The Winner - by David Baldacci

LuAnn Tyler is a very poor young mother in Georgia with movie star looks, little education, and a loser boyfriend. Responding to a potential job interview, she is offered a chance to become the guaranteed winner of the national lottery. LuAnn, a good and moral person, struggles with any involvement in something illegal like cheating to win the lottery, but in an unexpected and unfortunate turn of events is forced into accepting the deal, winning the money, and then disappearing from sight.

After ten years of living like a fugitive, LuAnn sneaks back into the United States under her new name. When a reporter stumbles across an unexpected anomaly and the man behind the lottery fix gets wind of her return against his will, however, LuAnn has a serious problem. I don't want to give too much of the story away, but LuAnn is not the only person who is hiding behind a different identity. In fact, it is a fairly common theme throughout the novel. Baldacci does a great job at intertwining deception and truth to keep the reader guessing.

I found "The Winner" to be very enjoyable and a great read. I was hooked throughout. As you might expect in a thriller, most of the characters are quite extraordinary - none of your run of the mill or average types. All are very well developed, however, and very human. I was able to relate to, on some level, each of the characters on this book. Don't get me wrong, I was behind LuAnn throughout the book, but Baldacci does a great job of incorporating shades of morality throughout the book to make me think about what is right, what is wrong, and what would I do. How could I not recommend it.