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Sam McCain #8
Ticket to Ride
1965: America’s favorite small-town detective must solve the murder of two old friends against the backdrop of America’s cultural revolution. For small-town Iowa lawyer Sam McCain the year 1965 is not a sweet one. His father is gravely ill. His elitist boss is just now coming out of rehab. The brilliant lawyer he'd hoped to start a relationship with has gone back to her husband in Chicago. And first young soldier from Black River Falls returns home from a strange place called Viet Nam. In a coffin.
Against this background McCain tries to enjoy himself during the long Labor Day weekend party the town sponsors every year, reuniting with several old friends who appeared throughout the first six novels. Now that they're all in their late twenties some of the old grudges and rivalries seem silly―until two of them are murdered for what seems to be a motive buried in the past.
With the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan irritating those over thirty―and the boys in long hair and girls wearing blouses without bras irritating people even more―Sam McCain is forced to realize that his old world, along with the entire country's, is about to end forever.
Against this background McCain tries to enjoy himself during the long Labor Day weekend party the town sponsors every year, reuniting with several old friends who appeared throughout the first six novels. Now that they're all in their late twenties some of the old grudges and rivalries seem silly―until two of them are murdered for what seems to be a motive buried in the past.
With the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan irritating those over thirty―and the boys in long hair and girls wearing blouses without bras irritating people even more―Sam McCain is forced to realize that his old world, along with the entire country's, is about to end forever.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
17 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
Ed Gorman
468 books118 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 4, 2013
This is the eighth entry in Ed Gorman's series featuring Sam McCain, a small-town lawyer/P.I. in the fictional town of Black River Falls, Iowa. The first books in the series were set in the late 1950s, in a time and place that seemed (and were) impossibly innocent. The violence was minimal and scarcely believable; the characters, charming, goofy or both. McCain himself was a straight arrow who loved his mom and dad, who had terrible luck in love, and who, in the end, always outsmarted the buffoonish Sheriff who was his main antagonist. You could never take the books seriously, but they were generally fun to read before you moved on to something weightier and forgot all about them.
As this book opens, it's now 1965. A man named Lyndon Johnson is in the White House; American boys are beginning to die in a place called Vietnam that nobody ever heard of, and suddenly things aren't so innocent and amusing anymore, even in Black River Falls.
McCain has helped organize an antiwar protest rally, which, frankly, would have been pretty odd in a place like Black River Falls, Iowa in 1965. The rally is interrupted by Lou Bennett, one of the town's leading citizens, a former military man, and the father of one of the first Black River Falls boys to die in the war. Bennett, like a lot of other people, takes this matter seriously. There's some pushing and shoving and a lot of invective on both sides.
Later that night, Bennett turns up dead. The sheriff, Clifford Sykes, immediately arrests Harrison Doran, the principal speaker at the rally who had exchanged words with Bennet. McCain agrees to defend Doran, even though they are rivals for the affections of the same woman.
McCain's investigation of the crime is about as amateurish as one could get and there are lots of humorous asides and chaste romantic episodes along the way. This isn't usually a problem in these books, but it is in this one. Precisely because the times have turned so dark, the light-hearted aspects of the book grate a bit and seem inappropriate. It's hard for a reader (or at least for this one), to turn on a dime and care at all about the problems that McCain's teenage secretary is having with her idiot boyfriend after reading about the latest war casualties.
I've enjoyed the previous books in this series and I don't dislike this one. I recognize that Gorman has a problem if he's not going to leave Sam McCain perpetually stranded in the late '50s and early '60s. I'm not sure how he might solve it, but I don't think he's quite come to grips with the problem in this book as well as he might have. McCain is now nearly thirty and should be maturing at least a little. Certainly, it should be possible to moderate the tone of the books just a bit to reflect the more serious times that Sam McCain now inhabits and perhaps to give him a bit more wisdom and gravity with his increasing age.
As this book opens, it's now 1965. A man named Lyndon Johnson is in the White House; American boys are beginning to die in a place called Vietnam that nobody ever heard of, and suddenly things aren't so innocent and amusing anymore, even in Black River Falls.
McCain has helped organize an antiwar protest rally, which, frankly, would have been pretty odd in a place like Black River Falls, Iowa in 1965. The rally is interrupted by Lou Bennett, one of the town's leading citizens, a former military man, and the father of one of the first Black River Falls boys to die in the war. Bennett, like a lot of other people, takes this matter seriously. There's some pushing and shoving and a lot of invective on both sides.
Later that night, Bennett turns up dead. The sheriff, Clifford Sykes, immediately arrests Harrison Doran, the principal speaker at the rally who had exchanged words with Bennet. McCain agrees to defend Doran, even though they are rivals for the affections of the same woman.
