Can a criminal who holds a winning lottery ticket cash it in without being caught?

This fast-paced dual timeline novel is very easy and quick to read and was exactly what I needed when my husband contracted Covid-19 and I was forced to isolate. I managed to fill in my time with a few good books and this is one of them.

This is the problem faced by Lucky Armstrong whose life as a grifter has led her down a path of crime. Brought up by her con-artist father, Lucky only knows a life of lies, fake id’s and running when the authorities are close. When she and her boyfriend are preparing to flee to Dominica to begin a new life and enjoy the millions they’ve appropriated from the gullible, she buys a lotto ticket. Things don’t go to plan and she finds herself alone and on the run.

The character Lucky reveals herself as guilt-ridden for her actions yet naïve and gullible which is understandable as a child under the control of her father but as an adult hard to swallow. Finding out who she really is slowly unwinds with some predictable twists.

Down and out, she finds out that she holds the winning numbers and there is a cat and mouse game interspersed with her own longing to find her mother. Somehow this was the bit I found hardest to swallow despite the motivation of getting her ‘mum’ – a complete stranger – to cash in her ticket.  Yet it added another story line to Lucky’s flawed character.  Of course, there is a predictable Hollywood happy ending which I expected although it did seem a tad rushed.

All in all a good holiday read and no doubt this one will be on our screens soon.