Monday, May 21, 2012

Book Review: Lucky Stiff by Deborah Coonts


Lucky Stiff by Deborah Coonts
Series: Lucky O’Toole Vegas Adventure Book #2
Published: February 15th, 2011
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates
264 pages (paperback)
Genre: Mystery/humour
Acquired this book: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Warning: may contain spoilers (if you haven’t read Wanna Get Lucky? this will definitely contain spoilers)
{GoodReads || Purchase this book: Book Depository || Amazon}
Read my review of Wanna Get Lucky?

Synopsis: Lucky O’Toole--Head of Customer Relations at The Babylon, premier mega-resort on the Vegas Strip--thinks it’s just another night in Las Vegas. A tractor-trailer has spilled its load of a million honeybees, blocking not only the Strip but the entrance to her hotel...the District Attorney for Clark County—apparently the odd man out of a threesome on the twelfth floor—is hiding in the buff in one of the hotel’s laundry rooms...and Numbers Neidermeyer—one of Vegas’ less-than-savory oddsmakers—is arguing with Las Vegas’ ace private investigator, the Beautiful Jeremy Whitlock.

The next day, Lucky discovers Ms. Neidermeyer was tossed into the shark tank at the Mandalay Bay Resort as a snack for the Tiger Shark. When the police show up at the Babylon with a hastily prepared search warrant, applied for by the District Attorney himself, and Jeremy lands in the hot seat, Lucky realizes her previous night was far from routine. 
Amid the chaos of fight weekend, the hiring of an eccentric new French chef, and her madam mother's intentions to auction off a young woman’s virginity, Lucky is drawn into a deadly game where no one is what they seem, a game that will end only when she discovers who made fish-food out of Numbers Neidermeyer.


Just like the first book in the Lucky O’Toole series, Wanna Get Lucky?, Lucky Stiff is a highly entertaining, action-packed read.

There’s no wasting time here - we get thrown right into the middle of the action from the very first page. We’re reintroduced to Lucky as she’s left to deal with a ton of honeybees on the loose on the Vegas Strip. As if that isn’t enough to deal with, she’s got the murder of Numbers Neidermeyer, a good friend being accused of said murder, her mother wanting to auction off a young girl’s virginity, her boyfriend Teddy’s budding music career that takes him away from her, attempting to adjust to finding out her boss is actually her biological father, plus just regular everyday work at the Babylon, which would be enough to drive anyone over the edge.

But not Lucky. Tough, resourceful, and with a no-nonsense attitude, Lucky is perfect for the job. I found myself connecting more with Lucky in this book. I liked her in the first book, but there was a bit more vulnerability to her in this story - her feelings for Teddy are growing, and she's struggling with that. He was her best friend, and now she’s falling hard for him, but she’s afraid she’ll get left behind if his music career takes off. At the same time, she wants his music career to take off, so she’s torn. I liked seeing that softer side of her, and thought it made her even more believable and relatable.

I still love Teddy. I fell hard for him in Wanna Get Lucky? and continued to fall for him in Lucky Stiff. He’s sweet and funny and obviously cares deeply about Lucky. I’m very curious to see where their relationship will lead, and as much as I’m rooting for them, I have a feeling one or both of them are going to find a way to screw it up - I just hope not permanently!

My only problem with this book was the same problem I had with Wanna Get Lucky? - it was too long, and there were too many characters. I was okay with the many regular characters - in fact, I love them and think they add a lot of dimension and humour to the story - but I found it hard to keep the new characters straight at times because there were so many of them, and there was so much going on. There were times when my head was spinning between trying to keep everyone straight, plus all the chaos that Lucky has to deal with every minute of every day.

Overall, Lucky Stiff was a very enjoyable read. I can see this quickly becoming one of my favorite adult series. Believable characters, laugh-out-loud funny scenes, and a mystery that will keep you keep you guessing, I would definitely recommend this book.
 
 
Have you read any of the Lucky O'Toole Vegas Adventure books? Have you ever been to Vegas?
 

3 comments:

  1. This sounds like a fun read. Too many characters can make you crazy..lol. thanks for sharing this one!

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  2. Thanks for visiting my blog and following - I am doing the same!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I haven't had a chance to read any adult novels. Sort of been keeping my brain fried with YA/MG reads and writing. But this certainly sounds like non-stop fun.

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