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.
Wilson McKenna has never written a bad check in his life. So
how did he end up with $4,000 in returned checks from an
island he's never been to? He knows one thing, make that
two, the bank wants their money, and he's going to Kauai to
track down the crook who's ruining his life. Before you can
say "welcome to the island," he's almost arrested for
impersonating himself, the woman who trashed his credit
turns up dead, and McKenna feels like he's up to his
umi'umi' in hot lava. McKenna quickly learns he'd better
watch out because some temptations can get you killed.
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