So Damn Lucky

Written by Deborah Coonts

Narrated by Patricia Santomasso

“Evanovich…with a dash of CSI.” – Publishers Weekly (review of Lucky Stiff)

Everyone Has a Hidden Talent

For Lucky O’Toole it’s murder…solving it.

Tonight she feels like committing it.

Her live-in lover, Teddie, has rock-starred out and taken his show on the road.

Her mother is a pregnant hormonal weapon of mass destruction.

But, as the Chief Problem Solver for the Babylon, Las Vegas’s most over-the-top destination, murder isn’t in her job description.

SO DAMN LUCKY

Renowned magician, Dimitri Fortunoff apparently dies while trying to pull a Houdini.

Then his body actually disappears.

Lucky is less than amused. She has enough problems already.

Paxton Dane, a handsome Texan long on charisma, short on history, is pressing for an opening.

And the new French chef is equal parts charm and venom, seasoned with a dash of irresistible.

But Lucky can’t shake the question: did Fortunoff really die or is this some elaborate hoax?

With his connections to the UFO convention in town, outlandish theories abound.

Love, laughter, and a few evil spirits from the Great Beyond or the Great Void—

A light, funny, romantic mystery providing a Vegas escape appropriate for anyone looking for a good laugh. Join the fun today!

PRAISE FOR So Damn Lucky

“Lucky’s the kind of gal who will make any heart beat faster.” - Kirkus Reviews

“A whirlwind of a kooky crime novel, and readers will enjoy every minute of it. Coonts provides the perfect solution for readers waiting for the next Stephanie Plum book.” - Booklist

“So Damn Lucky is wacky and witty, chaotic and compelling.” - USA Today

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chestnut Street Press
• Release date: Feb 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9781944831424

Deborah Coonts

Deborah Coonts swears she was switched at birth. Coming from a family of homebodies, Deborah is the odd woman out, happiest with a passport, a high-limit credit card, her computer, and changing scenery outside her window. Goaded by an insatiable curiosity, she flies airplanes, rides motorcycles, travels the world, and pretends to be more of a badass than she probably is. Deborah is the author of the Lucky O’Toole Vegas Adventure series, a romantic mystery romp through Sin City. Wanna Get Lucky?, the first in the series, was a New York Times Notable Crime Novel and a double RITA™ Award Finalist. She has also penned the Kate Sawyer Medical Thriller series, the Brinda Rose Humorous Mystery series, as well as a couple of standalones. Although often on an adventure, you can always track her down at www.deborahcoonts.com.

Reviews for So Damn Lucky

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A decent read, but not nearly as fun as the first two in the series. Some of the characters (the magicians and such) really ran together and it was hard to remember who was who. A little clearer delineation (and better treatment by Lucky of long-suffering Dane) would make it more enjoyable for me.

[jamesterck · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I dove right into this book after finishing Lucky Stiff, since the ending left us with sort of a shock regarding Lucky's mother. The story line in So Damn Lucky revolves around the disappearance of a magician. That in and of itself wouldn't be too strange, especially in a city like Las Vegas, but the circumstances surrounding the disappearance become more and more peculiar and suspicious. While trying to help solve the case, Lucky also has to deal with her confusing and unstable love life. Once again, I absolutely loved the characters. I love reading about her parent's relationship; they're like teenagers and are so cute together. I enjoyed getting to know the new chef, Jean-Charles more in this book. My first impression of him in Lucky Stiff was that he was a jerk; in So Damn Lucky, we learn more about his life and my opinion of him completely changed. Paxton Dane is his usually yummy self (I don't know how Lucky resists him). And then there's Teddie...On one hand I was so happy that Teddie was finally able to live his dream and be a star. Unfortunately, distance is rough on a relationship. It was hard to judge what was going to happen between Lucky and Teddie, as well as the rest of the men in her life, but it sure had me turning the pages as fast as I could to find out!If you're looking for a fast-paced novel with humor and romance then you should definitely make yourself acquainted with the Lucky O'Toole series, especially this newest installment. I don't know what is in store for the characters next, but I know I'm definitely along for the ride!

[ethel55_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lucky O'Toole, head of Customer Relations at the Babylon in Vegas runs all day and night in the city that never sleeps. This time, magicians and alien seekers fill the hotel and Lucky never runs out of things to try and handle. The series is a great antidote to those who loved the original Plum books. Lucky is funny, surrounded by good looking men and has a Birkin! I look forward to each and every one!

[rtb_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Reviewd by MarissaReview copy provided by Forge There are several reasons why I like Deborah Coonts’ character Lucky O’Toole. First off, she has a demanding yet rewarding job at a high profile, high-class hotel/resort in Las Vegas. She also gets to wear designer clothes without worrying about how expensive they are, and she can wear high-heels and not trip or stumble in them (and her feet don’t get sore after five minutes like mine do!). Her tall, handsome, talented boyfriend looks good in both jeans and evening gowns. Her mother is an out-spoken ex-prostitute-now-madam. Her father is also her boss. Her assistant can anticipate her needs, even before Lucky knows what those are. Lastly (and probably the best of all), she gets to drive high-performance sports cars without paying for them. Yes, Lucky seems to have it all. Only in this book, she starts losing some of it. It’s a fun ride whenever Lucky gets in the Ferrari and this time is no different - and another great adventure as I attempted to solve the mystery right along with her. This third installment in the series has Lucky dealing with magicians, UFOs, an ex-lover, a new lover, an old woman who wants to marry her dog, and an over-sexed couple from Muskogee, not to mention the usual chaotic family and friends. I’m hoping that some of these new characters make future appearances in Lucky books down the line. It seems to me that the third book in a character series is typically where an author “jumps the shark” and tries to make the character more interesting by having them do outlandish and ridiculous things. Conversely, the character starts to die a slow and painful death, becoming less and less interesting with each book. Lucky, however, does not disappoint. She is strong-willed, just out-spoken enough to be interesting, and keeps her attraction to several men going strong. I mean, just because we decide to become monogamous with someone doesn’t mean we lose appeal for any other man on the planet; yet most books would have us believe that’s how it should be. Coonts pshaws that theory. Lucky has a lover, Teddie, yet she has been fascinated and attracted to two other men at the same time – Dane Paxton, six-foot-four of rugged Texas stock, and Jean-Charles Bouclet, a yummy French chef she is currently working with on a new restaurant. *sigh* Yes, Lucky really does have it all. Favorite Quote: “Are all men compulsively self-absorbed?“…”Is there an antidote to gross stupidity, or is it an incurable part of the Curse of the Y Chromosome?”

[bookishdame · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Deborah Coonts's book is hysterically funny, strange, light-hearted and a mystery in so many ways! Deborah is a nut-case, she's so funny! I had a great adventure reading "Lucky." Here's the thing about Coonts; she's a wonderful mix of a good writer, a satirist and a student of people. She's also a comedian. "So Damn Lucky" is the best trip you'll ever take to Las Vegas! If you've never been there, you only have to pick up this book to experience it. I laughed myself off the chair in the first chapter visualizing the exact characters she portrays that I'd seen there myself! This is a side-buster of a book, and a great mystery, too. Viva Las Vegas, absolutely captured and delivered in the hands of "Lucky" and Deborah Coonts...Elvis is definitely still alive there, so are aliens and missing persons! If you're looking for a book to make you laugh and read like a bandit, and that will keep you wide-eyed with the joy of finding out about crazies and cons, this is the one for you. I found it a refreshing oasis from the books I've been reading lately. It's not always good to have a steady stream of the serious and fantasy world...once in a while it's so nice to have a sorbet between courses. "So Damn Lucky" is the raspberry sorbet of a book that will have your literary palate tingling!!4 starsDeborah/TheBookishDame