I really enjoyed The Ticket. This book is so entertaining. I liked the premise. The book is well written and interesting. I think Fred Shackleford is a very fine writer and I hope to read more of his work.

The book kept me actively engaged throughout! The character development was right on and the storyline never wavered. I enjoyed the location details as well as the authors detailed description. I felt like I was a part of the book and felt intrigued all the way through.

There’s some great prosaic storytelling in this book. It doesn’t get bogged down in overly flowery phrases or poetic descriptions, which I generally like. Instead, it tells the story in a straightforward and easy to follow way from third-person POV. There were a lot of moving parts and a variety of different characters, none of whom really seemed to be the “main character.” Right up until the end, I was unable to predict what would happen next.

I particularly liked the character of Boz, not because his character was likable, but because I loved the way his character was described. “He had joined the firm thirty-four years earlier and had quickly established himself as a man with no apparent legal skills...had he not been the son of a founding partner, he would have been put out on the street within a few months...Any normal self-respecting employee would have resigned, but there was nowhere else for Boz to go.” This man likes to pretend he’s relevant by monitoring the activities of others and pretending to be busy with important matters. He has perfected the art, aptly described in this scene: “He rubbed his forehead and sighed, as if recovering from a major intellectual challenge.”

Channing is described as the conniving lawyer you love to hate. Were it not for the fact this book was written by a lawyer, I might be tempted to believe he dislikes them as a whole. Instead, I think he probably has first-hand experience with low-lifes like this. At times, Channing’s behaviors reflected stereotypical lawyer behaviors, but for the most part, the character was believable. Billy, too, displays stereotypical thug behaviors. Even so, I enjoyed the story and overlooked the cliched characters.

The plot is really the jewel of this book. Characters are not terribly complicated and there’s no pulling of your heartstrings. The ones that are relatable are the good guys; the bad guys are bad with no shades of goodness to them. To me, none of this mattered. I enjoyed the story for the plot and the narrative was good enough to relate the story. I’m giving it 5 stars because I found it inventive, original, and fun to read.

Definitely a different story line with a wicked twist! As a man takes a big gamble with a winning lottery ticket, he finds himself on the losing end again. His wife has unwittingly fled, taking his $241 million ticket that he hid in one of her books. What a payback! The story is a very entertaining look at how a man's actions comeback to haunt him. Fred Shackelford tells the story as if he were telling a story to a crowd about his bumbling relative's latest adventure. Well worth my precious reading time!!!!

The subtitle of this DEBUT novel should be "What Could Possibly Go Wrong?"

In this comedy of errors, Channing Booker, attorney at law, in a loveless marriage, hopeless gambler, finds to his shock that he holds the winning ticket for the Mega Millions lottery. Jackpot worth approximately $241 million. His mind begins to work overtime.

He's been thinking about a divorce for a while; why not now? Then he won't have to split his winnings with his wife Susan. And so begins the series of misadventures. He hides the ticket in a book at his house; the next day, he comes home from work to find his wife gone and house empty, including the book with the lottery ticket in it. We are introduced to other players, including some pretty shifty characters. Billy runs a pawn shop; Winston DeHart is a junior associate at the law firm; Lee buys on EBay, where Susan is selling some of her stuff; Boz Dunlap, whose job at the law firm seems to encompass sitting in his chair and shuffling papers; Sully Pendleton, local attorney.

A truly delicious novel that will keep you guessing until the very last page.

I read this EARC courtesy of Black Opal Books and Net Galley 10/20/20

A winning lottery ticket is the central theme of this book. The purchaser wants to hide the winnings from his wife, but she surprises him by moving out and unwittingly taking the ticket with her! The rest of the book entails his search for his wife and the ticket, along with the eventual involvement of a third party. I enjoyed the fast pace and characters in this book (the male lead is a real sleaze-bag!) I was a bit disappointed in the resolution, though it sort of makes me wonder if there's a sequel coming that will finish the tale. Still, a good read!

I really enjoyed this book, the characters were well developed. It had an interesting plot. I would be interested in reading more. excellent plot.