McCain's investigation of the crime is about as amateurish as one could get and there are lots of humorous asides and chaste romantic episodes along the way. This isn't usually a problem in these books, but it is in this one. Precisely because the times have turned so dark, the light-hearted aspects of the book grate a bit and seem inappropriate. It's hard for a reader (or at least for this one), to turn on a dime and care at all about the problems that McCain's teenage secretary is having with her idiot boyfriend after reading about the latest war casualties.
I've enjoyed the previous books in this series and I don't dislike this one. I recognize that Gorman has a problem if he's not going to leave Sam McCain perpetually stranded in the late '50s and early '60s. I'm not sure how he might solve it, but I don't think he's quite come to grips with the problem in this book as well as he might have. McCain is now nearly thirty and should be maturing at least a little. Certainly, it should be possible to moderate the tone of the books just a bit to reflect the more serious times that Sam McCain now inhabits and perhaps to give him a bit more wisdom and gravity with his increasing age.
September 17, 2013
It's 1965 and lawyer/P.I. Sam McCain has a client he doesn't like: his ex-girl friend's current boy friend. That's not the reason though. Not entirely. He's a phony from the word go. He's accused of murder because he was punched out by the victim at a peace rally protesting America's presence in Viet Nam. A rally Sam himself helped organize.
The man turns up dead later that night and his client was seen outside the house shortly before the body was found. That was all "Cliffie," the incompetent police chief needed. To make matters worse, the client's whole identity was fabricated and a warrant back east was out for him.
But Sam believed him innocent and sets out to prove it.
I'm a fan of Ed Gorman's work and this is a good mystery novel. I thought I had it figured, but a couple of twists along the way made the outcome logical.
The man turns up dead later that night and his client was seen outside the house shortly before the body was found. That was all "Cliffie," the incompetent police chief needed. To make matters worse, the client's whole identity was fabricated and a warrant back east was out for him.
But Sam believed him innocent and sets out to prove it.
I'm a fan of Ed Gorman's work and this is a good mystery novel. I thought I had it figured, but a couple of twists along the way made the outcome logical.
February 11, 2010
Ed Gormon never misses. Great and crisp writing. Characters you care about and more then everything else. Mister Gorman always writes a good story (though I do have to say this McCain novel was a bit thin, but still worth the time.
December 20, 2024
Ennäe, 1965. aasta tööpüha on käes! Kennedy surm möödus Black River Fallsi jaoks kuidagi märkamatult – Vietnami sõja esimesed ohvrid kujutavad kohalike elanike jaoks hoopis suuremat kaotust. Mariner 4 saadab tagasi esimesed pildid Marsi pinnast ja Bob Dylan reedab folkmuusika. Kohtunik Whitney on võõrutusravilt tagasi ja Kenny Thibodeau leiab elukaaslase (seesama, kes eelmises elus oli Egiptuse printsess).
Sam McCain, kelle tema kallim on järjekordselt maha jätnud, nõustub kaitsma pettur Elmer Doddi, kelle šerif Sykes on vahistanud süüdistatuna mõrvas. Dodd ei mäleta juhtunust mitte midagi ja asub eeluurimisvanglas memuaare kirjutama, lootes peagi kuulsaks saada. Pärast seda, kui Dodd Sami teenetest loobub, hakkab too asja omal käel uurima.
Kaheksanda jao põhitoon on sihuke nostalgiline ja igas peatükis nutab keegi oma kadunud noorust taga. Vahepeal on sutsuke huumorit Sami kirjaoskamatu sekretäri Jamie ja tema puupeast kavaler Turki arvel ning traagiliseks vahenoodiks mure tema isa tervise pärast. Lugu kipub tahes-tahtmata venima ja lõpplahendus ei kujuta erilist üllatust. Seekord kulub Samil mõrvade lahendamiseks üllatavalt palju aega ning vahepeal on ta omadega nii puntras, et pöördub abi saamiseks politsei (aga mitte Sykesi) poole. Peategelane ilmutab järjekordselt head poliitilist vaistu, organiseerides sõjavastase meeleavalduse. Möödaminnes tsiteerib ta ühe koha peal Andrew Marvelli ja teisal Samuel Johnsonit – pole midagi öelda!
Seksi ja marihuaana vastu võitlev reverend Dobson Cartwright on selle jao parim leid. Esmalt üritab ta biitlite plaate tuleriidal ära põletada ja siis jõkke uputada. Pole vist tarvis lisada, et mõlemad katsed lõpevad õnnetult.
