The Voting Machine: A Temo McCarthy Mystery

The Voting Machine: A Temo McCarthy Story by Dmitri Ragano

Losing a grip on the constituents of Sin City, aka Las Vegas, is a treacherous perch for an able bodied politician hoping to clean up in votes from a crucial swing state. Strange as it may seem, casting a vote has never been so dangerous. The Voting Machine is an unflinching atmospheric murder-mystery.

Temo McCarthy is the main character who has a connection with the murdered voters. The FBI decide to include Temo in the investigation of the mysterious deaths of two voters. Perhaps channeling the naysayer of doom, the book begins with a simple statement from Temo.

"My father always told me that no good deed goes unfinished. Try to do the right thing and sooner or later, it's going to bit you. Of course I hated to agree with anything he said, but in this case he had a point. I was in trouble again."

He obviously has a point.

As the story ensues, Temo finds himself between jobs. The usual kind let-down of "over-qualified" or the castigation of "not enough experience" constantly comes up as he is plagued with feelings of inadequacy. The author's raw emphasis on such a situation gives the reader pause. Most readers will feel an even deeper connection and identify with the plight of the main character.

"I felt more worthless with every passing day. A man who cannot provide for his family is really not a man at all. I hated myself intensely, because that's what losers do. It was just like I had always feared: deep down inside, a loser is always a loser, even if he wins once or twice along the way."

But it doesn't stop there. The plot intensifies as two voters are murdered inside a voting booth without any sort of visible agitation. An investigation reveals something even more sinister, and a simple murder-mystery is turned upside down.

Right or wrong, true vs. false is thrown out the window. There is a sliding grey scale that each character in this book must venture and decide upon. It is a realistic point in certain aspects, such as Brenda with her PTSD and Anabelle's rehabilitation centers. The reader is drawn into a provocative story line that is honest and gritty.

This is the second book in a series of Temo McCarthy stories. I have never read the first book, but The Voting Machine stands well on it's own. I did not miss any character subplots or extraneous references that would have muddled a great book.

Ragano is an exceptional storyteller; it is evident in his eloquent summation of detrimental circumstances that paints an intriguing landscape for heroes and villains alike. It was indeed quite a pleasure to read such a well executed book.

Dmitri Ragano is an ex-journalist and technology consultant in San Francisco and Tokyo. He currently resides in Irvine, California with his wife and daughter.


The Voting Machine by Dmitri Ragano, 2012 ISBN 978-0-615-65940-4

The Saskia Brandt Omnibus

Grab your coffee, this is a long one. I haven't read a trilogy this engrossing in a long time. The trilogy encompasses three books, DEJA VU, FLASHBACK, and THE AMBER ROOMS. The stories were well-written, action packed and I was a bit sorry when they came to an end.

The Saskia Brandt Omnibus by Ian Hocking

Dr. Ian Hocking brings a refreshing aspect to time travel. The books are an embodiment of the terminology "technothriller". Though the Saskia Brandt Omnibus may be placed under the sci-fi category, it is most definitely in a class of it's own. I most enjoyed the fact that being a "sci-fi" book, the entire story stayed rooted on planet Earth. These three books are an obvious culmination of the time and study the author dedicated to the idea of travelling through time and addressing well-known historical data.

In DEJA VU we meet Saskia Brandt, an investigator who doesn't realize that her own actions are being dictated by someone or something else. She is in the midst of investigating David Proctor, who is accused of bombing a British facility in 2003, but he has no recollection of the incident. Proctor's genius daughter invents something that changes the course of everyone's lives. In the meantime, as Saskia finds her secretary killed at the office, she realizes that she is being hunted.

Then we smash into FLASHBACK, this is where the magic happens. As we delve into the realm of time-travel, and face human turmoil, we jump between continents and several various points in time. Saskia's character takes a bit of a backseat as the author demonstrates an intricate web of peril and outright exposure. We meet some of the characters from DEJA VU, but there are new intriguing faces that come into play. Dr. Hocking's cunning story development and quick-witted repartee made this book an absolute page turner.

And lastly, THE AMBER ROOMS. The author's vast researching skills are evident in this last book of the series. This book brings together some of the gaps from the other two books. I quite enjoyed the interesting facts about pre-revolutionary Russia placed into the story. Saskia Brandt is transported back to the last crumbling days of Tsarist Russia. Unlike the other two predecessors, this book only relies on technology to supplement the story, not to make it the main attention grabber.

The characters are well developed and brilliantly brought together. I commend Dr. Hocking for keeping the characters human. They are not above dying, feeling turmoil, or being physically and mentally injured. No one gets off unscathed. 

You can read these books independently and still find a gripping story to follow. I must admit, I finished this series in record time. I had a hard time putting it down. It's a wonder why Dr. Hocking had to self-publish these books. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a consuming, techno-induced tale of adventure, terrorism, counter-espionage and the human condition.