Biletul de loterie

Bully is twelve and has lived on the streets since his mother died. His dog, Jack, stays close and keeps him safe. He finds a lottery ticket in his mother's last card. The ticket wins, but he talks about his find. Dangerous people hear the news. He has just five days, five hours and nineteen minutes. In that time, he must claim the money and stay alive.

Michael Byrne's thriller recalls Oliver Twist: both show a child facing hardship. It looks at life with no home. It shows the risks faced by those who lack safety. It also looks at the will to get past setbacks. Iulia Arsintescu wrote this edition's translation from English.

This is Byrne's first novel. He studied English literature at Thames Valley University. He then taught at a school near Heathrow. He later moved to Winchester to drive an airport taxi. He now writes full-time and lives with his daughter, Eve. Their cat, Chloe, lives with them.