Kaheksandast jaost paistab, et ajad ja inimesed on Black River Fallsis tõepoolest muutumas. Esimestes osades olid linnaelanikud iga hetk valmis hangude ja tõrvikutega teele asuma, et mõne vähemusega arveid õiendada. „Ticket to Ride“ esindab juba uut meelsust ning isegi šerif Sykes osutub ühel hetkel päris mõistlikuks meheks.
Sam McCain, kelle tema kallim on järjekordselt maha jätnud, nõustub kaitsma pettur Elmer Doddi, kelle šerif Sykes on vahistanud süüdistatuna mõrvas. Dodd ei mäleta juhtunust mitte midagi ja asub eeluurimisvanglas memuaare kirjutama, lootes peagi kuulsaks saada. Pärast seda, kui Dodd Sami teenetest loobub, hakkab too asja omal käel uurima.
Kaheksanda jao põhitoon on sihuke nostalgiline ja igas peatükis nutab keegi oma kadunud noorust taga. Vahepeal on sutsuke huumorit Sami kirjaoskamatu sekretäri Jamie ja tema puupeast kavaler Turki arvel ning traagiliseks vahenoodiks mure tema isa tervise pärast. Lugu kipub tahes-tahtmata venima ja lõpplahendus ei kujuta erilist üllatust. Seekord kulub Samil mõrvade lahendamiseks üllatavalt palju aega ning vahepeal on ta omadega nii puntras, et pöördub abi saamiseks politsei (aga mitte Sykesi) poole. Peategelane ilmutab järjekordselt head poliitilist vaistu, organiseerides sõjavastase meeleavalduse. Möödaminnes tsiteerib ta ühe koha peal Andrew Marvelli ja teisal Samuel Johnsonit – pole midagi öelda!
Seksi ja marihuaana vastu võitlev reverend Dobson Cartwright on selle jao parim leid. Esmalt üritab ta biitlite plaate tuleriidal ära põletada ja siis jõkke uputada. Pole vist tarvis lisada, et mõlemad katsed lõpevad õnnetult.
Kaheksandast jaost paistab, et ajad ja inimesed on Black River Fallsis tõepoolest muutumas. Esimestes osades olid linnaelanikud iga hetk valmis hangude ja tõrvikutega teele asuma, et mõne vähemusega arveid õiendada. „Ticket to Ride“ esindab juba uut meelsust ning isegi šerif Sykes osutub ühel hetkel päris mõistlikuks meheks.
March 2, 2024
I love this series so much and I’m actually quite sad I’m almost finished with it. However this book was shorter than the others and I felt like it wasn’t as interesting. It felt like it dragged in certain areas. I was also frustrated that Sam McCains childhood neighborhood went from being called “The Knolls” the first 7 books to now being called “The Hills”. I know this series isn’t even half focused on Sam McCains character growth but I wasn’t crazy about the little bit we did get to learn about. Sometimes I feel like the wrap up between books isn’t enough to detail and I worry I missed something. Still recommend the series though.
July 22, 2022
Fun read. The main character Sam McCain is a wise guy that constantly gets under the skin of his adversaries but is smart enough to figure things out. The setting for the book in a small city in Iowa during the 60's made the book enjoyable due to what was going on historically during that time. There were many different characters that let to some humorous situations and tense action.
February 8, 2018
An excellent read with lots of good twists & turns..had a very surprising ending, but a pleasant one. I enjoyed all the colorful characters but booed the villains. If you want a real who dun-it book then don't pass this lil' puppy up.
Rolando
Rolando
October 22, 2019
This was my first Sam McCain book! Easy read, funny, mysterious, likable character! I will be reading more of the McCain sagas! The book had me at Beatles, even though it was NOT about them, but they are mentioned as part of the "plot". Really liked this book.
October 16, 2018
Wishing for more
Not a bad read but was hoping for more. It ends too soon with a number of loose ends.
Enjoy the style and the story line.
Not a bad read but was hoping for more. It ends too soon with a number of loose ends.
Enjoy the style and the story line.
Read
April 16, 2020A passable mystery story set in the 1960s with some Viet Nam protestors thrown in. I kept losing track of who the characters were in this one.
July 20, 2025
i was really bored, i know it was not in an order but it had music in it and i needed it for a prompt, only real reason i read it, i felt it lacked something dont know what maybe it was just me.
January 19, 2020
Ticket to Ride is a great character mystery. But it was less of a mystery and more characters to me. It isn't a book that tells you right away but it leans in a obvious direction. But I didn't care. It is all about the interesting characters and dialogue
Fun read.
Fun read.
February 1, 2015
This is a very special 'private eye' series built around a lawyer and special court investigator, Sam McCain, in a small town in the midwest (Iowa) in the fifties and sixties. I absolutely love this series for several reasons:
1. the wonderful immersion into a different time, spanning a decade from the late fifties to the late sixties. The descriptions are detailed, evocative, engaging and realistic. They are exceptionally well done.
