Too Lucky to Live: A Somebody’s Bound to Wind Up Dead Mystery

At the start of Hogsett’s fun debut, Thomas Bennington III, a blind English professor, comes close to losing a lottery ticket he’s purchased when he’s almost run over by a Hummer while crossing a Cleveland, Ohio, street. Fortunately, Allie Harper, who was waiting for a bus, comes to his rescue. Allie takes Tom back to her house, where they share dinner and hear on TV that Tom has won a $550 million jackpot. He’s shocked and none too pleased, having bought the ticket to prove to a youngster named Rune that the lottery is a waste of time and money. Rune, on the other hand, is thrilled about helping pick the winning numbers, but the news that he’s sharing the money lands him in danger. Within hours, three men are dead and Rune’s mother is hospitalized. Tom and Allie rush in to help, only to find Rune is missing. As the plot zigs and zags, readers will enjoy hanging out with Tom and Allie, whose quirkiness will remind some readers of Janey Mack’s Maisie McGrane. Agent: Victoria Skurnick, Levine Greenberg Literary Agency. (May)