The Dark Lottery

Conrad “Connie” Keen’s only goal in life is to make it to the next day, which, for him, is no easy feat. He’s hardly acing life. Fighting crippling anxiety caused by the death of his older brother — who fell off a pier in San Diego in what was believed to be a horrible accident — he binge drinks and obsesses over what he calls the “dark lottery.” Opposite of the millionaire-making lottery, this lottery snuffs people out in its own longshot odds, such as plane crashes and car wrecks and other nightmarish accidents. Then one day a woman tracks Connie down and tells him the unthinkable: His brother’s death 20 years ago was no accident. He was pushed. Connie has his doubts — both with the implausible story and his ability to do anything about it — but decides to dig into it. That decision leads Connie to the very brink of the dark lottery, a ticket that offers only one payout. Death.