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A review by slbeckmann
The Billion Pound Lie by Bill Dare
4.0
Thank you to Bill Dare, Salopian Press and BookSirens for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fun and enjoyable read, albeit with a few weaknesses. The hero, Leo, who is a bit of a loser, is mistaken for the winner of a super-lottery after a few off-the-cuff remarks accompanied by a bit too much alcohol. By the time Leo realizes what has happened, the rumour mill is churning and he decides to go with the flow. The media circus blows this up - and Leo and his best pal (the really unlikeable Vince) end up giving a press conference, getting a large advance from the bank and generally living it up in a rather unwholesome way.
The catch is, neither Leo nor Vince ever actually lie and say Leo *has* won the lottery. Everyone assumes - wrongly, as it turns out - and the pleas for help start rolling in. Leo, being a decent type, wants to do right and help where help is desperately needed. The lies of omission start building, and Leo's house of cards is bound to collapse soon, particularly as the media is still hot on the trail of whether or not Leo really is the winner. The ending, when it comes, is satisfying and ties up a lot of the loose ends.
What I didn't like: I felt there was a lot of extraneous detail with Leo's estranged wife and her new lover, with Leo's parents-in-law and their machinations, with the driver of the limo that Leo and Vince book and spend a lot of time driving around in, with Vince himself - all of which muddied the arc of the plot.
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4
This was a fun and enjoyable read, albeit with a few weaknesses. The hero, Leo, who is a bit of a loser, is mistaken for the winner of a super-lottery after a few off-the-cuff remarks accompanied by a bit too much alcohol. By the time Leo realizes what has happened, the rumour mill is churning and he decides to go with the flow. The media circus blows this up - and Leo and his best pal (the really unlikeable Vince) end up giving a press conference, getting a large advance from the bank and generally living it up in a rather unwholesome way.
The catch is, neither Leo nor Vince ever actually lie and say Leo *has* won the lottery. Everyone assumes - wrongly, as it turns out - and the pleas for help start rolling in. Leo, being a decent type, wants to do right and help where help is desperately needed. The lies of omission start building, and Leo's house of cards is bound to collapse soon, particularly as the media is still hot on the trail of whether or not Leo really is the winner. The ending, when it comes, is satisfying and ties up a lot of the loose ends.
What I didn't like: I felt there was a lot of extraneous detail with Leo's estranged wife and her new lover, with Leo's parents-in-law and their machinations, with the driver of the limo that Leo and Vince book and spend a lot of time driving around in, with Vince himself - all of which muddied the arc of the plot.
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4