What do you think?
Rate this book
Winning Ticket: A Kingsworth urban legend
It could be you…
Marcy Townsend has won the lottery. And not just a few hundred pounds either… she’s won big. Almost £14million in fact. Amazing news, right?
Well…
The thing is, Marcy didn’t buy her winning ticket, she found it. She was about to fill her recycling bin when she spotted the thing, just lying there and waiting to be noticed, to be picked up, to be invited in.
And since the numbers on that found ticket matched those spewed out of the big lottery machine, Marcy’s life has taken a turn for the sinister. Ever since she found her winning ticket, death won’t seem to leave her life alone.
Marcy might now be millions richer, but how much is it really going to cost her?
From the Bookstagram Awards author of 2024, Dave Musson, comes a dark urban legend from the sleepy Warwickshire town of Kingsworth, also the setting for the award-winning collection of short stories Once More Round the Sun . This tale of a cursed object brings with it dread, horror, and elaborate set pieces that wouldn’t be out of place in a Final Destination movie.
So, grab your ticket and settle in… this might be your (un)lucky day!
Marcy Townsend has won the lottery. And not just a few hundred pounds either… she’s won big. Almost £14million in fact. Amazing news, right?
Well…
The thing is, Marcy didn’t buy her winning ticket, she found it. She was about to fill her recycling bin when she spotted the thing, just lying there and waiting to be noticed, to be picked up, to be invited in.
And since the numbers on that found ticket matched those spewed out of the big lottery machine, Marcy’s life has taken a turn for the sinister. Ever since she found her winning ticket, death won’t seem to leave her life alone.
Marcy might now be millions richer, but how much is it really going to cost her?
From the Bookstagram Awards author of 2024, Dave Musson, comes a dark urban legend from the sleepy Warwickshire town of Kingsworth, also the setting for the award-winning collection of short stories Once More Round the Sun . This tale of a cursed object brings with it dread, horror, and elaborate set pieces that wouldn’t be out of place in a Final Destination movie.
So, grab your ticket and settle in… this might be your (un)lucky day!
109 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 2, 2025
11 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Dave Musson
15 books128 followersThe Bookstagram Awards Author of the Year for 2024, Dave is a glasses-wearing, bearded human being from the middle of England who likes heavy music with loud guitars, watching movies, and reading and writing creepy stories. He has more hobbies than he should really have time for; playing in a band, hosting a bunch of podcasts, writing, and running a Stephen King-themed YouTube channel. Oh, and he also wrote and published The Ultimate Stephen King Quiz Book in 2022.
Dave lives at home with his wife, sons, and annoying dog. He made his debut as a published fiction writer in 2021's Welcome to the Funhouse, from Blood Rites. He was also a finalist in the Bellingham Review’s 2022 Tobias Wolff Prize for Fiction, and has been published in Psychotoxin Press, The Reach, and on The Horror Tree.
His first full collection of short stories, Once More Round the Sun, was published on his own Always Darkest imprint in August 2024, and won the Best Collection and Best Horror categories of the 2024 Bookstagram Awards.
Dave lives at home with his wife, sons, and annoying dog. He made his debut as a published fiction writer in 2021's Welcome to the Funhouse, from Blood Rites. He was also a finalist in the Bellingham Review’s 2022 Tobias Wolff Prize for Fiction, and has been published in Psychotoxin Press, The Reach, and on The Horror Tree.
His first full collection of short stories, Once More Round the Sun, was published on his own Always Darkest imprint in August 2024, and won the Best Collection and Best Horror categories of the 2024 Bookstagram Awards.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 15, 2025
My first ever novella!
I’m incredibly proud of this and really hope you all enjoy reading it! It’s a cursed item story full of elaborate, teasing deaths that are inspired by the Final Destination movies…please give it a read!
Also, it’s free everywhere, so no excuses!
I’m incredibly proud of this and really hope you all enjoy reading it! It’s a cursed item story full of elaborate, teasing deaths that are inspired by the Final Destination movies…please give it a read!
