Dark Ride by Lou Berney

Lou Berney's characters are not people who stand out in a crowd. They are just everyday people caught up in a situation that is out of their control but they have to try. Hardly is waiting to fix a ticket when he spies two little kids and their mom who seem off. A glimpse of fear in her eyes and a hastily covered cigarette burn on the kid's wrist sends him wanting to help those kids be safe. What can a guy who works at an amusement park horror house do? His friends say to leave it to the authorities but the more Hardly tries to report it the less confident that anyone will do anything. For the kids and their mom's sake he will take on a David and Goliath situation that is doomed from the start. Some authors make you feel too much and yet we willingly come back for more heart wrenching. His many fans will be happy as will fans of Willy Vlautin, Amor Towles and underdogs everywhere. ​  4 1/2 stars   (pub. date Sept. 19)