Lucky Duck: At the mall, in the 80s, with a dog.

by Mike Garretson

Overview

"I robbed a bank. I got away with it. It wasn't even that hard."

Recent college graduate Joel Howard, former bench warmer for his small town college team, is optimistic about his future with his out-of-his-league girlfriend and a job prospect with a local insurance agency. But things don't work out the way he plans when his girlfriend dumps him and he remains stuck at his unfulfilling position at the local shoe store in the mall.

Desperately seeking a change of pace from his father's unrelenting nagging, Joel hatches a plan to rob the mall's bank on the night of Black Friday, 1987.

Joel has always been lucky, despite the current string of bad luck. Has his luck run out? Or will it return in time to get him out of trouble?

Lucky Duck is a comedic crime novel perfect if you're looking for something with the flavor of a John Hughes film from those 80s and 90s tomes like Risky Business or Breakfast Club.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611535099
Publisher:	Torchflame Books
Publication date:	03/18/2025
Pages:	266
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Mike Garretson's first experiences as a writer occurred when he was covering high school sports for local newspapers. After a career full of joy as a public school teacher, Mike has entered the arena of fiction writing. In Lucky Duck, Mike's debut novel, his love of sports and the 80s lifestyle comes through like frenzied crowds on a Black Friday before online shopping. Mike will follow up this, not quite dark, "but a little gray" comedic adult fiction with two Middle Grade novels, Standstill and Eric the Great. Mike has always been a part of a big family. Trips to beaches and ballparks are his favorite activities when he ventures away from the small-town Kansas living he loves so much. You might find him working on the high school baseball field getting his teams ready to play or being involved in various community events. Mike encourages everyone to support their local and school libraries in any way they can along with local booksellers. You can connect with Mike on social media @MikeGwriting.

Editorial Reviews

2025-04-10
Garretson explores the impact of luck on a man’s life in this hilarious crime novel.

Joel Howard is a big believer in luck: “I’ve got to be the luckiest guy in the—oh, I was going to say the entire world, but make it the Northern Hemisphere, I don’t want to embellish and lose you right off the bat.” For example, his mother’s habit of reading to him about current events led indirectly to his receiving a scholarship to a small college in Kansas, which has allowed him to play as a member of the school’s marginal basketball team. But as graduation nears, Joel hits a rough patch. First, his girlfriend Nadine “Nee Nee” Blass breaks up with him. Then, he loses his new job as an insurance agent after quitting his other position as a shoe salesman, leaving him alone, unemployed, and broke. This is when Joel comes up with the crazy idea to rob the bank at the mall where he worked on Black Friday, and he enacts a scheme involving an abducted dog and cinnamon. Decades later, Joel’s past comes back to haunt him before he gets lucky once again. Garretson’s colorful descriptions of shopping malls, 1980s music, and technology of the era are bound to spark nostalgia among Generation Xers and disbelief among younger readers. Joel is a likable lead who doesn’t let little bumps in the road slow him down for long. The supporting characters are largely there to move Joel’s story along, but they all have their roles to play in his journey. The author capably employs flashbacks to illuminate key moments in Joel’s earlier life before bringing the reader back to his present. The robbery is an important incident in Joel’s life but doesn’t define him—this heartwarming story suggests that he is a good man who commits one bad act.

A winning mix of sentiment and thrills.

Kirkus Reviews