Also, it’s free everywhere, so no excuses!
September 4, 2025
Slight spoilers..
Winning ticket has a intriguing but simple premise. What happens when you find a National lottery Ticket in a recycling bin which happens to win you big money. Is it blind luck, Fate or a curse!?
I really liked Marcy as a protagonist. She is a kind but selfless person who instantly resonates to me as someone who we all know in our everyday lives. Marcy deeply cares for her friends,and family. She believes she doesn't deserve the win and I always cheered her on even when her world around her turned upside down.
I like how the writing isn't overly flowerly. Does not have a wasted word and has a good flow which gets straight to the point. The use of Podcasts/news, Articles was clever and reminiscent of Carrie. It provides a unique overhead angle which gave the story more dimension.
A negative I found was the side characters. I wish Mr Musson spent time fleshing their personalities more, we barely spend any time with them and don't have a personal connection I feel we could've had with a few more pages. This would've given greater impact when the S*it hit the fan and the deaths start rolling in. Speaking of the author has, a great imagination thinking of the all the ingenious ways they start to perish. Who'd a thought a Champagne bottle could be so dangerous.😁
In general my biggest issue with the novella.I always Felt like we we're moving from one event to the next. Without taking time to breath and really feeling the ramifications. I think it could've been a good angle to see neighbours or a reporter getting suspicious that maybe Marcy was cursed or murdering.
The other biggie. The end. I feel like it was too abrupt, ambiguous and too neatly tied up. We still don't know who left that Ticket and Why. I don't mind having questions but feel more could've been explored. Was it supernatural, Did Marcy have psychic powers she couldn't control? was it just bad luck?
It's obvious that Kingsworth is a loveletter that was inspired by Stephen Kings Castle Rock and I noticed a few easter eggs like the Cujo film is mentioned.
Still this was my first experience with Dave Mussons work and certainly won't be the last. Despite my issues overall I still had a great time and certainly will check out Once more around the Sun in the not so distant future. I feel with honing his craft, just a little more. This author has great potential to become a classic horror writer.
And big kudos for releasing Winning Ticket for free. Thank you for creating memories Dave Musson.
3.5/5
Winning ticket has a intriguing but simple premise. What happens when you find a National lottery Ticket in a recycling bin which happens to win you big money. Is it blind luck, Fate or a curse!?
I really liked Marcy as a protagonist. She is a kind but selfless person who instantly resonates to me as someone who we all know in our everyday lives. Marcy deeply cares for her friends,and family. She believes she doesn't deserve the win and I always cheered her on even when her world around her turned upside down.
I like how the writing isn't overly flowerly. Does not have a wasted word and has a good flow which gets straight to the point. The use of Podcasts/news, Articles was clever and reminiscent of Carrie. It provides a unique overhead angle which gave the story more dimension.
A negative I found was the side characters. I wish Mr Musson spent time fleshing their personalities more, we barely spend any time with them and don't have a personal connection I feel we could've had with a few more pages. This would've given greater impact when the S*it hit the fan and the deaths start rolling in. Speaking of the author has, a great imagination thinking of the all the ingenious ways they start to perish. Who'd a thought a Champagne bottle could be so dangerous.😁
In general my biggest issue with the novella.I always Felt like we we're moving from one event to the next. Without taking time to breath and really feeling the ramifications. I think it could've been a good angle to see neighbours or a reporter getting suspicious that maybe Marcy was cursed or murdering.
The other biggie. The end. I feel like it was too abrupt, ambiguous and too neatly tied up. We still don't know who left that Ticket and Why. I don't mind having questions but feel more could've been explored. Was it supernatural, Did Marcy have psychic powers she couldn't control? was it just bad luck?
It's obvious that Kingsworth is a loveletter that was inspired by Stephen Kings Castle Rock and I noticed a few easter eggs like the Cujo film is mentioned.
Still this was my first experience with Dave Mussons work and certainly won't be the last. Despite my issues overall I still had a great time and certainly will check out Once more around the Sun in the not so distant future. I feel with honing his craft, just a little more. This author has great potential to become a classic horror writer.
