A secret lurks in the past of a lucky winner in a raffle. Will it come back to haunt her now that she has become a celebrity of sorts? Quite a few hard luck stories unite the characters of this story of menace, jealousies and revenge. For every lucky winner there seem to be many with lives filled with hang ups over lack of money and opportunity. That’s without those with psychological and perverted leanings, not to mention murder. It all adds up to a thriller of not so much “ who done it” but when will it happen?

Dev couldn't be happier to win a Dream house in the prize draw, Merri not so happy. They eventually move and leave jobs and a few friend behind them. On arrival a window has already been smashed with a brick and replaced. The locals are not very welcoming apart from the couple that live just down the hill and he local handyman, Jack. Sarah Jack's fiance gets roped in ti do a few house improvements and becomes a friend. Soon Jack, Sarah, Tilda and Simon are socialising together. After a night with Tilda & Simon Dev & Merri return to find graffiti and scratshed windows.. Merri is far from happy and knows that her past and the secrets she keeps from Dev may have something to do with it as she thinks she has spotted someone looking in. Can you trust your friends old and new? All is not as it seems and the police don't want to help. Things finally come to a head and Dev is nearly killed, Merri's secrets emerge and the truth about friends & neighbors also emerge. A good read that keeps you guessing to the end.

Merry is keeping a secret from her husband, they are drowning in debt until they win a dream house in the Lakes. What should have been a fresh start turns into a nightmare. What is Merrys secret, are their new friends genuine and is someone watching them.

A decent thriller that is an easy read. I found it was let down by the middle of the book where it sort of lost its way and became a bit slow but it did get much better towards the end. There were a couple of surprising twists but nothing mind blowing.

Another brilliant book from one of my favourite authors, I was involved in the storyline and characters from the very first page.

It was a tense psychological fast paced thriller read with great timelines that added to the story

I think this has to be one of the best from this author and certainly one of my top ten reads for this year 2025

Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph (Penguin) for this brilliant ARC which I have no hesitation in recommending

Merri and Dev can not believe their luck when they win the big prize draw for a stunning new home in the Lake District.
Suddenly, they are thrust into the spotlight, which makes Merri very nervous.
Leaving their jobs and small flat along with a mountain of debt behind, they set off to start afresh. But no sooner have they arrived there is a brick thrown through a window. Someone is not happy with their good fortune.
This started off a bit slow but soon picked up pace. It's quite sinister, and the house mainly built of glass gives it a foreboding feel.
I felt that the relationship Merri had with both Tilda and Sarah seemed a bit off. Would you really have these kinds of conversations with people you hardly know?
Overall, it's a quick, easy read that I did enjoy.
Thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Not sure if I've read any K.L Slater before but after reading "The Lucky Winners", I shall certainly look out for more books by the author. Great thriller about a couple living hand-to-mouth who win one of those amazing houses in a lottery. I'm sure we've all dreamed about winning this jackpot but this book puts a spin on it and there are people out to get them. Jealous neighbours or something more sinister. In this book the back and forth between timelines is essential as is the slow release of info. Gorgeous descriptions of the Lake District, wanting to make me visit again but maybe I'll be watching my back.

I absolutely loved this latest book by S L Slater and couldn’t put it down.
I was drawn to the unusual slant of the storyline, winning a mega million pound house just like the ones you see advertised on TV lotteries. The Lake District setting was perfect and an account of shopping at Booth’s made me giggle because I have visited several times over the years and said exactly the same as the author about the exorbitant prices.
For Dev and Merri the win should be a wonderful new start away from their rising debts living in Nottingham.
However, Merri has secrets from her past which she has not shared with anyone, least of all Dev, and her present day good fortune results in the horrors of the past coming back to jeapordise her happiness.
The characters are well thought out and the ending was even better than I anticipated.
I highly recommend this book and thank Netgalley and the publishing house for the pre release galley copy.

This is a thriller, about two people who win a dream house and can start a new life. But the publicity with the new house, brings the female character back in the spotlight and somebody from her past is able to track her down.

It was a very easy read, with a small number of characters. It was easy to follow, with only a small bit of mystery. In general, I felt it was a bit too long and overwritten - I enjoyed the start and the end, but probably too much filler in the middle.

