Dead Lucky

'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

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 loves his job as an embalmer at a busy funeral home in Openshaw, Manchester, but he's hiding a big secret - his gambling addiction has left him in eyewatering debt.

When his girlfriend Rebecca piles on the pressure to buy their first home together, he knows he has to do something to cover his tracks. And fast.

So Jamie does what he knows best - he walks up to the bookies and places the biggest bet of his life.

Tonight could be the night that changes everything. You just never know.

'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

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
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
An often hilarious, sometimes nail-biting, always tender portrait of tight-knit communities, unsung heroes, everyday kindness and ordinary working people caught up in forces beyond their control. Kate Brook, author of Not Exactly What I Had in Mind.

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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