A Numbers Game

An ex-addict is dragged into a high-stakes race for a missing lottery ticket. A gritty, high-heart novel perfect for fans of the Peculiar Crimes Unit series.

All Malachite “Mal” Jones wants is a quiet life as the foremost (fake) psychic medium on the Blades Edge estate.

Until he gets a new client: Janine. Her husband won the lottery, and then died. Now, the winning ticket is missing. Mal gets drawn into a mystery he never asked for in an attempt to help Janine find the ticket and escape the estate once and for all.

The only problem is that Mal isn’t the only one hoping to get his hands on the ticket. The crime lord of the estate amongst other criminals are all on the hunt. And then there’s the fact that some corrupt cops are after Mal’s best and only friend, Jackie.

Aided by Jackie and Beryl, his nosy secretary, Mal sets out to find the ticket and a solution that pleases everyone. If he can’t, he might have to pay the price. After all, it’s a numbers game.

Set in the unique grim environment of a council estate with a cast of quirky characters and a race against the clock, A Numbers Game offers all the desired twists and turns while also bringing a fresh voice.R.J. Dark is the pseudonym of fantasy author R.J. Barker, whose books have won multiple awards and received brilliant reviews and endorsements from big SFF names, including Adrian Tchaikovsky and Robin Hobb.

He lives in Leeds with his wife, son and a collection of questionable taxidermy, odd art, scary music and more books than they have room for. He grew up reading whatever he could get his hands on, and has always been "that one with the book in his pocket". He played in rock bands before deciding he was a rubbish musician. He is a far from rubbish writer.