Lucky You

Carl Hiaasen's "Lucky You" is an adult satirical crime novel set in Florida, following JoLayne Lucks, a Black woman who wins the lottery. Her winning ticket is brutally stolen by two inept white supremacists, Bodean Gazzer and Chub, who plan to use the money to fund their anti-government militia. JoLayne, determined to get her revenge and use her winnings to save a local forest, enlists the help of a jaded journalist, Tom Krome. The story is a fast-paced, darkly humorous adventure filled with eccentric characters, sharp social commentary on racism and extremism, and escalating peril. Parents should note this book contains significant adult themes, including graphic violence, attempted sexual assault, mature language, and overt bigotry, making it entirely unsuitable for children.

Grange, Florida, is famous for its miracles - the weeping fiberglass Madonna, the Road-Stain Jesus, the stigmata man. And now it has JoLayne Lucks, unlikely winner of the state lottery. Unfortunately, JoLayne's winning ticket isn't the only one. The other belongs to Bodean Gazzer and his raunchy sidekick, Chub, who believe they're entitled to the whole $28 million jackpot. And they need it quickly, to start their own underground militia before NATO troops invade America. But JoLayne Lucks has her own plans for the Lotto money - an Eden-like forest in Grange must be saved from strip-malling. When Bode and Chub brutally assault her and steal her ticket, JoLayne vows to track them down, take it back - and get revenge. The only one who can help is Tom Krome, a big-city investigative journalist now bitterly consigned to writing frothy features for a midsized central Florida newspaper. With a persuasive nudge from JoLayne, Krome is about to become part of a story that's bigger and more bizarre than anything he's ever covered.