A nomad writer finds herself roughnecking it on a wildcat drilling operation in a meth-ridden former boom town in San Joaquin Valley. When a coworker turns up dead, she suspects foul play and sets out to solve a murder mystery - but will she be the next victim?  Knode brings the edgy, colorful, and dangerous world of oil and gas drilling to life and hers leuth Ann Whitehead is an original. Helen Knode put her experiences as a staff writer and film critic for the "L.A. Weekly" into her first novel, The Ticket Out. She was born in Calgary, Alberta, heart of the Canadian oil business, and Knodes have worked in oil since the nineteenth century, a history that inspired Wildcat Play. She lives in Austin, Texas. Review Quotes: "This book is a blast -- a gutsy, funny heroine and a story that's a pulse-pounding thrill ride."-Janet Evanovich