This is the third Lou Berney book I've read (November Road and The Long and Faraway Gone being the other two) and Dark Ride is Berney at storytelling his best. His characters are well-drawn and the story engaging.Hardy "Hardly" Reed is happy with his life. He has no ambitions, is currently working as a sheriff in a rundown wild-west theme park and is stoned most of the time. His aimless life takes an abrupt turn when he encounters Jack and Pearl, aged six and seven, on a bench in the Department of Motor Vehicles waiting for their mother. He notices injuries on the children consistent with abuse and knows he must do something. Fanagiling the mother's information from a clerk who helped her, he contacts Child Protective Service, only to have the caseworker walk off the job in the middle of his report! Frustrated by the inaction and bureaucracy, Hardly gains a purpose in life: save these two children. What follows is an often cringe-worthy journey for Hardly as he transitions from an aimless life into a person who realizes he is the only person who can save these two children.
I did enjoy this book although the description of the child abuse was sad. Hardly is a wonderful, hapless character. who, once he got a goal, shifts gears and goes into savior mode. His friends are quirky but big-hearted. All-in-all, this is another excellent story from Lou Berney.
Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow for an advance copy for review. The publication date is September 19, 2023.
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