Annie Hogsett’s debut mystery is one of the most entertaining I’ve read this year. When Allie Harper, the narrator says, “I have always felt that with some training, I’d make an excellent P.I. A cross between V.I. Warshawski and Kinsey Millhone, with a dash of Stephanie Plum, Bounty Hunter, thrown in for insouciance”, she hits the nail on the head. When she teams up with blind college professor Thomas Bennington III, in Too Lucky to Live, they’re a match made in heaven.
Or, in this case, their own version of hell. Allie meets Tom when she’s waiting at a bus stop in Cleveland, and a Hummer driver beeps at the blind man in the crosswalk. He’s startled, drops his groceries, and Allie runs out to block traffic and help him gather up cans. Then, she takes the handsome guy home, fixes dinner, and is just starting to really enjoy his company, when he hears a TV broadcast the winning lottery numbers. Most people would be ecstatic to learn they won over $500 million. But, Tom had bought one ticket to prove to a young boy that gambling doesn’t pay. And, then he realizes, Rune, the boy who lives in the projects, is in jeopardy. He knows Rune will announce to everyone that he picked the numbers for the winning ticket.
It’s only the beginning of a nightmare for Allie and Tom. They quickly get to know each other as they hunt for a missing boy, hide in hotels to escape from thieves, killers, an ex-husband and former girlfriend, and try to protect each other. People all around them end up dead. Danger can have its sexy side though, as the couple learn. They also have to learn to trust each other, while Allie has to learn that a blind man can be adept at fending off trouble.
Too Lucky to Live is a treat. The debut introduces Allie’s refreshing voice, and a sexy, hot couple. It’s a delightful caper, and the beginning of a promising series.
Annie Hogsett’s website is www.anniehogsett.com
Too Lucky to Live by Annie Hogsett. Poisoned Pen Press. 2017. ISBN 9781464207860 (hardcover), 316p.
*****
FTC Full Disclosure – I received the book to review for a journal.
