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beastreader's review against another edition
3.0
Nick Monday is a private detective. Nick is not just your run of the mill detective either. Nick has a knack for taking people’s luck. You did not know that you could steal someone’s luck. Well you can. Not everyone is born lucky, some purchase their own luck. This is where Nick comes in.
Nick was sitting in his office when in walks a tall brunette. Her name is Tuesday Knight. She wants to hire Nick. Someone has stolen her father’s luck and she wants Nick to get it back. Tuesday’s father just happens to be the mayor of San Francisco. The payoff is right up Nick’s alley. Soon Nick finds himself in over his head.
I have not read anything by this author yet. So this was my first time seeing what Mr. Browne had to bring to the table. He brought comedic relief, some wacky and interesting characters, a sarcastic main lead…all rolled up into a quick read! Yep, that is Lucky Bastard. Some are born lucky and others have to beg, steal and kill for it.
I liked Nick Monday. He has an interesting personality. He is someone that at times I could hate but then quickly turn around and cheer for him. Part of the reason that I had this love/hate relationship with Nick was that I found what he did as a job intriguing and I liked his sarcasm but on the other hand he could also be crude. The sexual comments he made got old quick.
To be honest if it was not for Nick then I probably would have given up on this book a long time ago. The rest of the characters I found just ok. They never really grabbed my attention and they could have been anyone. Although, this is a quick read. This book was middle of the road for me but not always a bad thing.
Nick was sitting in his office when in walks a tall brunette. Her name is Tuesday Knight. She wants to hire Nick. Someone has stolen her father’s luck and she wants Nick to get it back. Tuesday’s father just happens to be the mayor of San Francisco. The payoff is right up Nick’s alley. Soon Nick finds himself in over his head.
I have not read anything by this author yet. So this was my first time seeing what Mr. Browne had to bring to the table. He brought comedic relief, some wacky and interesting characters, a sarcastic main lead…all rolled up into a quick read! Yep, that is Lucky Bastard. Some are born lucky and others have to beg, steal and kill for it.
I liked Nick Monday. He has an interesting personality. He is someone that at times I could hate but then quickly turn around and cheer for him. Part of the reason that I had this love/hate relationship with Nick was that I found what he did as a job intriguing and I liked his sarcasm but on the other hand he could also be crude. The sexual comments he made got old quick.
To be honest if it was not for Nick then I probably would have given up on this book a long time ago. The rest of the characters I found just ok. They never really grabbed my attention and they could have been anyone. Although, this is a quick read. This book was middle of the road for me but not always a bad thing.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
3.0
Nick Monday is a guy who private detective with the ability to swap someones good luck and someones not so much luck. He made a career out of it but also enemies and when a "case" come up he can't refuse mess follows him around or maybe bad luck. This was an hard book to rate. It's not a book with likeable characters and Nick himself is an ass. But it was very entertaining and even if it had many cringy moments I thought it was kind of fun. But yeah not the best well crafted novel
daleann's review against another edition
3.0
Quick read - entertaining - on the style of Carl Hiaasen. If you are looking for something not too taxing, this one may fill the ticket
seak's review against another edition
3.0
Nick Monday is a private investigator on the outside, but what he really does is poach luck. That's right, he is one of a very few people who can steal other people's luck and then sell it.
Good luck comes in different grades, low, medium, and Top-grade soft. Each grade can mean different things to different people, but those with Top-grade soft are those who will be the only survivor of a plane crash or the winner of the $33 million jackpot lotto and so on.
Top-grade soft is also worth a ton on the street, which is why it's so hard to get despite the fact that people with this type of luck are easy to spot - they usually make it on the news in some way or another. But there are other poachers as well.
Along with good luck, there's also bad luck, but it's not something most luck poachers want to get remotely close to. It can stick with you for a while and the results are never good (as you can imagine).
This premise alone made Lucky Bastard a must-read for me, I had to see how this concept was realized. And it works...mostly.
There's lots of humor in Lucky Bastard and for the most part it hits its mark. Told in first person, Nick Monday is your typical wise-cracking urban fantasy protagonist in many ways. So much so that at times it does start to get on your nerves.
For instance, this was used a ton, and I mean, a ton. There will be a paragraph describing the situation or some concept such as physics or math or grammar followed by a single sentence paragraph.
"I was never good at [insert subject]."
I've read plenty of books, especially of the urban fantasy type (but especially of the first person narrative type) that use this and maybe my time with urban fantasy has gone on too long, but this was just over-used by far.
Luckily (get it?), this wasn't the only use of humor and otherwise Nick Monday always won me back in the humor department.
