Events
About DARK RIDE: Hardy “Hardly” Reed is drifting through life. A minimum-wage scare actor at an amusement park, he avoids unnecessary effort and unrealistic ambitions. Then one day he notices two injured children sitting all alone on a bench. He reports the incident to Child Protective Service.
That should be the end of it. But Hardly is haunted by the kids, and he doubts that CPS is equipped to help them. For the first time in his life, Hardly decides to fight for something. He begins to gather evidence that will force the proper authorities to intervene. But this only reveals a situation more dangerous than he ever expected. Their father 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.
Faced with a different version of himself than he has ever known, Hardly refuses to give up. But is his commitment to these kids one that he can live up to without inviting catastrophe?
About the Author: Lou Berney is the author of the novels DARK RIDE, NOVEMBER ROAD, THE LONG AND FARAWAY GONE, WHIPLASH RIVER, and GUTSHOT STRAIGHT. His books have won the Edgar, Hammett, Steel Dagger, Barry, Macavity, Lefty, and Anthony awards, and he has been a finalist twice for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His short fiction has appeared in publications such as The New Yorker, Ploughshares, and the Pushcart Prize anthology. He teaches in the MFA program at Oklahoma City University.