Lucky Day is the newest novel of terror from Chuck Tingle, USA Today bestselling author of Bury Your Gays, where one woman must go up against the most horrifying concept of all: nothing.

Vera is a survivor of a global catastrophe known as the Low Probability Event, but she definitely isn’t thriving. Once a passionate professor of statistics, she no longer finds meaning in anything at all.

But when problematic government agent Layne knocks on her door, she’s the only one who can help him uncover the connection between deadly spates of absurdity and an improbably lucky casino. What’s happening in Vegas isn’t staying there, and the world is at risk of another disaster.

When it comes to Chuck Tingle, the only thing more terrifying than a serious horror novel is an absurd one…

I received an advance galley of this book courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

This book is absolutely bonkers and brutal and I wouldn’t expect anything less. It’s pure Chuck Tingle chaos: gory, absurd, sharp, and somehow deeply heartfelt underneath all the blood and chaos. I went into it expecting something fresh and unlike anything I’ve read before, but I still found myself surprised by just how wild this story gets. Flying fish? Check. Government agents? Check. Alternate timelines, existential dread, and public pool trauma? Yep, it’s all here.

Vera, the main character, is a former statistics professor living in the aftermath of a “Low Probability Event” (LPE for short). This was a global catastrophe that changed (or ended) many people’s lives. She’s numb, isolated, and grieving not just what she’s lost but the person she used to be. Then Agent Layne shows up. He’s a shady government agent with questionable methods and a mission: figure out why absurd and deadly events keep occurring all over the country, and how it’s all connected to an improbably successful casino. Vague? Yes, but intentionally so. I don’t want to spoil anything. This is one that absolutely needs to be experienced.

There’s a “Final Destination” vibe running through the book, mostly because some of the kills had me screaming “Whoa!”, much like I do when watching one of those movies. There’s also plenty of Tingle’s signature twist of absurdist horror and queerness woven into the DNA of the story. And it’s not just chaos for the sake of chaos. There’s also commentary on bi-erasure and identity. That message is loud, clear, and beautifully integrated without ever feeling preachy.

I tandem read an ARC and ALC of this one and Mara Wilson (who also narrated Tingle’s “Camp Damascus”) brings this story to life with a performance that’s perfectly tuned to the material. She captures Vera’s detached grief, Layne’s sketchy urgency, and the sheer craziness of the plot with pitch-perfect delivery.

Clocking in at just over 200 pages, this book doesn’t waste time. It moves fast. There’s no filler, no dragging middle, no over-explaining. Tingle knows exactly when to lean into the chaos and when to step back and let us breathe. Some of the imagery will absolutely stick with me. I’m definitely steering clear of public pools for a while.

This is a strange, smart, high-stakes romp that’s somehow both bonkers and sneakily profound. If you’re a fan of Chuck Tingle’s brand of horror—or just looking for something completely original and a little unhinged—this one’s a must. And seriously, if you listen to audiobooks, grab this one. Mara Wilson’s narration is perfect.