Another thing I had a hard time with was a bit of an inconsistency in the logic of the premise. When people lose their good luck, for some reason their life essentially spirals out of control, especially those with the best kind of luck. For instance, the mayor loses his luck and suddenly he loses his position and anything good in his life.
With the existence of bad luck, it just didn't make sense to me that suddenly without your luck, you get bad luck?
For the most part, the whole luck thing works really well and this is only something small that I was able to get over pretty quickly, especially with how well this was written and how likeable the protagonist is.
It could also just be me because all luck is treated more or less as a drug and the different types of luck do different things. So it was probably explained away in there somewhere, but this bothered me for a just a bit...until I got over it.
Because it really is easy to get over any quibbles you have with an interesting premise like this and an easy-going and often hilarious protagonist. Lucky Bastard's a great read that's hard to put down. I did have some problems, but they were relatively easy to get over because the whole novel flows so smoothly and it's hard to put down.
I debated whether this could be turned into a whole series and while it definitely could, I really think this new/shiny/cool premise would get a bit old after this. Then again, Browne's shown himself to be quite capable, so I could be wrong.
One last thing to address before I finish is the action. I mentioned that this book was hard to put down and that's in large part because Monday goes from one problem to the next, none of which is really his own doing...well...that's not entirely correct, but I don't want to spoil things too much.
Like any good urban fantasy, one problem piles on the other and while it was well-handled in this book, there was also a lot of time where Nick Monday was being carried/carted/drugged/dragged away to some other boss/agency/etc. A LOT of time. Every time you turn around he's being taken in by another of his multiple problems and it seemed like a lot of Monday's time was really not in his control.
Obviously this also shows the deftness of Browne's hand at shaping this fun narrative while his protagonist's choices were cut down left and right. And the premise itself helps to explain it away as well. It's all luck.
3.5 out of 5 Stars (Recommended!)
Good luck comes in different grades, low, medium, and Top-grade soft. Each grade can mean different things to different people, but those with Top-grade soft are those who will be the only survivor of a plane crash or the winner of the $33 million jackpot lotto and so on.
Top-grade soft is also worth a ton on the street, which is why it's so hard to get despite the fact that people with this type of luck are easy to spot - they usually make it on the news in some way or another. But there are other poachers as well.
Along with good luck, there's also bad luck, but it's not something most luck poachers want to get remotely close to. It can stick with you for a while and the results are never good (as you can imagine).
This premise alone made Lucky Bastard a must-read for me, I had to see how this concept was realized. And it works...mostly.
There's lots of humor in Lucky Bastard and for the most part it hits its mark. Told in first person, Nick Monday is your typical wise-cracking urban fantasy protagonist in many ways. So much so that at times it does start to get on your nerves.
For instance, this was used a ton, and I mean, a ton. There will be a paragraph describing the situation or some concept such as physics or math or grammar followed by a single sentence paragraph.
"I was never good at [insert subject]."
I've read plenty of books, especially of the urban fantasy type (but especially of the first person narrative type) that use this and maybe my time with urban fantasy has gone on too long, but this was just over-used by far.
Luckily (get it?), this wasn't the only use of humor and otherwise Nick Monday always won me back in the humor department.
Another thing I had a hard time with was a bit of an inconsistency in the logic of the premise. When people lose their good luck, for some reason their life essentially spirals out of control, especially those with the best kind of luck. For instance, the mayor loses his luck and suddenly he loses his position and anything good in his life.
With the existence of bad luck, it just didn't make sense to me that suddenly without your luck, you get bad luck?
For the most part, the whole luck thing works really well and this is only something small that I was able to get over pretty quickly, especially with how well this was written and how likeable the protagonist is.
It could also just be me because all luck is treated more or less as a drug and the different types of luck do different things. So it was probably explained away in there somewhere, but this bothered me for a just a bit...until I got over it.
Because it really is easy to get over any quibbles you have with an interesting premise like this and an easy-going and often hilarious protagonist. Lucky Bastard's a great read that's hard to put down. I did have some problems, but they were relatively easy to get over because the whole novel flows so smoothly and it's hard to put down.
I debated whether this could be turned into a whole series and while it definitely could, I really think this new/shiny/cool premise would get a bit old after this. Then again, Browne's shown himself to be quite capable, so I could be wrong.
One last thing to address before I finish is the action. I mentioned that this book was hard to put down and that's in large part because Monday goes from one problem to the next, none of which is really his own doing...well...that's not entirely correct, but I don't want to spoil things too much.
Like any good urban fantasy, one problem piles on the other and while it was well-handled in this book, there was also a lot of time where Nick Monday was being carried/carted/drugged/dragged away to some other boss/agency/etc. A LOT of time. Every time you turn around he's being taken in by another of his multiple problems and it seemed like a lot of Monday's time was really not in his control.
