Lucky You

A High-Stakes Breakfast

In the sun-drenched streets of Miami, small-time con artist Hap “Lucky” Collier thinks he’s hit the jackpot when he lands a smooth gig selling counterfeit lottery tickets to unsuspecting retirees. Between late-night stakes games and early-morning beachside breakfasts at Joe’s Diner, Hap’s life of minor schemes and fast cash seems nearly perfect. But when a corrupt state senator, embittered by scandal, hires ruthless mercenaries to retrieve his own ill-gotten lottery windfall, Hap finds himself in over his head. Suddenly, his laid-back hustle becomes a deadly cat-and-mouse chase through crowded boardwalks, neon-lit backrooms, and tangled Everglades waterways.

Swamp Shadows and Deadly Secrets

On Hap’s tail is Lula “Lefty” Lombardo, a brilliant but unhinged private investigator with a personal vendetta against anyone who dares cheat the game. Lefty’s ironclad moral code—twenty years in prison taught her that much—leaves no room for mercy. As Hap’s carefully constructed world unravels, he turns to his childhood friend and reluctant partner, Rainy “Raincheck” Rivera, a razor-sharp waitress with a knack for hacking state lottery systems. Together, they navigate a carnival of absurd dangers: crocodile-infested canals, back-alley armadillo races, and a cadre of trigger-happy thugs who believe that a half-million dollars in unclaimed loot is theirs for the taking.

Roll of the Dice

When the final showdown erupts at a rickety pier under a blistering summer sun, alliances shift like Florida weather, and the only certainty is that nobody plays fair. As gunsmoke mingles with the scent of saltwater and frying bacon, Hap must decide whether to seize his one true shot at freedom—or throw it all away to save the woman who’s become his unexpected partner in crime. In a breathtaking climax, every risk is amplified and every gambit pushed to the brink, proving that sometimes the greatest con of all is believing you’re the lucky one.

. Carl Hiaasen, bestselling author and master of satirical suspense, weaves razor-sharp wit and pulsating action into tales that expose the hilarious absurdities of modern life under the Florida sun.