The Third Force (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781944072643)

The Third Force is the dramatic conclusion of The Gisawi Chronicles. In the final chapter, the Democratic Republic of Gisawi (DroG) holds historic elections after a popular uprising ousts the county's former dictator. However, someone claiming to be the infamous warlord Daniel Odoki has returned to lead a rebel army that threatens to disrupt the fragile democracy and seize the strategic military outpost of Kiskow.

Colonel Louie Bigombe is working with his American counterparts, trying to rebuild the Gisawian army after years of neglect. But they must do so while fighting Odoki's Gisawian Liberation Army. With the remote garrison in Kiskowo under siege, rumors swirl about a mysterious third force waging a shadow war against Odoki's rebel army. A relentless American reporter, Janet Russell, is determined to get to the bottom of the third force rumors and discover who is fighting Odoki's militias and why.

Meanwhile, superpower rivals are scheming to sway the presidential election, hoping to claim their share of the prize: control over the county's vast mineral deposits. With missionary zeal, America is determined to midwife its old ally toward a secure, more democratic future. A young American staffer, Owen Smith, is placed in charge of a cryptically named initiative overseeing the upcoming elections. However, Smith is preoccupied with validating a new model of campaigning, turning DRoG into his laboratory, and placing Louie Bigombe at the center of the experiment.

After a mysterious bombing kills a leading presidential candidate, the county's corrupt former intelligence chief, Emanuel Sekibo, emerges as the new front-runner. However, Sekibo's prospects dim when Louie Bigombe emerges as a surprise candidate, though it's unclear who's behind his bid and why. As he tries to unravel the mystery, Louie is helped by his old childhood friend Patrick, an officer working inside the feared and secretive Police Intelligence.

While trying to help Louie get to the bottom of the election shenanigans, Patrick stumbles upon something much darker, a secret that raises the stakes for everyone involved. Meanwhile, Louie's wife, Anna, an American academic working at the National University, is drawn into the drama when she disappears from campus without a trace. In trying to locate Anna, Louie is drawn across the border into the stronghold of the Gisawian Liberation Army. There, he learns the secret behind the rebel force and the true aim of the insurgency.

As it grows clear to Louie that he's become a pawn in someone else's game, he must race to discover the truth before it turns deadly for those he most wants to protect. In the end, Louie confronts a painful secret from his past and learns the truth about a family saga that is inseparable from his nation's history.