Overview

A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK! Shortlisted for The Gambling Book Awards 2025 Longlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award 2026 'Moving and shocking, and profoundly poetic' Mike Leigh, film director 'Almost unbearably compulsive . . . never less than rhapsodically funny' Sunday Times 'A wild ride' Financial Times 'Compelling' Daily Mail 'It's dark comedy meets toxic masculinity' The Times '[A] sharp debut' The Independent Think of being on your deathbed and thinking about all them nights where you said no, just 'cause you were a bit short on money. That's not how I wanted to live. Jamie Fletcher should be the luckiest man in Manchester. His girlfriend Rebecca is out of his league, he has a best mate and drinking buddy in Trick, and he loves his job at a busy funeral home. Preparing the dead is not something Jamie takes lightly - whether it's choosing the right stockings for his old dinner lady, or playing the local butcher's favourite album to him before cremation. But beneath his seemingly perfect life, Jamie has been keeping a big secret - one he reveals only to the dead. His gambling addiction has left him in eye-watering debt, and he's running out of ways to keep it hidden. When Rebecca decides it's time for them to buy their first home together, he knows he has to do something to cover his tracks. Desperate, Jamie does what he knows best - he walks up to the bookies and places the biggest bet of his life. How far will he go until his luck runs out? Tonight could be the night that changes everything. You just never know.

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9781472159076

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Reviews

Having grown up in working-class North Manchester, I can vouch for the remarkable accuracy of Dead Lucky. But Connor Hutchinson goes beyond surface naturalism to deliver a story that is both moving and shocking, and profoundly poetic. * Mike Leigh, film director * [A] wild ride - and a thunderingly exciting depiction of what it's like to join the crowds at Cheltenham Gold Cup . . . a story of booze, banter, lairy nights out with the lads and increasingly dangerous stakes. * Financial Times - 'Five devishly good debuts - our pick of first novels' * It's dark comedy meets toxic masculinity * The Times, 'Young writers to watch' * Summer holidays are a good time to try out new novels, and among the recommended fiction out this month is Connor Hutchinson's sharp debut, Dead Lucky. In it, Hutchinson tells the story of an embalmer at a funeral home who is drawn into the addictive world of gambling to pay his debts. * The Independent, Books of the Month * A bold, biting exploration of masculinity, working-class struggle and self-destruction - infused with unexpected heart and wicked humour. A wildly original look at what we bury to survive. * The Bookseller, Discover preview - expert pick * A stunningly realistic portrayal of gambling addiction . . . Dead Lucky announces Hutchinson as a writer to listen to about the love and pain in our society * Ben Halls, author of The Quarry * Here is a gambling novel for our age of stagnant incomes and predatory apps: a boisterous, mordant parable from the backside of Manchester, where hope and delusion mingle inextricably among the boozers and betting shops. With vulgar wisdom and a crackling cant, Hutchinson lures his readers into the flashing heart of the most destructive addiction of them all. * Michael Deagler, author of Early Sobrieties * My kind of book. Utilising a narrative voice that hooks you in from the off, there's nothing remotely pretentious about this compellingly convincing portrayal of community, ambition, and the perils of addiction. It's real and raw with a refreshing but scarily accurate relatability; I bet lots of readers will be sucked in by this essential story of our times as much as I was * Ashley Hickson-Lovence, author of Your Show and The 392 * Mancunian to its core and infused with subtle northern poetry, this book feels startlingly real. Jamie Fletcher, an embalmer at a busy funeral home in Openshaw, understands better than most how fleeting life can be. So, when the chance to win big arises, why would he refuse? * Northern Life *

A stunningly realistic portrayal of gambling addiction . . . Dead Lucky announces Hutchinson as a writer to listen to about the love and pain in our society * Ben Halls, author of The Quarry * Having grown up in working-class North Manchester, I can vouch for the remarkable accuracy of Dead Lucky. But Connor Hutchinson goes beyond surface naturalism to deliver a story that is both moving and shocking, and profoundly poetic. * Mike Leigh, film director * It's dark comedy meets toxic masculinity * The Times, 'Young writers to watch' * A bold, biting exploration of masculinity, working-class struggle and self-destruction - infused with unexpected heart and wicked humour. A wildly original look at what we bury to survive. * The Bookseller, Discover preview - expert pick * Here is a gambling novel for our age of stagnant incomes and predatory apps: a boisterous, mordant parable from the backside of Manchester, where hope and delusion mingle inextricably among the boozers and betting shops. With vulgar wisdom and a crackling cant, Hutchinson lures his readers into the flashing heart of the most destructive addiction of them all. * Michael Deagler, author of Early Sobrieties * My kind of book. Utilising a narrative voice that hooks you in from the off, there's nothing remotely pretentious about this compellingly convincing portrayal of community, ambition, and the perils of addiction. It's real and raw with a refreshing but scarily accurate relatability; I bet lots of readers will be sucked in by this essential story of our times as much as I was * Ashley Hickson-Lovence, author of Your Show and The 392 * Mancunian to its core and infused with subtle northern poetry, this book feels startlingly real. Jamie Fletcher, an embalmer at a busy funeral home in Openshaw, understands better than most how fleeting life can be. So, when the chance to win big arises, why would he refuse? * Northern Life *

A stunningly realistic portrayal of gambling addiction . . . Dead Lucky announces Hutchinson as a writer to listen to about the love and pain in our society * Ben Halls, author of The Quarry * Having grown up in working-class North Manchester, I can vouch for the remarkable accuracy of Dead Lucky. But Connor Hutchinson goes beyond surface naturalism to deliver a story that is both moving and shocking, and profoundly poetic. * Mike Leigh, film director *

Author Information

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.

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