Obviously this also shows the deftness of Browne's hand at shaping this fun narrative while his protagonist's choices were cut down left and right. And the premise itself helps to explain it away as well. It's all luck.
3.5 out of 5 Stars (Recommended!)
alexctelander's review against another edition
4.0
The bestselling author of Breathers and Fate returns with another entertaining and funny book that is well keeping in the style of one S. G. Browne. Readers who have come to enjoy Browne’s particular style, humor, and characters will be delighted in this latest offering with Lucky Bastard.
Nick Monday is not your usual private detective, by any means. He’s what you’d call a luck poacher. Yep, that’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Since he was a young child, he knew he’d inherited the “family gift,” and then went on to make a business out of it, as so many luck poachers do. All he has to do is shake the lucky (and soon to be less than lucky) person’s hand and the luck is magically transferred into him. He’s not sure exactly how it works, it just does. The person isn’t necessarily unlucky from them on, he or she is simply no longer lucky. As to how Mr. Monday can tell whether a person is lucky, it’s sort of like sensing someone’s midichlorian count and the strength of their force, like an aura in a way. There are several gradations of good luck, from some good fortune on up to easily picking those winning lottery numbers. And just as there is good luck out there, there’s also bad luck, but Nick does his best to stay from that.
Except bad luck seems to keep finding him wherever he goes. He lives in San Francisco, after having to leave another state for some shady business, but soon finds himself getting on a number of people’s bad sides, including the supposed daughter of the mayor of the city, Tuesday Knight, who offers him $100,000 to get back her father’s stolen luck. (Yes, Nick was the one to steal the luck originally; and no, it’s pretty much a one way thing when you take someone’s luck.) He also finds himself mixed up and seriously pissing off a Chinese mafia kingpin.
Lucky Bastard is over the top and fast-paced, taking you all over the wonderful city of San Francisco, but Browne does a great job of suspending the reader’s disbelief, creating a character that isn’t perfect by any means – in fact he gets quite annoying – but remains true to the writing and the character, keeping readers hooked to the very last page.
Originally written on March 13, 2012 ©Alex C. Telander.
For more reviews, check out Bookbanter.
Nick Monday is not your usual private detective, by any means. He’s what you’d call a luck poacher. Yep, that’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Since he was a young child, he knew he’d inherited the “family gift,” and then went on to make a business out of it, as so many luck poachers do. All he has to do is shake the lucky (and soon to be less than lucky) person’s hand and the luck is magically transferred into him. He’s not sure exactly how it works, it just does. The person isn’t necessarily unlucky from them on, he or she is simply no longer lucky. As to how Mr. Monday can tell whether a person is lucky, it’s sort of like sensing someone’s midichlorian count and the strength of their force, like an aura in a way. There are several gradations of good luck, from some good fortune on up to easily picking those winning lottery numbers. And just as there is good luck out there, there’s also bad luck, but Nick does his best to stay from that.
Except bad luck seems to keep finding him wherever he goes. He lives in San Francisco, after having to leave another state for some shady business, but soon finds himself getting on a number of people’s bad sides, including the supposed daughter of the mayor of the city, Tuesday Knight, who offers him $100,000 to get back her father’s stolen luck. (Yes, Nick was the one to steal the luck originally; and no, it’s pretty much a one way thing when you take someone’s luck.) He also finds himself mixed up and seriously pissing off a Chinese mafia kingpin.
Lucky Bastard is over the top and fast-paced, taking you all over the wonderful city of San Francisco, but Browne does a great job of suspending the reader’s disbelief, creating a character that isn’t perfect by any means – in fact he gets quite annoying – but remains true to the writing and the character, keeping readers hooked to the very last page.
Originally written on March 13, 2012 ©Alex C. Telander.
For more reviews, check out Bookbanter.
unabridgedchick's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of those books I fell in love with at the first line, and my breathless passion for it lasted through to the very final line. Ours is a timeless affair.
Seriously, though, this book is hilarious. A little rude, wicked funny, and surprisingly meaty.
Nick Monday is a private investigator in San Francisco, but not all of his business comes from investigating. He's one of a rare handful of people who can feel, and steal, another person's luck. Someone survive a horrifying accident? They're lucky. Politician have a life ruining scandal? Someone stole their luck. Luck poachers, like Nick, make money trading in various grades of luck (and the way they distill luck gleaned from others is horrifying!).
