LuAnn Tyler is
living in abject poverty in an old caravan in Charlottesville in the US with a
young baby and a drunken husband who is out of work.
She works as a
waitress in a truck stop café, keeping her baby under the counter.
She is seen here
by the mysterious Mr Jackson who later makes her an offer she finds hard to
believe. He says that he can make her win the national lottery which this month
has reached $100 million. She is undecided what to do but
then when she comes back home to find her husband has been murdered and the
murderer is still in the caravan, a fight ensues and she ends up killing him.
She is now on the
run from the police and phones Jackson to accept his offer. She buys a lottery
ticket and gives the numbers to Jackson. Then she travels to New York with her
baby, Lisa, all at Jackson’s expense where she wins the lottery. The conditions
that Jackson imposed is that he banks the money and just pays her a substantial
amount each month.
He will invest the
money over a period of ten years and then pay her the capital back at the end
of that time.
York. Jackson
tells her that she must never return to the States but after ten years
continual travelling she is homesick and comes back home, which is when her
troubles really start.
A canny reporter,
Donovan, has been investigating the National Lottery and wants to speak to her,
but luckily she has found a local builder, who was working for her, falls in
love with her, and who decides to help her through her problems. Matthew Riggs
is an ex FBI man also with a troubled past and they both work together to
thwart Jackson who is furious that LuAnn has come back to the States.
Another great
story from David Baldacci that really grips you and holds your attention right
through the book until it reaches its thrilling climax.
Well recommended.
