The Winner is a story about the national lottery. The plot and subject matter are unique and Baldacci brings up some interesting points and issues about it, and turns it into a gripping narrative that was hard to put down.

The characters are all believable. The main character, LuAnn Tyler, is strong, but still relatable. The people she meets in her story are the same. She’s neither a damsel in distress, nor a Mary Sue. The villain is interesting, who has a background that is somewhat tragic. Yet what he chooses to do with that pain is incredibly clever, but yet leads to even more pain for himself and others.

The Winner is over 500 pages and it never gets dull or boring. The pacing is superb, and what’s more, the ebook version has zero typos. If you like page-turning thrillers, definitely give it a look. Several more of David Baldacci’s novels went on my wish list immediately after I finished. It’s one of the best novels I’ve read in years.