But things get a bit skunky for Nick when he's tapped by the government to deliver bad luck to a local gangster. That same day, said gangster hires him to steal luck, and worse, the foxy daughter of a politician he poached from hires him to find out who poached her father's luck. If it sounds confusing, it's only because I'm explaining it wrong -- Browne makes this crazy plot work.
There's a bouncy, banter-y sense to the novel which made effortless to read -- I raced through it -- and I loved Nick. He's got a line for everything.
This book had me snickering and snortling on my commute to work -- hilarious to read, and I'm sure laugh-out-loud funny as an audiobook. This is the kind of book I think might lure a non-reader who likes comedic action flicks -- my brother and brother-in-law are both getting a copy -- and I would describe it as a kind of fluff beach read for guys. In the best way. Seriously fun.
Seriously, though, this book is hilarious. A little rude, wicked funny, and surprisingly meaty.
Nick Monday is a private investigator in San Francisco, but not all of his business comes from investigating. He's one of a rare handful of people who can feel, and steal, another person's luck. Someone survive a horrifying accident? They're lucky. Politician have a life ruining scandal? Someone stole their luck. Luck poachers, like Nick, make money trading in various grades of luck (and the way they distill luck gleaned from others is horrifying!).
But things get a bit skunky for Nick when he's tapped by the government to deliver bad luck to a local gangster. That same day, said gangster hires him to steal luck, and worse, the foxy daughter of a politician he poached from hires him to find out who poached her father's luck. If it sounds confusing, it's only because I'm explaining it wrong -- Browne makes this crazy plot work.
There's a bouncy, banter-y sense to the novel which made effortless to read -- I raced through it -- and I loved Nick. He's got a line for everything.
"But I don't poach bad luck," I whisper. "At least, not anymore. And I only did it once."
She shrugs and takes another bite of her tortellini. "It's like herpes. Once is all it takes."
It's bad enough to get turned down for sex by a cute little luck poacher who screwed you over once already. But when you've been compared to herpes, that's when you know you should have stayed in bed. (p142)
This book had me snickering and snortling on my commute to work -- hilarious to read, and I'm sure laugh-out-loud funny as an audiobook. This is the kind of book I think might lure a non-reader who likes comedic action flicks -- my brother and brother-in-law are both getting a copy -- and I would describe it as a kind of fluff beach read for guys. In the best way. Seriously fun.
cheriekg's review against another edition
3.0
Another "just pick something off the new book shelf" read and it was...meh. Fine. Enjoyable but not memorable. Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of the hard-boiled detective genre, let alone a send-up of said genre, so this probably wasn't the best pick. The concept of poaching luck was intersting but, yeah. I've run out of things to say.
drtlovesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
The premise of this book is fantastic - what if there were certain people who could suck the luck out of your body? And what if they could sell it to others?
The opening scene was like a checklist of things I like about an intro - dives into the middle of the action, doesn't slow down to explain to the audience, features an interesting and unusual situation, and characters who seem completely absurd at that moment, but who will seem much more understandable once the story flashes back and catches up to this point.
The rest of the story was so-so. Part of my problem with this story is that the main character was quite unlikable throughout most of the book. There was also some squandering of the central premise, some missed opportunities, I felt, to explore the potential of what one could do with luck extraction and transference.
Overall, it wasn't a bad read.
The opening scene was like a checklist of things I like about an intro - dives into the middle of the action, doesn't slow down to explain to the audience, features an interesting and unusual situation, and characters who seem completely absurd at that moment, but who will seem much more understandable once the story flashes back and catches up to this point.
The rest of the story was so-so. Part of my problem with this story is that the main character was quite unlikable throughout most of the book. There was also some squandering of the central premise, some missed opportunities, I felt, to explore the potential of what one could do with luck extraction and transference.
Overall, it wasn't a bad read.
andreablythe's review against another edition
4.0
Nick Monday works as a private detective in order to cover his identity as a luck poacher. He can steal luck from the fortunate with just a shake of the hand and then sell it on the black market. But things get sticky and he quickly finds himself warding off heiresses and gangsters and federal agents in one mishap after the next.
Browne plays off the idea of the noir novel in a fun, fast-paced satire. Even though Nick describes himself as more "over easy than hard boiled", he's still an anti-hero, someone who doesn't think twice about stripping someone of the good luck they were born with or screwing over some innocent bystander. There are also dangerous femme fatale and red herrings and twists and turns. A really enjoyable book.
Browne plays off the idea of the noir novel in a fun, fast-paced satire. Even though Nick describes himself as more "over easy than hard boiled", he's still an anti-hero, someone who doesn't think twice about stripping someone of the good luck they were born with or screwing over some innocent bystander. There are also dangerous femme fatale and red herrings and twists and turns. A really enjoyable book.