FINALIST FOR THE LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE! From Lou Berney, the acclaimed, multi award-winning author of November Road and The Long and Faraway Gone , comes a Dark Ride Sometimes the person you least expect is just the hero you need 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.  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. 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 —understaffed and overworked—will do anything about it. 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 has to do what's right and help them. 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 is the entire point of his life. He will help those kids. 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. 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. 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. “An insightful look at being an adult, taking responsibility and discovering your inner power.” - South Florida Sun Sentinel "Berney’s pitch-perfect portrait of the mellowest of dudes on a hero’s journey is both hilarious and terrifying.” - AirMail (12 Best Mystery Books of 2023) "I loved [ Dark Ride ]. If you are a mystery/suspense reader and missed it, go get it." - Stephen King "The author of the multi-award-winning November Road introduces an unlikely antihero in an unusual story with an ambiguous ending. For fans of noir crime fiction." - Library Journal “Only Lou Berney could create Hardly, one of the most endearing characters in recent memory. Writing in his Hardly’s guileless, hilariously dude-ish narrative voice, Berney is incapable of producing a wrong or unnecessary sentence.” - Air Mail "Occasionally I’ll read a new book that is so exciting, engaging and beautifully conceived that I cannot wait to write about it and share my latest discovery with readers everywhere. … I just found a novel that is so incredible I wanted to tell you about it. The book is Dark Ride by Lou Berney. … so inspiring, thrilling, and exhilarating, I could not put this book down, devouring it in one sitting.” - Dayton Daily News “Dark Ride proves to be one of the most engaging books of the year. Lou Berney gives us a protagonist we root for not only to save the day but to improve his life. The storytelling is crisp and clear with deft, nuanced touches that give it a grounded quality." - The Hard Word “Hardly’s trajectory is helped by Berney’s superb writing; sometimes self-consciously noir…, sometimes just colorful…, it adds both gravity and grace to the protagonist’s stubborn, self-destructive path. The whole novel is worth it for the poignant beauty of the final paragraph.” - Kirkus “The stoner thriller canon has a new candidate: Lou Berney’s Dark Ride …The author has a gift for creating characters and stories that infuse even the most sordid corner of humanity with unforced gentleness…This is the story of one man’s transformation from apathetic stoner to avenging angel…it also keeps the pages turning at a rapid clip. Berney’s thrillers have more weight than most, and more soul, and Dark Ride lives up to his established standards.”  - Los Angeles Times “ Dark Ride  is quite simply dynamite. Lou Berney lights the fuse on the first page and from there, the suspense builds to an utterly explosive climax. Berney offers an endearing and quirky cast of characters, not the least of which is Hardly, the most unusual and likeable protagonist to come along in a great while. This is a story that grabs you by the throat, then reaches deep into your heart. It’s a dark ride, yes, but one well worth the trip.” - William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestselling author of