And big kudos for releasing Winning Ticket for free. Thank you for creating memories Dave Musson.
3.5/5
July 14, 2025
definitely won’t be getting a lottery ticket anytime soon😅
this premise was very well done! a final destination vibe, but with dave’s own twist. a good original story, very fast paced, keeps you hooked, all that lovely stuff. i read it in one sitting
i can truly see the improvement in his writing with each story
i was very excited when i read the email that another one of his books would be out, he is already such a great youtuber (one of my personal favorites) and it’s so sick to give your stuff out for free, in my opinion
also loved the snippet at the end where it was based off of a (spoiler) lottery ticket he found himself. i adore how authors put their own lives into their work!
anyways so yeah, i enjoyed this and i do recommend!!
this premise was very well done! a final destination vibe, but with dave’s own twist. a good original story, very fast paced, keeps you hooked, all that lovely stuff. i read it in one sitting
i can truly see the improvement in his writing with each story
i was very excited when i read the email that another one of his books would be out, he is already such a great youtuber (one of my personal favorites) and it’s so sick to give your stuff out for free, in my opinion
also loved the snippet at the end where it was based off of a (spoiler) lottery ticket he found himself. i adore how authors put their own lives into their work!
anyways so yeah, i enjoyed this and i do recommend!!
July 28, 2025
Marcy finds a lottery ticket in her recycling bin. It’s that days draw. She wins. Great luck! Or is it. In sequence of the numbers on the ticket bizarre, brutal, tragic, events happen to people around her. Fun quick, humorous, violent romp of the bad luck of winning
July 15, 2025
If Stephen King and splatterpunk had a baby, this would be it!
Fast paced novella which was hard to put down.
Fast paced novella which was hard to put down.
August 1, 2025
Read this, it’s a romp and it’s free!
I first stumbled onto Dave via his YouTube channel when figuring out how to tackle the Dark Tower series. Fast forward a few years and it’s great to see he is developing his own interconnected universe of stories!
This novella is a breeze to read and will be perfect for those who are fans of Final Destination. The deaths in particular are very well written, and the character work is great for such a short book.
Dave has done a great job here and I can’t wait to see what else he has brewing in Kingsworth.
So what stops this from being a 5-star review? Given Dave’s love of Stephen King he’ll be used to seeing reviews critiquing the ending! For me, the ending of this story didn’t quite tie everything up neatly enough for me to give it 5 stars. I think an extra 10-20 pages to expand on the choices made by Marcy in the final chapter would’ve been warranted and welcomed. Given how her inner monologue was so well composed, I would have preferred a more methodical thought-process prose over the action set pieces preferred. Admittedly this is a personal preference… but there we have it.
I first stumbled onto Dave via his YouTube channel when figuring out how to tackle the Dark Tower series. Fast forward a few years and it’s great to see he is developing his own interconnected universe of stories!
This novella is a breeze to read and will be perfect for those who are fans of Final Destination. The deaths in particular are very well written, and the character work is great for such a short book.
Dave has done a great job here and I can’t wait to see what else he has brewing in Kingsworth.
So what stops this from being a 5-star review? Given Dave’s love of Stephen King he’ll be used to seeing reviews critiquing the ending! For me, the ending of this story didn’t quite tie everything up neatly enough for me to give it 5 stars. I think an extra 10-20 pages to expand on the choices made by Marcy in the final chapter would’ve been warranted and welcomed. Given how her inner monologue was so well composed, I would have preferred a more methodical thought-process prose over the action set pieces preferred. Admittedly this is a personal preference… but there we have it.
July 30, 2025
4.5/5
"What's the worst that can happen?"
So thinks Marcy as she cashes in a winning lottery ticket she found in her trash. Turns out, a lot can go wrong. Everyone close to Marcy meets a gruesome end. And each death is more horrifying than the last. I loved this little story! The atmosphere is dark. The writing is disgustingly detailed (in the best possible way). Marcy is a great lead character. Not to mention the town of Kingsworth is like a British version of Derry, Maine. If you love Stephen King and/or the Final Destination movies, you'll definitely love this.
