Review: Wanna Get Lucky?

Summary: A young woman plunges from a Las Vegas sightseeing helicopter, landing in the Pirate’s lagoon in front of the Treasure Island Hotel in the middle of the 8:30 Pirate Show.  Almost everyone writes her off as another Vegas victim.

But Lucky O’Toole smells a rat.  She’s head of Customer Relations at The Babylon, the newest, most opulent mega-casino and resort on the Strip, so she’s got a lot on her plate: the Adult Film industry’s annual awards banquet, a spouse-swapping convention, sex toy purveyors preying on the pocket-protector crowd attending ElectroniCon….  Still, Lucky can’t resist turning over a few stones.  

When a former flame is one of the snakes she uncovers, Lucky’s certain she’s no longer dealing with an anonymous Sin City suicide.  To top it all off, Lucky’s best friend Teddie—Las Vegas’ finest female impersonator—presses to take their relationship to the next level.  Leave it to Lucky to attract a man who looks better in a dress than she does.

Lucky must manage the Babylon’s onslaught of outrageous festivities, solve a murder, and struggle to keep her life and libido from spinning out of control… not to mention keep her balance in six inch heels. -- Forge

I'm sure you'll relate to the saying that there are "so many books, so little time," but I've been especially feeling this sentiment the past few weeks. Since I started blogging, I've read more books than I ever did before, but I also realize that I'm still missing out on loads of fantastic books. Another thing I've noticed is that my reading habits have changed -- I seem to read less and less mysteries every year. And that's kind of ironic because I do enjoy good mysteries and thrillers!

Recently, I read a very entertaining mystery called WANNA GET LUCKY? by Deborah Coonts. I absolutely adored it and can honestly tell you it was the most fun I've had reading in a book in a long time (that is until I read the second book in the series. But more on that tomorrow!) WANNA GET LUCKY? had an intriguing mystery, but it also had a great setting (Las Vegas), terrific characters, lots of twists and turns, humor, and even some sexy romance. It truly was a book with a little bit of everything! It even was chosen as one of the New York Times Notable Crime Books of 2010.

I kind of knew when I picked up WANNA GET LUCKY? that it was going to be a light read -- almost chick lit if you will. To be honest, I was thinking along the lines of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series -- a series that I enjoyed at the beginning but that has kind of fizzled out for me. However, WANNA GET LUCKY? was really a pleasant surprise for me. It did have the fun elements of chick lit, but it also had a fairly complex mystery and even some suspense. I also really appreciated the humor that was woven into this story from the vivid descriptions of the Las Vegas hotels and some of its patrons, to the Adult Awards Industry's actors and awards ceremony, to Lucky's constant hassles as head of PR at the Babylon, and even to Lucky's relationship with her mom!

And these items would have probably been enough to make this book a hit in my eyes, but I think what I appreciated the most were the variety of characters. Of course, Lucky was my absolute favorite one and I loved how complex she was (I certainly wasn't expecting that.) Like many women, she has issues with her mother (although most women probably can't claim that their mother is absolutely gorgeous and runs an extremely successful brothel.) But she also has some other issues like an unknown father, a demanding boss, an unhealthy addiction to her job, and relationship/commitment issues. I truly loved that this book explored Lucky's character as much as it did, and I have a feeling that readers are going to see her "mature" throughout the rest of the series.

As likable as I thought Lucky was, the supporting characters were equally fun. In fact, this series has an amazing cast of characters. Lucky's mother is an absolute hoot as is Lucky's personal assistant. Lucky's boss and owner of the Babylon is also intriguing, and I'm almost certain he has a pretty interesting past. And for those of you who enjoy a little sexual tension in your books, there are also quite a few "hot" men who cross Lucky's path. There is a Texan security guy, an Australian private eye, and my favorite Teddy. Teddy is Lucky's best friend who just happens to make his living as a female impersonator.

If you enjoy light (and fun) mysteries, then you won't want to miss WANNA GET LUCKY? It's just an extremely entertaining book and it's even available in mass market paperback -- so it's totally a bargain!

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this novel.