Lucky Stiff

Written by Deborah Coonts

Narrated by Patricia Santomasso

“Evanovich…with a dash of CSI.” – Publishers Weekly 

Everyone Has a Hidden Talent

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

Surviving in Sin City takes cunning, a pair of five-inch heels, and a wiseass attitude. Lucky has mastered them all and has a pair of legs she uses to kick butt and turn heads.

As the Chief Problem Solver for the Babylon, Las Vegas’s most over-the-top destination, mischief is in her job description.

She’s good at her job.

She’s less good at life. But who has time for a life when there’s a killer on the loose?

LUCKY STIFF

Someone fed Numbers Neidermeyer to the tiger shark in the tank at Mandalay Bay resort.

Lucky’s friend, the Beautiful Jeremy Whitlock, is suspect Numero Uno.

Miss P, Jeremy’s squeeze and Lucky’s partner in crime, is in a tailspin.

A tractor-trailer full of honeybees jackknifes on the Strip in front of the Babylon, spilling its load.

The district attorney—apparently the odd man out in a threesome—is hiding in the buff in a laundry room.

And Lucky’s mother decides to auction a young woman’s virginity.

Can Lucky get Jeremy out of the hot seat, handle the new hot French chef and her mother…and restore order in her life?

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

PRAISE FOR Lucky Stiff

“Lively, funny, scary! The pages will singe your fingers, and you’ll laugh yourself stiff.” - Barbara D’Amato, Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author 

“The pages turn so fast they give off blue fire.” - Carol McCleary, author and CrimeFest Award finalist

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chestnut Street Press
• Release date: Feb 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9781944831431

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 Lucky Stiff

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

I really find these books enjoyable. Something light and breezy with likable characters is just what I needed to help me get through this effing pandemic. With that said, the plot was pretty well constructed (albeit a little convoluted) and not overly predictable. I felt like there were a couple of loose ends that should have been wrapped up a bit more tidily, but not so bothersome that I won't be happy to read the next in the series.

[jamesterck · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was very eager to dive into this second installment of this amazing series. The first book, Wanna Get Lucky?, introduced me to so many wonderful characters that I just couldn't wait find out what was going to happen with them next. This is a good time to point out that, as this is a sequel, there may be some unintentional spoilers in this review. So if you haven't read the first book in the series yet, you may want to do that first. Ok, enough with the disclaimers, on to the review!We're reintroduced to Lucky O'Toole, head of Customer Relations for Babylon hotel in Las Vegas, in the middle of yet another bizarre predicament, this time involving tons of angry bees. The craziness doesn't stop there! There were two major developments in the last book. First was a blossoming romance between Lucky and her best friend, Teddy. The second was that Big Boss, for whom she has worked since she was a teenager, is actually her biological father. These are issues that Lucky continues to try and come to terms with in this book. I really like Teddie and he seems to bring out the best in Lucky, but there is so much delicious temptation surrounding her (which we will get to in a minute). As far as her father goes, she does not want the world to know just yet; being seen as "the boss's daughter" tends to undermine one's authority. Lucky has to deal with a plethora of problems throughout the course of this novel, from helping her friend Jeremy escape a murder investigation to convincing her mother that auctioning off a young woman's virginity is not a smart PR move. There certainly isn't a dull moment!Let's talk more about Lucky's love life. It is extremely complicated, and it's sure to become even more so in the next book. She has definite feelings for Teddie, but she's also worried about it ending badly and losing her best friend. He's also an amazing musician, so if his career takes off he may decide to leave her behind. Adding to her confusion are the two other delicious men in her life. First there's Dane, the incredibly sexy security guy who carries a definite torch for Lucky. Then there's the new master chef at Babylon, Jean-Charles. He has the smoking hot, exotic thing going for him; even though he and Lucky butt heads, there's a spark there that may be hard for her to resist in the future. I'm definitely excited to see what happens and I certainly don't envy her making a decision between the three men.I think part of what makes this series so fun is that it's set in Las Vegas. The situations that Lucky finds herself would be absolutely unbelievable anywhere else, but anything can happen in Vegas. I always look forward to what craziness will step into her life next.If you haven't read this series yet, I highly recommend it. The characters alone make them worthwhile reads, but the story line is equally interesting and intriguing, plus it holds a lot of humor throughout.

[emsundotorg · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I reviewed the first novel in this series, Wanna Get Lucky?, four days ago. I reported that I really liked the book. While this holds true as I continue the series with Lucky Stiff, I did find that I enjoyed the first book a little more than I did the second.In the beginning of Lucky Stiff, Lucky has found herself in another sticky situation. A truck full of honeybees heading to an entomologist conference have spilled out in front of her casino. (Side note: Think this is too over the top? It's happened.) Lucky’s day just went from sweet to sour as she battles to clean up the mess. It only gets worse from there when she finds out that a universally-hated woman known for tanking betting operations has been murdered and the Beautiful Jeremy Whitlock is the prime suspect. Lucky works through some personal crises as well as professional crises as she tries to figure out whodunnit and save her friend from prison.Hijinks continue and the cast of characters include favorites from the previous novel such as Lucky (of course!), Dane, Teddie, The Beautiful Jeremy Whitlock, The Big Boss, Miss Patterson, Mona, Brandy, and other delightful individuals. Several new ones were also introduced. One is a world champion boxer going for another win. He’s accompanied by his more-than-a-dozen children and his charming wife. Their escapes are touching and sweet. There’s also the virgin who wants to auction off her goods in order to get enough money to go to medical school so that she and her fiance can go back to their home country and help the children.Lucky Stiff is still entertaining, but I found that there wasn’t quite as much tension or humor. The heart-warming element wasn’t quite as intense, either, with some snafus occurring throughout the book that made Lucky question her choice in partners. It seemed, too, that her emotions were too quickly encountered and then too quickly discarded. There was also too much conflict in the relationship too soon, so I hadn’t really gotten that invested in the character. This is, I think, a poor choice, because the book would have been more moving and engrossing if I had been more invested in the relationship. Will I keep reading for the third? Yes, I certainly will. I hope that it is an improvement over the second.Thank you, Ms. Coonts.Disclosure of Material Connection: I received Lucky Stiff by Deborah Coonts free from Forge/Tom Doherty Associates through the FSB Media review program. I was not required to write a positive review and did not receive any other compensation. The opinions I have expressed are my own and no one else’s. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[susanamper · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Lucky O'Toole is the customer service manager (or something) at a Vegas casino. Her mother owns a legal bordello, her father owns the casino in which she works. I guess this seems like a good idea for a series Coonts' started the series with Wanna Get Lucky, which was cute and so I tried this out. but there's not zip to this tale. Lucky has men panting after her (although I don't understand her appeal) and her boyfriend the female impersonator about to go global with his phenomenal music talents is already showing signs of boredom. I can understand--the second in this series reads more like the 15th--it's that tired.

[mmyoung_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Coonts surprised me in this book by delivering far more than I expected. While the some of the biographical details of Lucky O'Toole were reminiscent of characters found in other books (and other media) Coonts has made the character very much her own. Although O'Toole is provided with many (in book) motivations for solving the murder that crime is seldom the central focus of the reader's attention. Coonts delivers a convincing portrait of what life is like for the staff of a major casino in modern day Las Vegas from fielding the requests/demands of celebrities, to dealing with the drunk customers and the remnants of the "old" mob-affiliated Vegas. O'Toole's job, and the people she encounters as she does, would make a worthwhile read even without the murder.Coonts also deals quite fairly with the reading audience. While everything a reader needs to know to solve the crime is laid before them the entertainment value of all the other aspects of O'Toole's life is used to distract the reader.The book was enjoyable enough to make this reader want to go back and read the first book in the series and to look forward to the next when it is published.

[ethel55_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lucky O'Toole is the product of an old school Vegas couple. As the head of Customer Relations at the Babylon, her job takes on many varied roles. From the entomologists catastrophe with a honey bee rollover to the big fight weekend planned for the Babylon, Lucky has a lot on her plate. Finding out that the dead body floating in a shark tank was last seen in her casino speaking to the beautiful Jeremy Whitlock doesn't help matters. Lucky's nosiness and constant attention to the many details surrounding the Babylon lead her on another criminal's trail. This second Lucky O'Toole story is so fresh and fun, anyone looking for something similar to one of the old Stephanie Plum books won't be disappointed.

[bamckay · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While not as fast paced as Wanna Get Lucky, Lucky Stiff was still a fun read. The book starts out with a traffic jam on the Las Vegas "Strip" when a truckload of bees overturns. From there, it's murder and mayhem. A good portion of the book is spend on how much the main character, Lucky, misses her boyfriend and wonders if he'll come back from LA where he has gone to make it in the music business. At the same time, her mother the owner of a brothel decides to stir up the pot by holding an auction for a virgin. Lots of things going on at the same time. I think too much time was spend on Lucky rationalizing her romance and I missed some of the characters from the 1st book and hope they come back full force in the 3rd installment.