"What's the worst that can happen?"
So thinks Marcy as she cashes in a winning lottery ticket she found in her trash. Turns out, a lot can go wrong. Everyone close to Marcy meets a gruesome end. And each death is more horrifying than the last. I loved this little story! The atmosphere is dark. The writing is disgustingly detailed (in the best possible way). Marcy is a great lead character. Not to mention the town of Kingsworth is like a British version of Derry, Maine. If you love Stephen King and/or the Final Destination movies, you'll definitely love this.
August 4, 2025
This was a fun little read. It's easy to read with its quirky puns, which gives it a light heart horror. But also with enough violence for the splatterpunk fans. this is a good book to slip in between more heavy and dark horror books. This is my second book by this author, who is proving to be an entertaining and varied writer, which I will continue to watch closely to see what direction he will take next.
August 7, 2025
It's a weird, wild and bloody ride!
August 23, 2025
Sometimes money for nothing gets you in dire straits… see what I did there?
July 22, 2025
So there’s not a lot I can say about the book that isn’t in the blurb up there 👆🏻 without sort of spoiling all the fun, but it is a tale of a lottery winners terrifying ride through some rather awful situations.
At novella size you can literally blast through this one, providing a really enjoyable swift read, or serving as an excellent palette cleanser between mighty tomes.
I love Musson’s writing. His writing style is perfectly in the sweet spot of what I enjoy, and it has the very British horror feel that is both wonderful and also sparse I find. Tonally you can expect some awful awful things with stomach churning elements, but also a sprinkling of the humorous and observational too.
That’s enough vague waffling for now. Just go and read it!
At novella size you can literally blast through this one, providing a really enjoyable swift read, or serving as an excellent palette cleanser between mighty tomes.
I love Musson’s writing. His writing style is perfectly in the sweet spot of what I enjoy, and it has the very British horror feel that is both wonderful and also sparse I find. Tonally you can expect some awful awful things with stomach churning elements, but also a sprinkling of the humorous and observational too.
That’s enough vague waffling for now. Just go and read it!
August 17, 2025
Read it across about 5 hours today.
Only finished Once More Round The Sun last night and was excited to start this ready for my holiday tomorrow, but gobbled it up before lunch today.
The book was excellent, gore, humour, satire, twists and intrigue, all amongst really grounded characters and settings. Sprinklings of reality mixed with the fantastic and often grotesque world of Final Destination make for a really engaging, page turner.
Only finished Once More Round The Sun last night and was excited to start this ready for my holiday tomorrow, but gobbled it up before lunch today.
The book was excellent, gore, humour, satire, twists and intrigue, all amongst really grounded characters and settings. Sprinklings of reality mixed with the fantastic and often grotesque world of Final Destination make for a really engaging, page turner.
October 2, 2025
Imagine winning the lottery? The big bucks! And then everything... And I mean everything... Goes wrong. And I don't mean the car breaks down or you slip and break your foot. I mean, it seems like everyone who comes near you meets a grizzly and brutal end.
Is the lottery ticket cursed? Are you cursed? Is it all by chance?
Go find out for yourself. This is a novella and it's fast paced, entertaining and very brutal!
Another excellent story by Dave Musson!
Is the lottery ticket cursed? Are you cursed? Is it all by chance?
Go find out for yourself. This is a novella and it's fast paced, entertaining and very brutal!
Another excellent story by Dave Musson!
August 9, 2025
A really fun creepy story!
December 15, 2025
This horror novella was a lot of fun. I liked the theme of good and bad fate, and how everything around our lucky protagonist turned into complete chaos through the most unexpected of ways. 😯 Fast paced, and full of interesting deaths. I would definitely recommend if you're a fan of the Final Destination films. 😊
December 2, 2025
Very good read from Musson. The horror hits both psychologically and in a body horror gross out kind of way. Some scenes will definitely stay with you long after you finish.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews