America fantastica : a novel
(Book)

On a quest to settle a score with the man who destroyed his life, Boyd Halverson robs a bank and takes a hostage.

At 11:34 a.m. one Saturday in August 2019, Boyd Halverson strode into Community National Bank in northern California. “How much is on hand, would you say?” he asked the teller. “I'll want it all.” “YoU're robbing me?” “Not you,” Boyd replied, revealing a Temptation .38 Special. Angie Bing, the teller, scraped together $81,000. Boyd stuffed the cash into a paper grocery bag. “I'm sorry about this,” he said, “but I'll have to ask you to take a ride with me.” So begins the adventure of Boyd Halverson--star journalist turned notorious online disinformation troll turned JC Penny manager-- and his irrepressible hostage, Angie Bing. Haunted by his past and weary of his present, Boyd has one goal before the authorities catch up with him: settle a score with the man who destroyed his life. By Monday Boyd and Angie reach Mexico; by winter, they are in a lakefront mansion in Minnesota. On their trail are hitmen, jealous lovers, ex-cons, an heiress, a billionaire shipping tycoon, a three-tour veteran of Iraq, and the ghosts of Boyd's past. Everyone, it seems, except the police.