The next morning Numbers, or pieces of her, is found floating in the shark tank in the lobby of the Babylon and Jeremy is on the hook as the last to see her alive.  Lucky’s second, Miss Patterson, is Jeremy’s girlfriend and asks Lucky to help clear Jeremy’s name and Lucky, who likes a lot of action in her life, readily agrees. 

In other subplots, Lucky’s mother, a Vegas madam, is auctioning off a virgin, she is still getting to know her father, the Big Boss at the hotel, and Lucky’s boyfriend Teddie, a former female impersonator, may have finally gotten his recording break. 

Lucky Stiff is full of Las Vegas glitz and glamour, but it is also a well-written, well-plotted mystery. The characters are somewhat zany and eccentric, but they are also very well developed and not so over the top as to be unbelievable.  Lucky is well grounded given her unusual background; she is tough when it is warranted but has a soft side (especially where Teddie is concerned) that surprises even herself. 

Lucky neatly helps the LVPD solve Numbers’s murder, but when all is said and done, something doesn’t feel right to Lucky and she makes one last discovery that could ruin many lives, but makes a promise that shows her compassionate side. A surprise announcement by her mother at the end promises another chapter in Lucky’s life, one that may be very interesting for everyone.                                                    

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry