a novel set in the late 1980s would still be relevant?

Indie author M. J. Simms-Maddox, Ph.D., created 'The Priscilla Series, ' a unique collection chronicling the coming-of-age journey and adventures of a modern-day, self-assured Black American woman of diverse ancestry. The South Carolina native grew up in the Snowbelt of western New York. Her academic credentials include a Doctor of Philosophy degree in political science from The Ohio State University. She has served as a legislative aide in the Ohio Senate, operated a PR firm, and taught political science. Consequently, many plots in the novel series revolve around politics.The author is self-taught; she did not study creative writing in college. She began writing fiction in the late 1990s, inspired by a recurring dream of a conversation with her father. She believed she was finished after publishing her first novel, Priscilla Engaging in the Game of Politics. However, much more came forth after that.