Title: Lucky town
First published: 1994
Description: "My father picked me up in a stolen car the day after he was released from the state prison...".

So begins Lucky Town, the tale of Floyd Barlow, a devil-may-care thief and con-man, and Bobby, his wise (Floyd would say wise-ass) teenage son, who, in a reversal of traditional roles, looks after him. As the sixties move into the seventies, Bobby runs away from his foster home to team up with his father, and with stolen cash and in a hot car the two head in search of better times and a certain beauty named Melinda.

In Seattle, Floyd's funds are running dangerously low, but his pride won't allow him to seek employment. So Bobby, ever the more responsible one, finds a job, while Floyd tracks down Melinda - who is living with her cop husband. She soon runs off with Floyd and Bobby and, in yet another hot car, they head to Vegas "for a vacation.".

In Vegas, Melinda lands a casino job dealing craps. Floyd hones his gambling skills at Melinda's table, and - with the aid of a set of loaded dice - is soon rolling in money. But his luck runs out and disaster strikes. In a desperate final attempt to raise cash, Floyd pulls a series of selfish stunts that will forever alter his relationship with his son.

Lucky Town is the gritty yet poignant tale of a son who watches out for his father for as long as he can and who learns, as a result, that independence and integrity - not toughness and thievery - are the keys to becoming a man.
Subjects: Fiction, Thieves, Fathers and sons
LC classification: PS3552.R68563 L83 1994