Mr Lucky by Lee Wood #kindlebooks @LeeWoodAuthor #MrLuckyBook #bookreview

 

Mr Lucky by Lee Wood

Published by Nielsen

Publication Date: 3rd May 2023

Book Description:

Detective James Sheldon had it all—a loving family and a solid career—but when tragedy strikes, his life spirals into a dark abyss, leaving him homeless. Just as he hits rock bottom, an astonishing £168 million Lotto win seems like his salvation. But money can’t buy safety, and soon, James finds himself facing threats far deadlier than his own demons.

With danger lurking around every corner, every time James thinks he’s seen the worst, a new nightmare begins. As he fights to pull himself back from the edge, he’s forced to confront his darkest fears and rediscover his strength—or risk losing everything again.

Will he survive the greatest challenge of his life, or will his victory turn into his ultimate downfall?

My Thoughts:

This book fell into my kindle one lunchtime at work. One of those perfect mood reads which just happens to be on a 99p kindle deal just when you're "between books" and have "nothing else to read". (Let's just ignore for now the other gazillion books on my kindle and my shelves at home which are groaning under the strain of unread novels. They don't exist when out of reach and there's an interesting kindle deal going on...).

So, the concept of this book piqued my interest. How could a lottery win of £168 million when you're homeless and down to your last couple of quid possibly make life worse for someone? Enter James Sheldon and his nemesis Dave Rex to tell us more. The opening chapter of this book very much reminded me of the opening scenes in the TV series Gangs of London. Not exactly the same, but giving off very similar vibes. Some really not nice people exacting their own brand of vengeance on those they believe have crossed them. The book tracks James's speedy slide from successful police detective to homeless, jobless loser and the person responsible for this turn of events.

Without sounding callous, I enjoyed reading how the two men interlinked with each other - not even 6 degrees of separation at some points - and the story certainly points at how quickly a person's fortunes can change depending on outside influences and the desires of others. Food for thought when I was sitting in a traffic jam on my way home from work. There but for the grace of God we all go. Scary if you choose to overthink things! Thank goodness there are a few good souls left in this world, and their light shone through during James's misfortunes.

I found the early chapters of the book to be a little clunky in their writing style; a bit "tell" instead of "show", and I felt as if I could distinguish what the author had written in one of their writing sessions before breaking off and starting the next chapter with a new vibe later on. This eased at around the halfway point, and the writing seemed to flow far better from there on in, as if the author had found his rhythm and the story just poured out of him once he'd put all the building blocks into place.

A thought-provoking read which overall I enjoyed - it's difficult to say too much without hinting at where the book ends, and I don't wish to spoil anyone's journey of discovery through the pages. I can quite positively say that I had my money's worth from this kindle deal. A decent story for under a quid, and another author to add to my ever-growing list of ones to watch (he has a further 9 books for me to choose from, so I know where to go when I'm between reads another time!).

About the Author:

Before turning to writing crime novels, Lee enjoyed a long and dynamic career in the music industry. From playing in bands as a teenager to running an indie record label and record shop during the punk rock era, Lee has always been close to the action. He also launched a music collector’s magazine, building it from the ground up to reach a circulation of 14,000 copies a month. Over the years, he’s crossed paths with almost every major ‘pop star’ and fulfilled a lifelong dream by managing The Troggs, one of his all-time favourite bands.

His passion for storytelling began early, with Sherlock Holmes sparking his imagination at just eight years old—and by eleven, he’d already helped the police solve a local crime.

Lee lives in Cambridge and approaches writing as a thrilling new adventure.