LUCKY DUCK

Garretson explores the impact of luck on a man’s life in this hilarious crime novel.

Joel Howard is a big believer in luck: “I’ve got to be the luckiest guy in the—oh, I was going to say the entire world, but make it the Northern Hemisphere, I don’t want to embellish and lose you right off the bat.” For example, his mother’s habit of reading to him about current events led indirectly to his receiving a scholarship to a small college in Kansas, which has allowed him to play as a member of the school’s marginal basketball team. But as graduation nears, Joel hits a rough patch. First, his girlfriend Nadine “Nee Nee” Blass breaks up with him. Then, he loses his new job as an insurance agent after quitting his other position as a shoe salesman, leaving him alone, unemployed, and broke. This is when Joel comes up with the crazy idea to rob the bank at the mall where he worked on Black Friday, and he enacts a scheme involving an abducted dog and cinnamon. Decades later, Joel’s past comes back to haunt him before he gets lucky once again. Garretson’s colorful descriptions of shopping malls, 1980s music, and technology of the era are bound to spark nostalgia among Generation Xers and disbelief among younger readers. Joel is a likable lead who doesn’t let little bumps in the road slow him down for long. The supporting characters are largely there to move Joel’s story along, but they all have their roles to play in his journey. The author capably employs flashbacks to illuminate key moments in Joel’s earlier life before bringing the reader back to his present. The robbery is an important incident in Joel’s life but doesn’t define him—this heartwarming story suggests that he is a good man who commits one bad act.

A winning mix of sentiment and thrills.