Deborah Coonts Books In Order

Publication Order of Lucky O'Toole Las Vegas Adventures Books

Publication Order of Lucky O'Toole Collections / Misc Books

Publication Order of Kate Sawyer Medical Thriller Books

Publication Order of Brinda Rose Humorous Mystery Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Deborah Coonts is an American author best known for her work on the humorous Lucky O’Toole Las Vegas Adventure series.

+Biography

Born Deborah Buell, Coonts grew up in Dallas, Texas. It was there that she attended Hockaday Preparatory school. Initially pursuing a career as a lawyer, Deborah Coonts’ journey began when she finished her studies at Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business, receiving a Bachelor of Business Administration.

She would eventually accentuate her certification with a Master’s Degree (Small Business Finance) from Austin’s McCombs School of Business (University of Texas). Additional education achievements for Deborah Coonts include a Masters of Law in Taxation (New York University School of Law) and a Juris Doctor (Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of law).

It wasn’t until 1989 that Deborah Coonts made it to the Texas Bar Association. She would also receive admission to the Colorado bar a year later after practicing law in the state.

Coonts has lived a very varied life, as a mother, accountant, business owner, a lawyer, flight instructor and even a pilot. Deborah has admitted that, besides her writing and mothering duties, she especially enjoys her work as a pilot and flight instructor.

It is probably because of her many personalities and the different careers she has pursued that Deborah Coonts is able to write such rich stories.

+Literary Career

Deborah Coonts’ literary career began in earnest in 1999 when she began writing for Aviation for Women magazine, an activity she would pursue for the next six years. Coonts wrote for the magazine even while practicing law.

It wasn’t until 2010 that Deborah Coonts truly began her journey as an author, her very first book (Wanna Get Lucky?) finding a place on the New York Times Notable Crime Books of 2010 list.

The novel was also a double finalist for the RITA award in 2011 (Best First Book, Novel with Strong Romantic Elements).

Coonts chose to base her first book in Las Vegas because, according to her, the entire world seems to stumble into and through Las Vegas, this allowing the location to overflow with stories and ideas.

According to her mother, Deborah Coonts was a born storyteller, and that her misbehavior in school and all the detention she received was a direct manifestation of her active and vibrant imagination.

Deborah Coonts is very hands-on and isn’t afraid to explore interesting places and meet curious individuals in Las Vegas to do research for her books.

+Wanna Get Lucky?

The 8:30 Pirate show at the Treasure Island Hotel is rudely interrupted when a woman lands in the Pirate Lagoon, this after plunging from a sightseeing helicopter. Naturally, she is written off as another Vegas victim, though Lucky O’Toole is a little suspicious.

Unfortunately, as head of customer relations at the Babylon megacasino, she has a lot on her plate as it is. There is the adult industry’s annual awards banquet. You also have the spouse-swapping convention and the myriad other festivals she has to oversee; though, Lucky cannot help but turn a few stones over.

And indeed she uncovers a few snakes, one of which is a former flame. Convinced that the woman’s death wasn’t just another Sin City Suicide, Lucky finds her investigative efforts impeded by her best friend Teddie, the city’s best female impersonator, who is determined to take his relationship with Lucky to the next level.

Lucky will be fortunate if she can somehow manage her casino’s outrageous festivals even while solving a crime and keeping her libido in check.

You do not encounter many debut novels that are as good as this; yet, Deborah Coonts seems to have hit the jackpot when she wrote ‘Wanna Get Lucky’, a novel that attracted considerable curiosity and interest when it was released in 2010.

The book stands apart because Deborah Coonts actually makes every effort possible to craft a first-class murder mystery. The love story, while unexpected, doesn’t completely eclipse the mystery. In fact, it actually complements the plot as a whole

Las Vegas is a perfectly rendered backdrop. Coonts knows the location and her intimate knowledge shines through on every page, transporting readers into the glitzy streets and Seedy alleys of this world-famous setting.

Lucky is an engaging character, set within a funny and fast paced story. On the whole ‘Wanna Get Lucky?’ is a fun mystery with an injection of authentic romance. The characters are strong and likable, and the mystery is actually intriguing. Every one of the smaller facets of the mystery somehow ties back into a larger picture, and you cannot help but love Lucky as the charming, witty and independent protagonist of the story.

+Lucky Stiff

Head of Customer Relations at the Babylon Lucky O’Toole is experiencing another ordinary night in Las Vegas. And with Las Vegas, ‘ordinary’ includes a load of honeybees that have been spilled onto the strip, blocking the entrance to her hotel.

And then there is the district attorney for Clark County hiding in the buff of one of the hotel’s laundry rooms, and Numbers Neidermeyer, an unsavory oddsmaker throwing attitude at the beautiful Jeremey Whitlock, Las Vegas’ Ace private investigator.

When Lucky learns that Neidermeyer was tossed into the Mandalay Bay resort shark tank and, naturally, eaten by the Tiger Shark, it raises a few eyebrows. Jeremy quickly finds himself in trouble after a hastily prepared search warrant from the district attorney lands him in the hot seat.

Lucky realizes that the antics of her previous night were anything but routine. Even as she tries to juggle her busy schedule, Lucky finds herself drawn into a deadly game daring her to discover Niedermeyer’s true killer.

For Lucky, life in Las Vegas doesn’t get any better.

Lucky stiff is a very divisive book. Readers cannot seem to agree on the quality of the second novel in Deborah Coonts’ first series. While some readers think the mystery was spot on and the final outcome delivered, this while Lucky maintained her charming and intriguing persona, others hated the way Lucky’s job (which was prevalent in the first book) took a backseat this time around.

That she was such a hot commodity amongst the men around her also confused some people, this along with the fact that she seems to whine a lot more in Lucky Stiff.