Rollover: A Nikki Doyle Novel (Archimedes)

Paula Longhurst’s Rollover: A Nikki Doyle Novel is a fascinating blend of suspense, mystery, and thriller, following Nikki Doyle, a lottery-winner protection agent working for the Archimedes team that protects lottery winners by providing them a new location and identity. Nikki is still dealing with the trauma of getting involved in a bank robbery just six months ago, and still has old wounds to heal when she is assigned to a new case. This time, her client is a couple, Marvin and Lydia Potts, who has just won £10 million in the lottery. Nikki’s job is pretty simple — or it should be — but it becomes complicated as Nikki navigates her hometown of Storr Downs and is pulled into another conspiracy, including murder. Can Nikki and the Archimedes team for which she works unravel the mystery and expose the face of a killer?

This twisty tale is packed with surprises and Longhurst has the uncanny ability to keep readers engrossed with the atmospheric writing, the intrigue, and the unpredictable plot twists. Nikki is a fully drawn protagonist — genuinely flawed and layered. She has a lot to deal with, a woman who carries bruises from her past and who is still dealing with trauma. She has been working with Dr. Bradley who provides her with therapy. Her inner world is intelligently and vividly painted to grab the sympathy of readers. It is interesting to notice how a simple case of protecting two lottery winners can quickly morph into a deadly trap, putting the life of the protagonist and her loved ones in danger. The setting is exceptionally written and readers can feel the pulse of places where the characters are found, with cultural threads beautifully woven together.  Rollover: A Nikki Doyle Novel is a balanced, deft, and expertly accomplished work that will instantly arrest the interest of mystery and thriller lovers. I found it addictive.