Book reviews

A Hard Ticket Home
David Housewright Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mystery/Thriller Literature Romance Biography History
David Housewright Books
New book search
David Housewright Message Board
Get more information about this book
Plot Summary of A Hard Ticket Home
"

St. Martin's May 2004, 23.95, 288 pp.
ISBN 031332149x

After almost a dozen years on the St. Paul Police force, Rushmore McKenzie knows he has no chance of promotion ever since he made a righteous killing using a gun that was not standard police issue. When he finds an embezzler and the money he stole, he quits the force. This makes him eligible to take the insurance company reward for the return of the money. He is now a wealthy unlicensed private eye taking cases that interest him.

Richard and Molly Carlson ask him to find their daughter Jamie who left years ago and never returned. Their younger daughter Stacy is dying of leukemia and her only hope is a bone marrow transplant. After a thorough search he locates Jamie who tells him she will get in touch with him after she tells her husband about the family he never knew she had. When he doesn't hear from her, he goes to her home only to find her murdered. Her husband and son are missing, but Jamie's parents want him to locate their grandson who might be a match for Stacy. The investigation turns deadlier when eight men connected to the case are murdered, some by McKenzie's hand.

The case off as a missing person's case but turns into a conspiracy linking a business group with a low profile gang armed with East European weapons.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of A Hard Ticket Home
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%




Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story: - present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 80%
Kind of investigator - skilled citizen investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - searching for missing person
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes
General Crime (including known murderer) Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here? - breaking up gang
If story PRIMARILY about main chr. being hunted... - hunted by killer/stalker

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - private investigator
Age: - 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use? - a little
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - an organization
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - money/treasure
The antagonists are: - big business leader(s)
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Midwest

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 8 or more
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to A Hard Ticket Home
Savage Run by C.J. Box
A Fine Line by William G. Tapply
High Country by Nevada Barr
Deadline by John Dunning
Double Bluff by Michael A. Hawley


Click here for more information about this book


David Housewright Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Harriet Klausner  

SCHOLARS:


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Three ways to search for Thriller/Action books!

1) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot or subplot below!

Big vehicle disaster?

Crime Thriller

Disaster, natural or nuclear

Exploring into the wild

Horror Story?

Legal Thriller

Medical Thriller

Religious overtones?

Spying/Terrorism Thriller

War Thriller

Water adventure

Western



or 2) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
3) Even more search options available with a Detailed Booksearch (click here)

Use our site!
Feedback
About us
Bribe your congressman!
Rudy Giuliani



Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
.
Suzanne Collins 3:45:18 PM
Charlaine Harris 3:37:46 PM
Deric Longden 2:26:59 PM
V.C. Andrews 2:24:44 PM
J.D. Robb 2:18:51 PM
Margaret Peterson Haddix 12:17:33 PM
Anne Schraff 12:01:20 PM
Lilian Jackson Braun 9:27:35 AM
Barbara Michaels 8:54:55 PM
Terry Goodkind 8:40:36 PM
Scott O'Dell 6:00:22 PM
Mary Downing Hahn 5:09:15 PM
David Pelzer 3:00:02 PM
Martina Cole 2:50:58 PM
Bob Brier 1:50:52 PM
Stephen King 8:34:20 AM
Richard Pelzer 5:59:07 AM
Ivan Cat 11:37:44 PM
Mitch Albom 6:43:29 PM
Jung Chang 6:39:20 PM

More message boards