In “The Luck Theory,” a fast-moving modern thriller, a troubled Special Forces veteran races to discover the killer of his estranged brother, a super-geek with a sensational new theory, a theory perhaps linked to his winning lottery ticket. A serpentine plot rockets onward, the bit-part characters are well drawn, and our hero’s inner troubles are well portrayed. The denouement works well. What holds this book back is the almost clumsy first-person, present-tense style. Heaven knows this chosen point of view is a tough one to render well, and Hamre doesn’t get there. I found the style grew more on me toward the end but that nagging sense of something not quite right did blunt my enjoyment. Nonetheless, a satisfying, complex read.
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