Identity theft sounds remote - until it happens to you. The author, Kerry Ambrose, was a victim, so he inflicts the same crime on his mature protagonist to show how easily this can happen.

KAUAI TEMPTATIONS starts when Wilson McKenna finds his account seriously overdrawn. After some discussion with bank officials it transpires that the young lady who previously rang, claiming to be from the bank, had asked him to confirm who she was speaking with his social security number. McKenna had given the fraudster all she needed, because he hadn't thought of checking first with the branch. His new chequebook had been intercepted and the thieves wrote cheques for large amounts.

McKenna learns that more than 400 such cases occur on the tropical islands each year, and identity theft is a fifty billion dollar a year crime. However the bank doesn't seem that concerned. After all, McKenna was the one to hand out personal data. Now he can deal with bad debts, bad credit rating, and other consequences. Well, McKenna writes topical articles for a local newspaper, and he decides to investigate. "Everyone wants revenge, when something like this happens," his boss tells him, "but it's too dangerous."

By this time I had really got to like the infuriated McKenna. In short order, I learnt that he needs a celiac diet, used to work skip tracing in LA, and he feels that his brain has gone rusty with the easier living. A young woman has been ordering electronic goods on his account, rush shipping. The stage is set for some personal contact with the crook. Hawaii PD has been working this fraud case for a year. What can McKenna do to make a difference? Then the woman who stole the cheques is found dead. Maybe the newspaper boss was right. My sympathies were entirely with McKenna, and I just had to keep reading.

The large characters and tight description of life on the islands make KAUAI TEMPTATIONS a well-rounded crime story. We learn a lot and see that life there isn't all laid back luxury. There's some footslogging hard-work, personal insights and an ending full of tension and drama. I recommend that you run, don't walk, to buy Kerry Ambrose's latest book, KAUAI TEMPTATIONS, in the McKenna Mystery series and stay alert for fraudsters.