Critical Praise

"The novel is a hoot with a heart, a raucous portrayal of working-class life in extremis. . . . Mr. Carpenter keeps a nice balance between the consistent focus on Lucky's abrasive sensibility and the novel's busy plot. . . . Lucky Lunt is an irresistibly vivid character. . . . You might not want to invite him to your next book club meeting. But a few bracing, expletive-filled hours aboard the Wooden Nickel with Lucky just might do your own heart a modest world of good."

——Bruce Allen, Washington Times

"Move over, Richard Russo, there's an impressive new chronicler of the lives of hard-edged working men on the scene. . . . This is a fully engaging story that creates a powerful portrait of a man struggling to make sense of a world that seems rigged against him."

——Publishers Weekly

"Powerful. . . . The Wooden Nickel will be the punchiest, raunchiest Maine coast lobstering novel you'll encounter in a long while."

——Michael Kenney, Boston Globe

"A funny, funny book. . . . Lucky Lunt leaps to life and you buy his story - hook, line, and sinker."

——Tampa Tribune