Identity Games by Jack Bell Stewart

Identity Games is a psychological thriller based on a real life experience I had when I took in a roommate who turned out to be an identity thief who uses dangerous mind games to gain control of his victims. There are two main characters. Justin is a younger (and better looking!) version of me, a twenty something artist living in New Hope, PA. Justin allows Russ to move into his townhouse, and Russ is a career identity thief who has mastered many of the modern electronic ways of stealing identities and money; but his obsession is to get up close and personal, using dangerous mind games and even sexual conquest to control his victims, recruit them into the identity theft game as unwilling associates through blackmail and intrigue, and destroy them in the end. Russ tries to recruit Justin, but Justin struggles to remain true to his partner, and to maintain his ethics along with his personal and financial identity. He works with a quirky NYPD detective to capture Russ, but before any progress can be made, Russ assumes Justin’s identity and steals a vacation cruise to Alaska. What he doesn’t know is that Justin’s friends are also on board, and Justin works through them to help capture Russ. After a series of on-board mishaps, Russ escapes from Ketchikan Alaska through the wilds of Canada. Meanwhile, the detective misjudges and accuses Justin of Russ’s former crimes, and Justin nearly loses his partner and his friends. Will Justin be able to get his identity back, help to capture Russ, or will he be forced to join Russ against his will in future identity theft scams?