Boyd Halverson

The central protagonist of America Fantastica is a disgraced former journalist named Boyd Halverson, who opens the novel by robbing the Community National Bank in Fulda, CA simply because he is bored. Boyd has a long history of running from his own past, as he was dissatisfied with his childhood and decided to change his name in order to pursue a jet-setting lifestyle as a reporter alongside his wealthy ex-wife, Evelyn. Although Boyd briefly sustained great success in his journalistic career as a correspondent in the Pacific region, he was routinely dissatisfied with the extent of his achievements and eventually begin breaking into the realm of tabloid journalism, which he found significantly more lucrative.

The implosion of Boyd's marriage corresponds to the end of his journalism career, as Boyd's former father-in-law, Jim Dooney, felt threatened by information that Boyd had uncovered about his own criminal activity and...