Identity Theft

Loosely inspired by true events, this comedy thriller begins when Alexis Lieberman, known as Lexi, discovers that her identity has been stolen. The thieves did not spend her money on anything sensible. Her stolen card paid for a cheap sub sandwich delivery, ordered with a demand for extra mayonnaise, and Lexi is outraged on principle.

No one takes her complaint seriously. The local police, the police in the town where the orders were placed, and even the FBI, whose duties include wire fraud, all shrug it off. Lexi's next-door neighbor and closest friend, Rhonda Mabry, is with her for an afternoon of drinking, and the two decide to take matters into their own hands. Lexi loads up her Prius and heads for Orlando, looking for justice and for whoever would order extra mayo.

The road trip brings one disaster after another: bar fights, a drinking contest styled as Bar Olympics, wardrobe malfunctions, a night in a drunk tank, a fling with a man who has lost his eyebrows (possibly through Lexi's doing), a standoff with the Russian mob, and a mechanical bull named Hornicus Prime.

The novel is a comedy thriller in the spirit of Thelma & Louise, with plenty of tequila, few deaths, and even more mechanical bull. It is the newest novel by John G. Hartness, whose earlier books include the Quincy Harker series, Demon Hunter, and Amazing Grace.