The Ride: The Jeffrey Curley Murder and Its Aftermath

by Brian MacQuarrie

Book Overview

The Ride tells the shocking true story of the 1997 abduction and gruesome murder of ten-year-old Massachusetts resident Jeffrey Curley, and how his father, Bob, healed the deep wounds of rage and emerged to become an outspoken critic of the death penalty.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0306818728
• ISBN13: 9780306818721
• Release Date: May 2010
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.3" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

What a ride!

It takes a talented writer indeed to shake us up about something we read or hear about every day... Well, maybe not EVERY day, but if we read any of the larger newspapers, watch world news on TV, or read online news sources, we know about such things as murder. And since we do read of such horror on a regular basis, we become insensitive to it. This is why, when a writer of the caliber of MacQuarrie comes along, we are thrust suddenly out of our miasma onto the very scene of a crime that becomes so real for us that we are immediately shocked and outraged. NOW murder becomes personal. Now it raises the pulse. Now it gets our attention. We feel... we breathe in the same pain experienced by those close to the so-called "victim" (a word synonymous with anonymity). Now we see, not a "victim," but a very real being with whom we can truly identify. And so we become incensed. Yet no matter the intensity of the pain, we cannot put the book down. We cannot simply "go home and feed the cat." The solution to the intense discomfort we experience as we read THE RIDE is as surprising as the murder itself. Yet we know that it is the only personal solution for the owner of such pain. What a bittersweet ride! Reading this book is like waking up to a whole new world; a world that is real and not just of our own making. It's brutal. It's like a rude, yet beneficial, awakening from a very long sleep. I highly recommend it!

The Ride is worth reading twice!!!

I give The Ride five stars. I am in the middle of reading it for the second time in two weeks. It's that good. It's an even better book than I expected, the stellar Kirkus review notwithstanding. Sad to say, it's a true story, with meticulously researched details and background settings woven into a book that I couldn't put down the first time I read it. An accomplished writer and seasoned newspaper veteran, Mr. MacQuarrie wastes no time in drawing us into a working class Boston neighborhood, introducing us to the Curley family members, and then to other characters who play greater or lesser roles in this compelling tapestry as the story unfolds. After the realization and details of a beloved child's senseless murder sink in, the question that many of us will have is: How do individual members of any family survive such a terrible event? What would any of us do in like circumstances? The answer to that last question will probably be different for all of us. It has been said that in every tragedy there is a lesson to be learned. As I read the book this second time, I hope to find an answer that makes sense to me.

"The Ride" is a page turner! Tough to put down once you begin.

This is truly a story that needed to be told and it is done so by an outstanding writer (MacQuarrie). He challenges us to feel what the subject (Bob Curley)is feeling throughout the entire read. I didn't want to put the book down. I wanted to keep on reading. I wanted to know what was going to happen in Bob's world next. As familiar as I felt I was with the original "story", I was blown away by the version I know now, because of this book. During the reading, I was so conflicted with my own emotions about this man (Bob Curley) and the whole situation he finds himself in, after the traumatic events that took the life of his youngest child. The anger, the loss, the torment, the feelings of confusion, the trust of the politicians, the limelight he is thrust into, but then the basic compassion, the nonverbal outcry for assistance, and his attempt to find resolve within himself and the world around him. I won't spoil the outcome, but it would be an honor to know such a man, in person. God bless you and your family Mr. Curley. Thank you and Mr. MacQuarrie for giving us the opportunity to read your ordeal. If you read anything this year, read this book.

Simply outstanding work from the Boston Globe's MacQuarrie

A book not to be missed by those interested in American culture. Highly recommended. For those who have lived in New England since 97, young Jeffrey Curley's murder brings back awful memories. "The Ride" recounts the details of his abduction and killing, but also informs the reader what has happened to the boy's father since. Bob Curley's journey from anger, hatred, and a quest for vengeance to a healthier place is inspired journalism and a tale well worth reading. Thanks to the Curleys for participating and to writer MacQuarrie for his triumph.

Compelling Story

Living in Massachusetts, I already knew some of the story of Jeffrey's abduction and his father's journey to reinstate the death penalty. I did not know of his personal demons and struggles that followed him throughout the decade after his son's shocking murder. The Curley family shows so much courage opening their lives for the world to read in this book. The author, Brian MacQuarrie, handles the family's journey very gently, yet tells the story in such a compelling manner. This is a heartbreaking story to read, but very eye-opening regarding the politics in Massachusetts and what must be done to help protect our children. I would have never expected Mr. Curley's life to be intertwined with that of the father of a victim of the Oklahoma City bombing, or with the Unabomber's brother. The story is very well written. I highly recommend this book.