I read a GIFTED digital arc from @michaeljbooks via @netgalley publishing on 14 August

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC of this book.

Merri and Dev are seemingly saved from a life of debt and worry when a one-time purchase lottery ticket wins them the house and bank balance of their dreams. However, all is not what it seems when their new and old lives are subject to harrassment, turning into terror when a body is found. Merri must confront her past and own up to a secret she has kept from Derri.

A gripping domestic thriller, an easy reading page turner. Enough avenues of guilt are opened to keep you guessing, without becoming overly complicated, with a surprising twist.

The Lucky Winners, is the new psychological thriller from KL Slater. A lucky windfall turns into a nightmare for married couple Merri and Dev.

Merri and Dev are the one of the most envied couples in the country when they win a house raffle after purchasing a twenty pond ticket. Against all odds, they win and suddenly they are transported from their damp cramped flat to a large mansion in the idyllic Lake District. Dev cannot believe his luck but Merri seems to be a little hesitant and very wary.

Dev loves all the attention and fame since their big win but Merri is the complete opposite and shirks away from any media interest. Her lack of excitement is not shyness but she afraid that her dark traumatic past will be revealed. Once Merri and Dev move into the mansion the menace is never far away, with figures lurking in the garden as well as vandalism to their new home. The tension and menace turns up severely when a dead body is found in the lake.

Merri is full of paranoia and dread that the police may discover her dark past so is reluctant to ask for help. The novel is full of suspicious characters so it is difficult to work out who is responsible for all the goings on. Throughout the story there is the secret of Merri’s past that haunts her and refuses to be buried, so much so that even this dream home fails to lift her spirits.

A good solid read.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Penguin Random House for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Merri and Dev have been struggling to get by for most of their married life. Life has begun to overwhelm them despite them both having jobs. Married for 2 years and living in a rented flat in Nottingham, their lives are ruled by unopened late payment letters marked ‘urgent’. When their old car finally conks out it’s the last straw,
Merri is furious when Dev’s 3rd wedding anniversary present to her is a £20 ticket to a draw to win a dream house. She sees it as a waste of money that could have gone on something more pressing.
But then to their surprise they win! A £3 million dream house beside Lake Windermere and £250k in the bank as well. It’s life changing for them and suddenly everything becomes a surreal merry go round of promotion by the lottery company, being shown round the house and saying goodbye to their old lives forever. Dev is thrilled, excited and full of plans for their new lives whereas Merri is far more cautious. She is still haunted by events from her past as a foster child and what happened to Beth her younger sister. Even Dev knows nothing about it and that her real name isn’t Merri but Jane. But she’s swept up in the promo circus.
However, there’s someone else who knows about Merri’s past and, due to the hype, knows where she is. And is coming to find her for revenge.
Once Merri and Dev have moved into their dream home she feels uneasy as nothing in it has been chosen by them and they start to rattle around in it like peas in a pod. The locals are hostile although the new neighbours seem friendly. Merri has the constant sense that they are being watched and never feel comfortable in the house. All of which culminates in a disastrous dinner party after which their lives will never be the same again.
This is a really twisty thriller from K L Slater and is the first one of hers that I’ve read. I really enjoyed the way in which she portrayed the publicity whirligig that enveloped Merri and Dev until it’s over and they’ve moved on leaving the couple sitting in a huge glass walled house with everything in it chosen by someone else and not sure what to do next. Merri has too much time on her hands as she’s given up her job . The reader learns of her past in flashback and I sensed how hard she had fought to keep it hidden and how it had affected her.
But not everyone is pleased at their good fortune. Paige, Merri’s friend and colleague, appears less than enthusiastic and I thought that the ambivalence and conflict between congratulating someone on their good fortune while wishing it had been you was really well captured. And the hostility of the locals towards them was well done.
It was an interesting idea for a plot. What does happen afterwards to the winners of such a huge prize and how does it feel for them? There were enough twists and turns to really crank up the suspense and the identity of the Watcher was a real surprise.
It was a good well plotted thriller and if you’re already a fan of K L Slater you will really enjoy it.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

I did struggle with this book at the half way point and was losing a bit of interest. Not as tense and gripping as I’d hoped but it was an ok read . I have loved this author’s books but I’m afraid this wasn’t one of my favourites. 4 stars from me

I really enjoyed this book, it kept me gripped from start to end, a thriller with twists that keep you guessing right to the finish. A thoroughly good read.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and to the author who has a new fan.

