Channing Booker, a compulsive gambler, drug abuser, and philanderer whose marriage is failing, finally gets lucky and wins the Mega Millions lottery. Expecting an imminent divorce, and hoping to hide his new fortune from his wife Susan, Channing devises a scheme to have a friend claim the $241-million jackpot and secretly return the money to Channing after the divorce is final. But Susan flees with all of her possessions, including the rare book in which Channing hid the winning lottery ticket. With time running out before the lottery ticket expires, Channing launches a desperate search to find Susan, but she’s covered her tracks well, fearing his retribution. In need of money to fund her furtive new lifestyle, Susan begins selling off her worldly goods, including her rare books, unleashing a chain of events that puts not only her life in danger, but that of her new love as well…
Threaded within the plot twists are other stories of secondary characters, some hapless, some heroic, that in the end knit together to create a terrific, satisfying read." Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest
"I know it is a reviewer's cliché, but The Ticket is a page turner. Once I began reading, I couldn't put it down until I learned the fate of 2, 6, 9, 17, 55, 12. Economists are not great forecasters, but I predict that readers of Shackelford's first novel will demand that he supply more titles in the future." Kenneth G. Elzinga: aka Marshall Jevons, author of the Henry Spearman mystery novels and Mystery Writers of America Edgar judge for the Best Mystery Novel of the Year
"The hunt for the lost lottery ticket is exciting, dangerous, and fun. Fred Shackelford juggles a cast of characters who are resourceful, driven, complex, potentially lethal, and always entertaining. The villain, Channing Booker - the name is a great pun -- is both amusing and frightening in his evil ways. The author works insights about the law into the quick moving plot, and he keeps readers tense about impending dangers. For fans of thrillers and of le-gal novels, Fred Shackelford artfully marries both genres in this superb début." John Jebb, author of True Crime: Virginia
"The Ticket takes you into the mind of a true sleazebag. Channing Booker wins a jackpot lottery ticket one day and loses it the next. This blunder sets off a captivating chase, keeping the reader guessing at every turn. Fred Shackelford, the author and a keen legal mind himself, weaves obstacles throughout, confronting his protagonist with colorful characters who thwart Channing's progress and confound his oily maneuvers. Channing is a jerk, no doubt; so why do we keep hoping he'll win? Maybe, we want a sequel! Beware! The cunning suspense herein will disrupt your sleep. A breathless read! Janet Martin, author of The Christmas Swap
"Fans of the film and TV series Fargo will relish the wicked plot twists Shackelford concocts in this winning thriller. Sleazy Charlottesville, Va., attorney Channing Booker, a compulsive gambler whose addiction has devastated his assets, gets a chance at a new start when he wins more than $200 million in the state lottery. With his marriage to his wife, Susan, unraveling, Channing plots to keep what her share of the winnings would be from her. He intends to give the winning ticket to a friend who would cash it in and give the bulk of the jackpot back to him after the divorce is finalized. He conceals the ticket in one of Susan's books, but he's later horrified to find that the book, Susan, and all the rest of her possessions have vanished from their home. That development sets up a delicious cat-and-mouse story line, as Susan attempts to begin a new life away from Channing, who becomes increasingly desperate to find her and the book before the 180-day deadline for coming forward with the lottery ticket expires. Shackelford makes the most of his intriguing premise." Publisher's Weekly
