My China Trilogy: Kellie Liang Returns in The China Dilemma
April 18, 2026, A Note from author Timothy Trainer: I’m fortunate to have signed a publishing contract to get The China Dilemma out later this year. Things happen when writing fiction.
Having created Kellie Liang in The China Connection (published in 2023), it was an easy decision to write a second novel with her having a central role in The China Factor (published in 2024).
However, the ending in The China Factor (yes, even I was surprised by the ending) left me scratching my head, asking, well, what happens? Kellie Liang wasn’t done.
In fact, things that cause tension in U.S.-China relations have only gotten more complex, and she continues to find herself mixed up in ways she couldn’t have predicted. Scroll down to read more about the new book!
If you haven’t read the two previous novels, there’s time before The China Dilemma is published. Click here to buy Tim’s books!
Timothy Trainer in Washington, DC • Photo by AnnaGibbs.com
About The China Dilemma
Attempts to expose China’s stranglehold on rare earth minerals and resulting U.S. vulnerability poses risks to those who want to publicize the China threat.
A publishing contract signed on April 17 with Joshua Tree Publishing assures readers that Kellie Liang, the central character in two previous mystery novels The China Factor and The China Factor, will return later this year.
“Kellie forced my hand because of the way The China Factor ended,” says author Timothy Trainer. “I didn’t have a particular scene or ending in mind for the China Factor. I confess that when I typed the last sentence then reread it, I stopped writing. But, because I stopped writing, it left me and readers asking the question, what happens to her?”
The title of the next installment of the trilogy is The China Dilemma. The story is set in 2007. Readers can follow Kellie’s exploits in Europe and the United States. China’s global impact is evident through the story. “Given the way The China Factor ended, I had to take Kellie to Europe. Hopefully, anyone who has read either of the previous books will notice her character evolve,” Mr. Trainer says.
“Tim brings current events to life through his books,” says journalist and author Hope Katz Gibbs, founder of the Inkandescent PR + Publishing Co. “He shares with us the implications of China’s control of rare earth minerals in The China Dilemma. It’s a reality-based story and what the government doesn’t want us to know and how Kellie gets involved in trying to educate the public about the dire consequences of failing to be informed,” says Ms. Gibbs.
Honors and Awards: The China Factor and The China Factor received awards in the Mystery, Thriller, Crime category from the Military Writers Society of America.
About the Timothy Trainer: Writing books is a passion for attorney Timothy Trainer, who for more than three decades focused on intellectual property issues in his day job. He has worked in government agencies and in the private sector, and his assignments have taken him to 60 countries around the world.
Tim found time to pen a few non-fiction tomes, including his first book, Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights; the 15th edition was published in 2022. Thomson Reuters’ Aspatore Books published Tim’s next title in 2015, Potato Chips to Computer Chips: The War on Fake Stuff.
Fiction was a genre he always wanted to try. In 2019, Pendulum Over the Pacific, was released by Joshua Tree Publishing. “This political intrigue story is set in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., and centers on trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan in the late 1980s,” Tim explains.
In 2023, his first series hit bookstores: The China Connection.
In 2025, he published the sequel, The China Factor, which ranked #63 on the Amazon Asian Literature list in 2025.
Don’t miss this week’s blog post by IP attorney, author Timothy Trainer, host of the podcast and video show Tim’s Travails • Follow Tim on Substack
