A crime novel with heart, Dark Ride will tug at your emotions and set up shop in your mind. Lou Berney has crafted an unputdownable story with unassuming but immaculate characters that will give you all the feels.
Hardy “Hardly” Reed is a young stoner drifting through life without much direction. That is, until he notices two children sitting on a bench in a municipal building with signs of having been abused. He reports his observations to Child Protective Services, but the overworked and understaffed department is unlikely to investigate any time soon. Unable to let it go and move on with his life, Hardly is determined to help the kids and seeks assistance from some new and unlikely friends to get a plan in motion. Despite everyone telling him to let this go, he conducts his own investigation and devises a strategy to rescue the kids. The situation is rife with danger and getting the kids to safety means putting himself in harm’s way against violent men. But having finally found a purpose, Hardly will stop at nothing to see this through to the end no matter the consequences.
Dark Ride’s hook is bearing witness to a young person who’s aimlessly floating through life who rises up and stands for something good despite the odds. It’s watching the unassuming underdog who hasn’t amounted to anything pitted against the violent bully who hasn’t tasted defeat and believes themselves untouchable. And no amount of urging or pleas to use common sense will deter the would-be hero from attempting the seemingly impossible, because he’s tasting small successes along the way and now believes in himself, maybe for the first time ever. So even if you strongly believe the outcome is preordained, you can’t look away from the imminent car crash of events because the journey has you fully invested in seeing it through to the end. And in this way, you become just like Hardly.
While the focus is on Hardly and his battle to free the kids and their mother from the abusive father/husband, this book has a small but mighty cast of splendid supporting characters – a young female goth city employee, a sexy 40-something former private investigator turned realtor, a 16-year old loser hanger on co-worker from the haunted amusement park attraction, a cantankerous old granny with great taste in rock music, and a few others – all who perfectly fit the narrative and seamlessly help move the story forward. It’s a flawless ensemble that worms their way into your heart and adds another layer of depth to a fantastic tale.
An unforgettable and thrilling reading experience, Dark Ride is not to be missed.
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