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Lucky O’Toole Las Vegas Adventures Books In Order

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Publication Order of Lucky O'Toole Las Vegas Adventures Books

Publication Order of Lucky O'Toole Collections / Misc Books

By: Deborah Coonts, Josie Brown
The Complete Lucky O’Toole Novella Collection (2018)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Housewife Assassin Gets Lucky (2018)Description / Buy at Amazon

The crime genre is often encompassed by layers and layers of darkness, world-weariness, and cynicism. The hero is often down-on-his-luck ex-officer of some military sector or just an experienced street-wise cynic who clashes with his past while exploring some entangled mystery case. It is virtually impossible to imagine these kinds of novels without picturing a hero walking through the dark alleys on a rainy night with danger lurking. If a reader buys a novel about Lucky O’Toole with this atmosphere in his mind, he will have another thing coming. Deborah Coonts created the world so out of touch with the titles that made the genre famous that sometimes it seems like Nora Roberts met John Grisham and absorbed him. However, this works somehow, and Lucky O’Toole is one of the best-selling crime novels out there. It became one of “The Ten Notable Crime Books” according to The New York Times. But what is it about?

Lucky O’Toole Las Vegas Adventure series is a series of books first published in June 2015, with several sequels. Besides the Las Vegas series, Coont has written five novellas about Lucky O’Toole, also published in 2015. The series became an instant hit and was praised as a fantastic, funny, new approach to the worn genre of crime fiction. A strange mixture of romantic and crime elements in the heart of Las Vegas is what made this series successful.

The story of Lucky O’Toole is a story about Vegas. Coonts chose The City of Lights quite on purpose- because where else could you solve a murder surrounded by flamboyant gamblers, go-go dancers and swearing parrots? The main character, Lucky, is in charge of customer relations in one of the great casinos. Her job is to organize various peculiar manifestations that can only happen in Vegas, such as swingers’ convention, as well as to keep those customers happy. Easier said than done, as Lucky seems to find herself in the midst of murders that she has to solve, with methods unlike those of any other detective.

The first book of the series is called “Wanna Get Lucky” and it was published in June 2015. Deborah Coonts certainly got lucky, as she went on to publish five more installments until the November of the same year, all of them with the great reception. “Wanna Get Lucky” introduces us with Lucky O’Toole, chief of customer relations at the Babylon casino. Her job, as it was already mentioned, is difficult and stressful as Lucky does something that would be called “a fixer” in Hollywood. Things do not get easier when a girl tragically lands from a helicopter in the midst of the pirate show in front of the famous hotel. Citizens do not have much to say about the nature of the death- they ascribe it to the unsuccessful act of a young daredevil, one of many in the city. However, a girl is connected to the owner of the Babylon hotel which puts him in a tight spot. Lucky does not agree with the city officials. She finds the case interesting and starts exploring further. O’Toole is brave and determined, and she is a handful to anyone who confronts her, her perky mother included. As Lucky fights her way to crack the case, she also fights her emotions in regard to potential love interests- a security guard, and Teddy, a heterosexual drag queen, if a drag queen is an occupation. Teddy’s job is to impersonate both famous and anonymous women, and he spends his free time chasing some of them. You have got to love Vegas.

The follow-up to the “Wanna Get Lucky” is called “Lucky Stiff” and it was published in July 2015. It opens in the style of the finest crime movies- with the main character involved in a minor problematic situation that introduces hero’s skills and character traits. This time, a cargo truck turns over in the vicinity of Babylon casino and lets out a considerable amount of stressed bees. Lucky has to clear the mess as the shapes of the new case start to emerge. While she is performing various tasks that somehow seem to surpass the responsibilities of a customer relations manager, Lucky meets Numbers Neidermeyer, an infamous bookie. Numbers is in the midst of an argument with Jeremy Whitlock, one of the most famous private investigators in Sin City. Harsh words are exchanged and Numbers is found dead in the shark tank the next morning. Circumstances are beyond suspicious, and Lucky gets intrigued once again. The police, as usually, is of no use, and Lucky is forced to conduct her own investigation. Once again, she has to juggle between lovers; Teddy, and a new French chef, all while having to deal with love life of her parents. Teddy seems to get some new goals in life, while Lucky’s parents enjoy the taste of freedom after the long marriage. Life is never dull with Lucky, and it can not possibly be when you are solving crimes in Vegas.

Deborah Coonts succeeds in two things- making Vegas appear interesting, which is not a great feat, but also portraying events in the novels in a way that beyond all the glitter and sparks, the characters seems somehow plausible. Lucky falls into a series of goofy situations, for sure, but she always appears natural and ordinary, even when assaulted by a foul-mouthed parrot. Most of the supporting characters are quirky and larger than life, but in some respects, you get to empathize and understand their struggle, for most of them anyway. Nevertheless, Lucky is an absolute star of this series, a working woman with great responsibilities and unadjusted personal life, in a way similar to say, Bridget Jones. She tries to hold a position in the world of men. Coonts understands her fight- she is a successful lawyer with an only recent career of a writer. She encountered many crime cases in her career and with her immense writing talent, it only seemed logical to use it as an inspiration one day. And, boy, did she do it. Many crime writers will frown upon her work, but Lucky O’Toole has its fanbase, and in the end, that is what counts the most.

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