Mystery in Harare: Priscilla's Journey into Southern Africa (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780578195193)

"MYSTERY IN HAHARE: Priscilla's Journey into Southern Africa," the middle story in the Priscilla trilogy, won First Place for Mystery & Mayhem at the 2019 Chanticleer International Book Awards.

A work of historical African fiction, the story begins with the bride, PR executive Priscilla J. "PJ" Austin, pausing for an instant before walking down the aisle to marry a man she likes but does not love; and in that fragile moment, a gunshot rings out, and then another. The groom falls. Blood stains the sanctuary.

Set in the mid-1980s, "MYSTERY IN HARARE" unravels the secrets behind this carnage at a Midwestern American Black church.

So, how does Priscilla fit into all of this? Although she is no longer a legislative aide in the Ohio Senate and now runs her PR firm full-time, she remains connected to her former boss. This Ohio state senator sponsored legislation that threatens the operations of a distant global conglomerate. However, the senator is unaware of this, and even if he were, he wouldn't care. In an unexpected turn, assassins target him-on Priscilla's wedding day-just before she can recite her vows, when an assassin accidentally kills her groom and seriously injures the senator. As a result, Priscilla becomes the next prime target, especially since the senator has been moved to a secure location similar to Fort Knox.

After the attack, Priscilla-a magnetic, up-and-coming baby boomer-catches a quick glimpse of the shooter before everything blacks out for the bride... She has been sedated and whisked away―kidnapped, actually.

Her fortitude is sorely tried as she awakens, sometime later-sedated and confused-on the outskirts of Harare, Zimbabwe, where, surprisingly, she finds herself fleeing from not just one but two terrorist groups.

One group operates behind the façade of a boarding school at the Anglican Cathedral in the Diocese of Harare, where Priscilla poses as a housekeeper at what she believes is a safehouse.

But it is her kidnappers who will surprise and confound you. With their help, she escapes and ultimately ends up in apartheid-era South Africa, where her situation becomes even worse.

Readers need to find out for themselves how Priscilla manages to escape and learn about the kidnappers and terrorists.

Meanwhile, as she struggles to uncover the reasons behind the attack at the church, she also has to learn how to fend for herself, mostly alone, in the savannas and wilds of southern Africa.

Throughout Priscilla's epic journey, she encounters a series of forces whose actions create chaos in unimaginable ways: mayhem, murder, mistaken identities, and a tense reunion with a daring special operative who might be her one true love. But she also forges lasting friendships, gains an appreciation for other cultures, revels in the breathtaking landscapes and wildlife of southern Africa, and, more importantly, discovers her inner strength.

And the minerals! Who can overlook one of the main reasons behind the Europeans' initial invasion of the territory? -diamonds, gold, platinum, and other minerals, all intricately woven into the story.

Remember, this is fiction; however, the well-developed characters and creative plot might make you think otherwise, especially considering how seamlessly integrated the historical and political events are, which are actually true.