Allison’s Book Report - “Lucky” by Marissa Stapley

People ask me where I get all of my books. The answer is all over the place. Independent bookstores are my favorite, and I try to visit one or two when I travel. I never leave a used bookstore empty-handed. I love Barnes & Noble and Amazon, if for nothing other than their never-ending selection. I love my Book of the Month and Aardvark monthly subscriptions because getting little packages of books in the mail each month is so much fun. The Churchill County Library is, of course, the most economical choice, and they have a great selection of ebooks and audiobooks available online, both new and old, for the perfect price of “free-ninety-nine," so you don't even have to leave home to get lost in a great story. I got this week's book at a local thrift store, and even though I only paid a quarter for it, “Lucky” by Marissa Stapley is worth its weight in gold.

This quick read is perfect for your swim bag or to devour in an afternoon or two in the comfort of your favorite chair. Lucky Armstrong is a grifter, and she is outstanding in her field. She has recently pulled off a million-dollar heist with her boyfriend, Cary. She is ready to take the money and start over again - a brand-new life with a new identity - when things suddenly go sideways. Suddenly, Lucky is alone, without the help of her father or her boyfriend, master scammers who taught her everything she knows. Lucky buys a lottery ticket on a whim, and to her surprise, it ends up being the winning ticket worth millions of dollars. Her joy at winning is short-lived when she realizes that cashing in the winning ticket means she will be arrested for her crimes and sent to prison, where she will never get the opportunity to spend her winnings. As Lucky tries to forge ahead with her new life and avoid capture, she is forced to face the past. She must reconcile with her father, find the mother who abandoned her as a baby and deal with the dark past of the man she thought she loved. Lucky has to figure out what it means to be honest and independent before her luck runs out.

“Lucky” is part caper, part coming-of-age story, and 100% a reminder of that age-old adage, “You can't scam a scammer.”  I would say that this one was a quarter well spent. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did—and I hope you pop over to my Instagram @allison.the.reader, where I will be digging through the stacks in every bookstore, library, and thrift store I come across looking for more great books to share.