Dark Ride

<p><strong>FINALIST FOR THE <em>LA TIMES </em>BOOK PRIZE!</strong></p><p><strong>From Lou Berney the acclaimed multi award-winning author of <em>November Road </em>and <em>The Long and Faraway Gone</em> comes a</strong> <strong><em>Dark Ride</em></strong></p><p><strong><em>Sometimes the person you least expect is just the hero you need</em></strong></p><p>Twenty-one-year-old Hardy Hardly Reed--good-natured easygoing usually stoned--is drifting through life. A minimum-wage scare actor at an amusement park he avoids unnecessary effort and unrealistic ambitions. </p><p>Then one day he notices two children around six or seven sitting all alone on a bench. Hardly checks if they're okay and sees injuries on both children. Someone is hurting these kids.</p><p>He reports the incident to Child Protective Service.</p><p>That should be the end of it. After all Hardly's not even good at looking out for himself so the last thing he wants to do is look out for anyone else. But he's haunted by the two kids his heart breaking for them. And the more research he does the less he trusts that Child Protective Services --understaffed and overworked--will do anything about it.</p><p>That leaves...Hardly. He is probably the last person you'd ever want to count on. But those two kids have nobody else but him. Hardly <em>has</em> to do what's right and help them.</p><p>For the first time in his life Hardly decides to fight for something. This might be the one point in his entire life he realizes that <em>is</em> the entire point of his life. He<em> will</em> help those kids.</p><p>At first trying to gather evidence that will force the proper authorities to intervene Hardly is a total disaster. Gradually with assistance from unexpected allies he develops investigative skills and discovers he's smarter and more capable than he ever imagined.</p><p>But Hardly also discovers that the situation is more dangerous than he ever expected. The abusive father who has been hurting these children isn't just a lawyer--he also runs a violent drug-dealing operation. The mother claims she wants to escape with the kids--but Hardly isn't sure he can trust her.</p><p>Faced with a different version of himself than he has ever known Hardly refuses to give up. But his commitment to saving these kids from further harm might end up getting the kids and Hardly himself killed.</p>