Official Review: After the Ride by JR Conway

[djr6090]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "After the Ride" by JR Conway.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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After the Ride by Joseph (JR) Conroy is the story of the law enforcement department of a small rural county in Wyoming. County Sheriff Craig Spense must make the most of his limited, but surprisingly professional, force of officers and deputies to handle upsets in every form, from the sinister to the ridiculous. In addition, the Sheriff is tending a sick wife and his daughter, while contemplating whether or not he wants to run for re-election. The book is part of a series and does not stand alone.

In After the Ride, the author is referring to the type of policing that is sometimes done in small towns, where the minor criminal is escorted to the town limits so that some other jurisdiction can deal with the complications of detention and prosecution. In Farson, Wyoming, the county jail is already so overcrowded that the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) is suing for civil rights infringements. Sheriff Craig has just taken charge of a brain-damaged veteran who had been given three days of medication and a bus ticket to Farson. The trouble is that the man’s relative, who had promised to shelter him, is now deceased. A further complication arises when the sheriff finds the ID plate of a stolen vehicle at the deceased’s premises. Is there a chop-shop operation being staged right under their noses? Other incidents included an escaped mental patient, an insensate nun, stolen mine equipment, weekend prostitution, hidden gambling, and a possible murder. There is never a dull moment.

Although the book is about the give-and-take of the enforcement community, there is very little violence in it. The narrative intersperses the case details very much the way they are likely to come across the desk of a municipal officer. The adherence to protocol leads one to believe that the author had, himself, served in this capacity. The department employees are described without the details of their personal lives. The criminals are not escorted through the justice system. There is little closure once the officer’s immediate duty is done, and the perpetrators are turned over to the authorities. The author goes to great pains to portray intense cooperation between state and local agencies. In this respect, I found the book to be refreshing in its realism.

There are some problems with the grammar, punctuation, and spelling, however, that show a lack of editing. I did not like the ending of the book. I began reading about an undercover operation that was not going the way it should, when “The End” appeared in the middle of a scene, abbreviating a conversation the Sheriff was having with an employee. I understand that the book is part of an intended series and that the story on the wounded vet is in a previous book that I missed. But the author’s method does not incite curiosity, rather, irritation at being ripped off. The abrupt ending was followed by fifteen blank pages. An author should know better than to let his reader think he had deliberately withheld something from them.

My rating of After the Ride is two out of four stars, because of the unprofessional composition of the plot. Although someone else might enjoy the book, I cannot overcome my aversion enough to recommend it in its present form. After some serious editing, and when packaged with the other segments of the series, I expect that fans of police stories and readers of mild adventure novels would be attracted to it. Because of its lack of erotic, violent, or profane content, it is suitable for a young audience, although its audience should not be limited by age.

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After the Ride
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[Wuoketch]

I think, this book is not my read since am not the target audience. It sounds interesting to those who find such work amazing. Nice review.

[Phelicia Gloria]

This seems to be a great book if the errors are rectified, otherwise thanks for the great review.

[Khalifa jaymore]

"The adherence to protocol leads one to believe that the author had, himself, served in this capacity. The department employees are described without the details of their personal lives. The criminals are not escorted through the justice system." As a Criminology student this will assist me analysing different policy used in different part of the world. Thank you

[_Lindsey_]

It sounds like this book needs a lot of work done to it. The abrupt ending sounds quite problematic and off-putting. It's a shame as learning more about police work would be very interesting otherwise.

[Ellylion]

Definitely not my type of read, and I don't like abrupt endings either. Hope the author fixes all the issues. Thank you for this insightful review!

[djr6090]

Many thanks to all of you for taking the time to comment. I am enjoying hearing from people from all over the world who love to read as much as I do. Please, keep coming back!