My thanks to Michael Joseph publishers and NetGalley for a copy of “ The Lucky Winners” for an honest review.

K L Slater is one of my favourite authors , and someone I’ve recommended to many friends and library users .
This latest psychological thriller is another excellent read, and drew me in from the start .When I’ve seen these house competitions I’ve often wondered what it would be like if you were to win , and the impact on your life.
I really didn’t guess the outcome to this story.
.Her books are really gripping and suspenseful.For me the quality and originality from KL Slater is consistently high , despite the regular release of her books..
Can’t wait for the next one

A new psychological thriller by K L Slater is such a treat – so I considered myself very lucky to be gifted a digital ARC by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for this free and unbiased review.
The concept of a life-changing large lottery win and the moral dilemmas that follow the allegedly “lucky” winners always makes an interesting premise; I remember reading a novel by Adele Parks which was constructed from the same launchpad. In this novel, the main characters are married couple Merri and Dev, who are struggling to stay afloat financially but, by sheer fluke, win a luxury house in a lottery competition. However, only days after moving into their new home and casting aside their worries, they realise that not everyone begrudges them their new financial freedom: the house is vandalised and someone is clearly spying on them. Are any of their new neighbours behind these eerie events? Or people from Merri and Dev’s previous lives? Told in alternate points of view, we learn about Merri’s difficult childhood, Dev’s thoughts on his marriage, and the unknown watcher’s plans. We are subtly led down one line of thinking, but in true K L Slater style, the denouement, when it comes, shows that things are very different!

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for my free ARC in exchange for this honest and unbiased review of a book that, like its predecessors, will no doubt garner an avid readership.

Whilst this book didn’t have me gripped and the reason I didn’t give it the full stars, I did enjoy it and wanted to keep reading.
Merri and Dev are struggling financially when they win the home of their dreams and a wad of cash, supposedly all their worries would disappear, but it’s not the dream that they where expecting. Dev seems to enjoy it more and sees the mishaps as teething problems, whereas Merri catastrophises things and sees problems when there are none.
The story jumps back and forth to 15 years previously when Merri was a teenager and living a new life with her younger sister. Obviously that ended in disaster and so she has many secrets, of which her husband knows nothing.
Enter the watcher and the people from the village who hate them and you have a good slow burning mystery. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC in return for an honest review.

The Lucky Winners

In spite of being in rather dire straits, mid-thirties nurse Merri‘s husband Dev buys a 20£ dreamhouse raffle ticket for their anniversary…and they actually do win a millionaires‘ mansion perched above Lake Windermere! Soon after quitting their jobs and actually moving into their dream house, things start to go from wrong to worse…
This gripping tale keeps the reader on the edge of their seat throughout. The plot is compelling, with plenty of twists and turns that ensure that you always keep guessing what might happen next. The suspense builds steadily, creating a sinister, oppressive atmosphere that draws you in.

I wouldnt say i'm abig fan of K. L. Slater though when a description 9f one her books catchs my eye i will read it i did struggle with this one a little bit wasnt sure about the characters and overall wasn't as exciting as i had hoped for but still an enjoyable read.

2.5 rounded up.

Merri and Dev win a £3million house through DreamKey (Omaze) just as they’re beginning to drown in the debts they’ve accumulated through both working full time…

The premise of this book has a lot of potential, with Merri having had a terrible childhood and harbouring a huge secret. I enjoyed the way in which the publicity from the win caused her two worlds to collide catastrophically.

Where this book mostly fails for me is in the depth of the characters. No one feels particularly real and their motivations feel weak. I didn’t care for Merri, I empathised with her trauma but her actions drove me up the wall. The odd section in Dev’s perspective felt as though it was leading to something but it wasn’t, he was just a 2D side character.

I didn’t feel that the twists were particularly shocking or satisfying once revealed. It became grating how every character acted suspiciously, mostly for no reason.

I’m aware that this is an ARC so this may be unfounded judgement, but the book needs a much more thorough edit. I noticed numerous inconsistencies, one being that the author couldn’t seem to decide whether Dev’s mother was dead or alive…

Overall it was very much an okay thriller which was probably 100 pages too long.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.