The next book to be featured this season on the Sara Cox Radio 2 Book Club is Dead Lucky by Connor Hutchinson—a sharp, unbearably compulsive dark comedy about Jamie, whose seemingly perfect life hides a big secret he shares only with the dead: a gambling addiction that’s left him in eye-watering debt. How far will he go before his luck runs out?
The book was released on 10 July and Connor’s interview with Sara is on BBC Sounds from Tuesday 12 August.
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We also have an exclusive extract.
Dead Lucky
Jamie Fletcher loves his job as an embalmer at a busy funeral home in working-class Manchester. Taking responsibility for how mourners remember their loved ones is not something he takes lightly, but Jamie has big enough problems in his own life to dwell too much on the gruesome realities he encounters daily.
His adoring yet impatient girlfriend, Rebecca, is pushing to save up for a house, but she hasn’t a clue that Jamie has been living with a gambling addiction since his early teens. Wrestling with debts and dishonesty and all the while keeping a handle on life at the funeral home, Jamie journeys through the pubs, bookmakers, casinos, and racetracks of Manchester, scrambling to erase his debts before the truth is laid bare. How far will he go to get his life back on track, and what can he take from the dead to help him get there? Fortunately, he finds plenty a sympathetic ear in those he works with, who won’t be sharing his secrets any time soon.
The day arrives when Jamie decides to risk it all and he places every penny he owns onto a high stakes bet. Will everything come crashing down, or will his life be remade?
About the author
Connor Hutchinson is a writer from Manchester. Through the use of dark humour, his work often centres around the themes of masculinity and the working-class areas he was raised.
He is also a portrait painter and works in Publicity for Picador, Macmillan.
A word from Connor
“I’m incredibly grateful for Dead Lucky being chosen for the Radio 2 Book Club! It’s daunting for any debut novelist to predict how their work will be perceived, so receiving this news was a special moment and meant so much to me. My first interaction with a book was at my local library in Levenshulme, Manchester which unfortunately has closed down now. It was a space where I could enter new worlds, escape, and was definitely the catalyst in making me want to read and write. These childhood experiences and later working in publishing has taught me how integral librarians are to future book lovers and authors. Because of libraries, books have been the centre of many people’s lives and I will always be thankful for how they’ve influenced mine.”
“I really appreciate all the librarians and The Reading Agency for reading, recommending and connecting with my book. It’s the best feeling an author can have and will forever be a privilege being a part of a stellar list of previous Book Club picks.”
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