Dark Ride is a page-turning read. Twenty-one-year old Hardly Reed works as a zombie at a local amusement park--a low energy job that gives him enough money to buy weed, maintain his beater car, and pay rent. Hardly is at the DMV to enroll is the deferred payment plan for a traffic ticket when he notices two young children sitting together on a bench. Hardly speaks to the children, and, as he does, notices cigarette burn marks on the young girls ankles and the young boys collar bone. From there, Hardly becomes obsessed with finding out who the children are and saving them from the abuse. Hardly engages the help of his friends and family to rescue the kids and their mother from their abusive father and husband who is a prominent local attorney. Readers will be asking why Hardly puts himself and his friends in danger on his mission, but also be quickly turning pages to find out how his concerns are resolved. Good story.