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.
But his commitment to saving these kids from further harm might end up getting the kids, and Hardly himself, killed..
Faced with a different version of himself than he has ever known, Hardly refuses to give up.
The mother claims she wants to escape with the kids--but Hardly isn\'t sure he can trust her.
The abusive father who has been hurting these children isn\'t just a lawyer--he also runs a violent drug-dealing operation.
But Hardly also discovers that the situation is more dangerous than he ever expected.
Gradually, with assistance from unexpected allies, he develops investigative skills and discovers he\'s smarter and more capable than he ever imagined.
At first, trying to gather evidence that will force the proper authorities to intervene, Hardly is a total disaster.
He will help those kids.
This might be the one point in his entire life, he realizes, that is the entire point of his life.
For the first time in his life, Hardly decides to fight for something.
Hardly has to do what\'s right and help them.
But those two kids have nobody else but him.
He is probably the last person you\'d ever want to count on.
That leaves...
Hardly.
And the more research he does the less he trusts that Child Protective Services --understaffed and overworked--will do anything about it.
But he\'s haunted by the two kids, his heart breaking for them.
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.
That should be the end of it.
He reports the incident to Child Protective Service.
Someone is hurting these kids.
Hardly checks if they\'re okay and sees injuries on both children.
Then one day he notices two children, around six or seven, sitting all alone on a bench.
A minimum-wage scare actor at an amusement park, he avoids unnecessary effort and unrealistic ambitions.
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
