Prohibition may be on its way out, but the news hasn’t reached the criminal groups still vying for supremacy in the liquor racket. In Milwaukee, gumshoe Hicks McTaggart surveils two triggermen from the Chicago Outfit with a wary eye. The bombing of a rig belonging to a local bootlegger named Stuffy Keegan becomes cause for concern. The possibility of a turf war unfolding on the streets of Milwaukee, leading to the carnage seen in Chicago, is the last thing anyone wants. Despite the destruction of his truck, Stuffy is nowhere to be found. 

Hicks is familiar with the local underworld figures who call the shots in his city at the behest of the men from the Windy City. Hicks’ involvement with a siren named April brings him in close proximity to Don Peppino, a dangerous gangster who fancies April as his mistress and would prefer Hicks to bow out...or else. Soon, Hicks’ boss, Boynt Crosstown, informs him about a job that will have him forgetting about gangsters and femme fatales. His new ticket involves chasing down an old acquaintance and keeping her from eloping with a clarinet player.

"Pynchon’s legacy continues to be solidified with each published work, and SHADOW TICKET is no exception."

Daphne Airmont hails from a prominent family. Her father, Bruno, has been dubbed the “Al Capone of Cheese.” Hicks’ previous encounter with the young heiress involved him saving her from a grim fate, and Daphne believing that Hicks had an obligation to look out for her well-being for the foreseeable future. As Hicks begins his work on the case, things in Milwaukee get hairy, and he barely escapes an attempt on his life. He isn't sure who wants him dead, but his bosses at the detective agency ship him out of town.

Hicks had barely gotten used to New York before he was drugged and placed on a ship heading on a Transatlantic crossing. While on board, he encounters British spies and pickpocket lotharios. The intelligence operatives want him to locate Daphne’s father, Bruno Airmont, who is now a wanted fugitive. Hicks’ target destination is Hungary, where he runs into men who can transport items psychically, and he must report to a cocaine-sniffing intelligence agent. By the time he runs into Daphne again, he doesn’t know what fate has in store for him.

SHADOW TICKET is the 10th book from acclaimed author Thomas Pynchon --- his first since 2013’s BLEEDING EDGE --- and it more than lives up to expectations. Hicks McTaggart has seen his share of fights and chaos in his life, as he is used to exchanging blows while working as a strikebreaker. He would prefer his latest ticket to be a departure from the routine, yet this proves not to be as he keeps running into an assortment of eccentric individuals. 

Pynchon sets the tone for unpredictability early on with the bombing of the bootlegger’s truck, and from there, surprises emanate from every corner, perplexing Hicks while further enchanting the audience. He fills his latest inspired work with captivating characters set against the backdrop of a world slowly descending into the abyss of future conflict. Pynchon’s legacy continues to be solidified with each published work, and SHADOW TICKET is no exception.