A summary synopsis of each book from R. M. Dolin’s trilogy, What Is To Be Done
Book One: What Is To Be Done
Jake doesn’t consider himself a rebel any more than a recluse; even though following Emelia’s tragic death he only leaves home to play poker with his former Mind’s Eye project leads. Calling themselves, the Americans for a New America (ANA), Jake and his cohort seem like any other group of complaining old men huddled in bars and coffee shops across the country. Two things set these highly resourceful intellectuals apart though, one is the guilt they collectively share for developing surveillance technologies to protect the nation after 911 that are now being obfuscated by unscrupulous politicians and greedy social media moguls, the other is the bold measures they’ve undertaken to make amends.
The ANA are launching a cleverly conceived quixotic quest to rein in ruling Oligarchs while stuffing the evil they created back into Pandora’s box. Fate, however, has other ambitions as their subversive aspirations diametrically collide with Sympatico’s desperation. Escaping Miguel, a sociopathic human trafficker, Sympatico seeks refuge in Armando’s bar. While coming to her rescue is never in question, the ANA are clueless about what to do with the aftermath. Jake attempts to pass Sympatico off on his politically passionate priest with whom he shares a strained relationship, but rather than help, Padre Paul convinces Jake that Sympatico is his burden. Poorly equipped for this daunting responsibility, Jake does what he can, unfortunately his attempts fall short and are explosively misinterpreted. Eventually, Jake and Sympatico realize they are each other’s best hope for achieving measured moments of happiness. For Jake, happiness is preserving precious memories of Emelia, while Sympatico’s only hope for happiness lies in forgetting everything that’s happened.
When Jake hires a Harley drifter hiding from his past, the smoldering chaos stirs. When Miguel’s boss demands Sympatico back, and the ANA discover Watchers drawing dangerously close, clandestine plans must be both accelerated and re-evaluated. WHAT IS TO BE DONE is a contemporary novel dealing with social, political, and multi-cultural issues. This character driven story is for anyone impacted by loss or who admires quixotic quests. The novel’s subplots appeal to readers interested in southwest culture and in seeking to better understand societal obligations. WHAT IS TO BE DONE is the first in a planned trilogy.
Book Two: Trophic Cascade – The Rise and Fall of Quiet Acquiescence
Everything in life belongs to an ecosystem, whether it be the ocean’s food chain or the hierarchy of love, ecosystems all consist of a top-down control that keeps things in balance, with the strongest predator at the top. The principle of “trophic cascade,” asserts that when something happens to the top predator, the cascading implications have a ripple effect that can destroy the entire ecosystem, which is why the ANA have decided it’s not enough to just destroy Miguel and rescue the girls he holds captive, they must bring down the entire enterprise. But first, they have to determine who the top predator is.
As the ANA plot to bring down the human trafficking enterprise that wants Sympatico back, a consortium of government three-letter agencies secretly dispatches Agent Alvarez to Albuquerque to determine if the chatter they’ve uncovered relating to a hostile plot to overthrow the government is true. When a client is murdered at Miguel’s ranch by one of the girls trying to escape, it doesn’t take Alvarez long to connect Miguel to the ANA, and with the Watchers now on their trail, the ANA must be careful.
While all that’s going on around her, Sympatico continues to recover from her three year ordeal in Miguel’s system, and has even started to volunteer at the halfway house Padre is starting to help victims of human trafficking. She admires Jake for rescuing her, and feels closer to him than anyone, which is why she can find the fortitude to go with Jake to the Albuquerque wine fiesta. Having failed twice to get Sympatico back, as his bosses ordered, Miguel knows the wine fiesta represents is last best chance, and when Sympatico wanders away from Jake’s wine tent, Miguel seizes his opportunity.
The ANA formulate a hastily conceived plan to rescue Symptomatic but during execution, their plan goes off the rails and Dario kills one of Miguel’s men, which only increases Alvarez’s scrutiny. Worried time is running out and knowing Miguel will be coming for Sympatico while Alvarez closes in, the ANA launch their plan to bring down Miguel’s organization and use the Mexican Underground to return his girls home. Once complete, both Jake and Sympatico are forced to face the growing feelings they’ve developed for each other. While Jake initially calls it love, he knows it can’t be because the only woman he could ever love is Emelia. Sympatico acknowledges that her feelings are akin to love, but it’s not possible, not after everything she’s endured. So if they both love each other, but the feeling is not love, what is it?
Book Three: Subverting Insurrection
The ANA learn that the ruling oligarchs have splintered into two factions; the ones controlling government, and the ones plotting to violently overthrow it. This news presents a dilemma, because they’ve been developing a plan to wrest control of the nation’s government from the oligarchs so the country could be returned to the people. They realize a hostile take over could quickly devolve into civil war that could compelled to chose a side, which seems like a Sophia’s Choice of the worst kind with evil prevailing either way. Meanwhile, Agent Alvarez, the federal Watcher tasked to stop the coming insurrection tightens his noose around the ANA believing they are the subversives planning the hostile coup. Unable to escape their deep-seated patriotism, the ANA decide the only way out is to secretly help Alvarez, even at their own peril. As the subversive oligarchs prepare to launch their hostile coup, and Alvarez ready to strike against the ANA, they know they have to work quickly using all their skills to not only save themselves, but to safe the country.
