Blinded by hatred for a system he cannot beat, a rogue bank auditor and former accountant develops a proto-cryptocurrency that threatens to destroy the international economy, all at the cost of his very own soul. • • • In an alternate 1988 Silicon Valley, Kevin Shuwick lives a life that should be the envy of most ordinary citizens. He maintains a steady, thriving income as an auditor for NewCiti Bank, has a drop-dead gorgeous wife and three loving kids, and does it all from the comfort of a house on the hills. To anyone on the outside, he's the golden boy of corporate America. But to the system, he's nothing more than a pawn -- one that will do anything just to keep the life he's carefully crafted, yet does not own entirely, for himself. However, when a pretty intern's violent death results in the sudden foreclosure of NewCiti, and Kevin's job is lost to the remains of broken dreams, he decides to take matters into his own hands by creating Flare Coin -- a proto-cryptocurrency that promises riches in exchange for something far more valuable: souls. As more and more bodies begin to line the streets and less questions are being asked about the true nature of Kevin's invention, a dark possibility begins to form: if Kevin can implement himself into the system, can he regain control over the life he once desperately craved? Or will he simply become one with the GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE...? • • • Rated M for Mature. Book one in the Machina Series. Viewer's discretion is advised.