Book summary

Reporter Brian MacQuarrie examines the aftermath of a horrific child murder in Boston, focusing primarily on how the father of the victim was forced to examine both sides of the controversy over capital punishment. After his son Jeffrey was killed, Bob Curley became an extremely vocal advocate of the death penalty, violently lashing out at anyone attempting to argue against him. But he soon became disillusioned with how his personal tragedy, in the form of Jeffrey's image and memory, was being manipulated by political groups in favor of capital punishment. Eventually, after interacting with other families of murder victims and observing the flaws of the legal system up close, Bob realized that the courts were incapable of enacting justice, let alone deciding the ultimate question of life or death, and he became a thoughtful and prominent opponent of the death penalty.

Media reviews

"THE RIDE is a fascinating story of loss, profound anger, pain, and the difficult, soul-searching aftermath of trauma....MacQuarrie's account, besides explaining the impact of a terrible crime on a family and a community, also describes how it transformed a single man."