The Lottery Winner And Other Stories

Mary Higgins Clark, the bestselling “Queen of Suspense,” returns with Alvirah Meehan—one of her most beloved characters—in these six dazzling, intertwined, and thrilling tales of sleuthing and suspense. Together with her devoted mate, the ever-resourceful Alvirah has jumped into crime solving on a grand scale—and with her indomitable spirit and style. Among their many adventures, Alvirah and Willy find a dead actress in their Central Park South condominium upon their return from London in “The Body in the Closet.” Needing a break from the big city, they escape to Cape Cod—only to meet a would-be heiress framed for murder in “Death on the Cape.” When Alvirah and Willy seek the tranquility of the Cypress Point Spa, it’s the perfect getaway—until a jewel thief turns up in “The Lottery Winner.” Back in Manhattan, the search for a neighbor’s missing newborn makes for a suspense-filled Christmas in “Bye, Baby Bunting.” The perfect collection for both Mary Higgins Clark and mystery fans, the stories in The Lottery Winner will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you breathless!

This collection introduces five highly original short stories mostly with strong overtones of science fiction and social comment. From a crazed physicist who is convinced he has found an infallible way to win the lottery to a dystopian desert city of the future which is ruled by state-like corporations; from a tin-pot plan to launch a teapot into orbit around the sun to the revelation that a painting emblematic of nineteenth-century early Impressionism, Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe, is actually set on another planet; and a fifth outlier about a relationship across the most extreme political divide: these are tales as much of the future as of our own times. With frequent dark humour they touch on themes which include climate change, isolationism, totalitarianism, and rebellious artificial intelligence.

Luck of the Draw profiles past winners of big lotteries, and how their windfalls impacted their lives, mostly for the better, but sometimes for the worse, such as the Florida widow who won $5 million in 1984: three years later, she lost her mansion and fancy cars, and owed the IRS $500,000 in back taxes, and was eventually arrested for trying to hire a contract killer for her daughter-in-law, whom she blamed for her lottery misfortune.

The first short story collection by Shirley Jackson, featuring one of her most celebrated works. The only collection of Jackson’s short fiction to be published in her lifetime, it contains 25 stories, of which "The Lottery" is the most famous. When it was published in The New Yorker, it elicited an unprecedented stream of interest, both positive and negative, from its readers. It is a haunting take of the darker side of small town America, and one of Jackson’s crowning achievements. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.

A seemingly ordinary village participates in a yearly lottery to determine a sacrificial victim.

The first short story collection by Shirley Jackson, featuring one of her most celebrated works. The only collection of Jackson's short fiction to be published in her lifetime, it contains 25 stories, of which "The Lottery" is the most famous. When it was published in The New Yorker, it elicited an unprecedented stream of interest, both positive and negative, from its readers. It is a haunting take of the darker side of small town America, and one of Jackson's crowning achievements. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.

Alvirah Meehan, one of Mary Higgins Clark's most beloved characters, returns in these dazzling, intertwined tales of sleuthing and suspense. Alvirah, the former cleaning lady who struck it rich in the lottery, made her first appearance in Weep No More, My Lady. Now, with her devoted mate, Willy, the ever-resourceful Alvirah delves into crime-solving on a grand scale -- and with her own inimitable style. Among their many adventures, Alvirah and Willy find a dead actress in their Central Park South condominium upon their return from London in "The Body in the Closet." Needing a break from the big city, they escape to Cape Cod -- only to meet a would-be heiress framed for murder in "Death on the Cape." When Alvirah and Willy seek the tranquillity of the Cypress Point Spa, it's the perfect getaway -- until a jewel thief turns up in "The Lottery Winner." Back in Manhattan, the search for a neighbour's missing newborn makes for a suspense-filled Christmas in "Bye, Baby Bunting."