From the award-winning author of November Road comes a masterful thriller where an unlikely hero goes up against a deadly crime boss'DARK RIDE is ... thrilling and heartbreaking but ultimately life affirming.' S.A. Cosby'DARK RIDE effortlessly grabs you and does not let you go until the final page.' Don Winslow Sometimes the person you least expect is just the hero you need

Twenty-one-year-old Hardy aEURoeHardlyaEUR? ReedaEUR"good-natured, easygoing, usually stonedaEUR"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 children, around six or seven, sitting all alone on a bench. Hardly checks if theyaEUR (TM)re okay and sees injuries on both children. Someone is hurting these kids.

He reports the incident to Child Protective Service.

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 aEUR"understaffed and overworkedaEUR"will do anything about it.

That leavesaEUR|Hardly. He is probably the last person youaEUR (TM)d ever want to count on. But those two kids have nobody else but him. Hardly has to do what's right and help them.

Gradually, with assistance from unexpected allies, he develops investigative skills and discovers heaEUR (TM)s smarter and more capable than he ever imagined.

But Hardly also discovers that the situation is more dangerous than he ever expected. The abusive father who has been hurting these children isnaEUR (TM)t just a lawyeraEUR"he also runs a violent drug-dealing operation. The mother claims she wants to escape with the kidsaEUR"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 his commitment to saving these kids from further harm might end up getting the kids, and Hardly himself, killed.