2. The protagonist is a likeable average joe, who is easy to identify with and tells the stories in the first person. His back story is as engaging and interesting as the murder mysteries he gets involved in, and has become the main reason why I have become hooked on this series.
3. There are plenty of connections to the pop culture of the fifties and sixties, which is a bonus for any lover of music, books, cinema and culture of the period.
4. The mysteries are well crafted and keep you guessing until the end.
5. Every single one of the entries in these series is excellent without exception and well worth the read.
Give this a try, you won't regret it. I read all 9 books in 2 months and can't wait for the 10th entry, 'Riders' on the Storm', that will appear in October 2014! I hope Mr. Gorman gets the opportunity to write several more before he retires.
1. the wonderful immersion into a different time, spanning a decade from the late fifties to the late sixties. The descriptions are detailed, evocative, engaging and realistic. They are exceptionally well done.
2. The protagonist is a likeable average joe, who is easy to identify with and tells the stories in the first person. His back story is as engaging and interesting as the murder mysteries he gets involved in, and has become the main reason why I have become hooked on this series.
3. There are plenty of connections to the pop culture of the fifties and sixties, which is a bonus for any lover of music, books, cinema and culture of the period.
4. The mysteries are well crafted and keep you guessing until the end.
5. Every single one of the entries in these series is excellent without exception and well worth the read.
Give this a try, you won't regret it. I read all 9 books in 2 months and can't wait for the 10th entry, 'Riders' on the Storm', that will appear in October 2014! I hope Mr. Gorman gets the opportunity to write several more before he retires.
December 29, 2015
The eighth Sam McCain mystery is set in 1965. This is not a happy time for him: his father is dying, his boss is dealing with alcoholism and his girlfriend has moved away. To add to his misery the body of the town's first Vietnam casualty has just come home. As the arguments over the war are gaining steam two of Sam's old friends turn up dead. As he investigates the murders Sam sees the end of the world as he has always known it. The best part of the story is the growth as a character Sam shows. He is much more sure of himself than in earlier books in the series. He even looks comfortable as a private eye (even though he is still a lawyer). As with most series, the most important question here is whether the latest entry matches the others. This one does.
April 20, 2014
I have missed a few books in the series and picked it up again here with no. 8. Sam is 28 now and still single, he is still generally disapproved of by a lot of the town. The series is not as light hearted as when it started out, there is the war in Vietnam going on, his boss has been in a clinic for alcoholism, his father is sick. Also there were such a lot of characters that I had trouble keeping track of who was who and eventually decided just to read without worrying about it. I do prefer to have them sorted out in my mind, so I didn't enjoy this as much as usual.
September 24, 2018
Our intrepid attorney/lawyer returns and we are immediately introduced to a family problem. His father is gravely ill and not expected to live. San is introduced to his father's attorney and informed the estate would be split four ways. Sam is chagrined but not surprised. He and his father had never seen eye to eye. Then Sam is informed that one of the men serving in Viet Man would be returning home in a coffin. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
December 31, 2012
Another Good Sam McCain tale by Gorman. It's the mid-sixties and the town of Black Rivers Falls is having rallies against the Vietnam War, the local preacher is burning Beatles, Stones and other devil worshiping rock music, and citizens are being murdered. Perfect for Chief Sykes to screw up and Sam McCain to save the day. Recommended.
October 11, 2010
Absolutely my least favorite of this series. A Vietnam war peace activist is arrested for the murder of a former war hero. Sam is pretty sure the guy is innocent......even if the guy stole Sam's girlfriend. The murderer seemed to come out of left field.
Read
July 26, 2011Another winner from Mr. Gorman...I love reading stories that take you back to a time when things are exactly how they seem...or are they? Sam McCain is a winning character, and I promise you will love this book!
April 10, 2010
Good light reading.
Read
July 23, 2010Another good story, but Mr. Gorman over uses some stereotypes.
November 26, 2013
disappointing...working my way through the series and is the one I really didn't like...the writing was fine but I'm tired of Sam seeing every single woman as nothing but boobs and butt
October 29, 2014
The first of Gorman's anti-Vietnam War novels. It was o.k. I became confused trying to separate the characters in this and previous books.
April 21, 2016
A book that truly deserves the definition - novel
This book carried me back to an era that I remember well. I also enjoyed the small town characters and politics.
This book carried me back to an era that I remember well. I also enjoyed the small town characters and politics.
January 23, 2010
A fun read... Now that Ed Gorman and Sam McCain are not a mystery any more I'll start with one
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews