The debut novel She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper was a dark and grim tale about an ex-con’s efforts to protect his young daughter after the leader of the gang Aryan Steel puts out a hit on him, his ex-wife and his daughter. While they succeed at murdering her mother, young Polly is grabbed by her father, Nate, and with only her teddy bear to comfort her, they set off on a bumpy ride through the seamy side of Southern California.

In a desperate effort to get the vendetta lifted, Nate trains Polly to fight and understand the evil they are facing. Together they start to hit back at Aryan Steel in the hope that they can do enough damage that the hit will be cancelled. When that doesn’t work, Nate approaches a rival gang and put’s his own life on the line in a bid to save Polly.

The book is labelled as “Grit Lit” and doesn’t shy away from describing violence, ugliness and the dark side of life. But for all of that, it also clearly shows the character’s loyalty and love for each other and was a story that really touched my emotions. Nate and Polly go from being total strangers to creating a special Father-Daughter bond as they experience this dark adventure together. She Rides Shotgun was a well written, intelligent story that I highly recommend to anyone who loves the work of Donald Ray Pollock and Daniel Woodrell. ( )

What an amazing debut. This was a fantastic read with Brilliant Characters and an even more exciting storyline. This would make a fantastic film. I am looking forward to reading the Next Book from this fine author. ( )

Wow! Kickass of a debut. Can’t wait for what’s next. ( )

Like swabbing Dettol on Daddy issues.

I didn't think I liked books about girls who were special-different-oustiders anymore, but Polly McClusky is something else. (She's from Venus.)

What a crazy ride of a book. Loved this. ( )

This is the amazing story of Polly and her father. I wasn’t sure what the message was or even if I was enjoying it. But I couldn’t leave Polly! Read it for yourself and enjoy. ( )

going to dnf this one for now and come back to it later

An extraordinary--and extreme--coming of age story. An 11-year old girl becomes caught up in her father's fight against an Aryan white power gang that has killed her mother and put a death sentence on her and her father as well. Perhaps in retrospect, it isn't all too believable, but Harper makes you believe it--even the bear. Just read it, or listen to the well-done audiobook. This is about as good as it gets. The transformation--or perhaps revealing--of the characters of father and daughter are utterly fascinating. Throw in some memorable bad guys and a strange detective who is searching for them, take a detour to Slab Town, and you're in a world you don't even want to fly over on a plane. Read it! ( )

When enemies from his time in prison put a bounty on his head and target his family, Nate McClusky takes his eleven-year-old daughter Polly from in front of her school into a world of robbery, violence, and the constant threat of capture, or death.

There were many wild, surprising and sometimes humorous things that happened in this story that kept my attention all the way through. But I didn’t enjoy the gangs and drugs. I also didn’t like that the ex-con father got his young daughter involved in dangerous and violent situations…. yet it kept my attention. Overall, a mixed bag for me. ( )

a damn beautiful hard read. ( )

Wow, this is one propulsive read! I read the last 50 or so pages while riding a stationary bike and I rode 60 minutes at a setting I could normally only do for 15. What an adrenaline shot! If it works the same way on audio, I recommend this book to anyone training for a triathlon!

The book jacket says the author has written for TV, and that background has served him well here - the book seems so cinematic, it’s halfway to a script already. Everything about this book felt like it was done just right - the characters seemed simultaneously real and larger than life, the plot was 98% believable (a high score for a crime story), and the writing was near pitch perfect. And then to top it all off, the bear. The bear was genius. What got me to read this book was the jacket burb from Megan Abbott comparing Polly McClusky to Mattie Ross from True Grit. She got that right - although while Polly has Mattie's toughness, she's got a disturbing wildness all her own. ( )

This was very well written, but I didn't like the story line nor all the violence.
Nate has gotten out of prison, but he is the target of a gang that is after him for a murder in prison. The gang targets his ex-wife and 11 year old daughter, Polly. Nate wants to protect them, and takes Polly with him to save her. Polly becomes involved in the robberies and murder spree that Nate takes to try and call off the hit.
Very graphic, lots of drugs, violence, corruption.

#SheRidesShotgun #JordanHarper ( )

ll-year-old Polly has "outlaw eyes" like her Pa; she shares his blood, too. When he kidnaps her from school, she becomes involved in a Bonnie-and-Clyde life of crime. In addition to the thieving (needed $$ to survive) there is a bounty on both of their heads. This is a classic page-turner and a close look at tough-living people on the fringe. Characters include murderers on death row, crooked cops, drug kingpins and couriers. Adult content is necessary but not gratuitous. ( )

Winner of the 2018 Edgar Award for best debut novel, this is the audio equivalent of a real page-turner (though I’m never tempted to listen at 2x speed!). When Nate McClusky leaves prison after refusing to work for the dangerous gang Aryan Steel, a death warrant is issued for him and his family. He finds out how determined the killers are when he discovers his ex-wife and her new husband murdered, and realizes his eleven-year-old daughter Polly will be next. He picks her up at school before the killers find her, and the chase is on. They’re practically strangers to each other, as he’s been incarcerated for most of her childhood. She’s a quirky kid, shy and smart as a whip, teddy bear in tow.
Nate hasn’t had much parenting experience, but he warms to the role, and two have terrifying—and sometimes heartwarming—adventures roaming Southern California, as they gradually become partners in evading their would-be killers as well as the police. Betrayal is a constant anxiety. Based on the premise—the criminal dad, the kid—I didn’t think I’d like this book as much as I did, no small part of which relates to David Marantz’s excellent narration of the audio version. ( )

Loved the bear! ( )

Just about to be released from prison Nate kills the brother of a hate group Aryan Steel. He and his family now have a contract on them to be killed. He goes home to find his "woman" and her new boyfriend dead already. He rushes to the school and picks up his 16 year old daughter (Polly) and off they go on a bloody series of adventures to keep themselves alive. This is a really fast paced action packed novel and I can see why it got the acclaim that it did. This is a major movie waiting to be made. ( )

Easy to see why this won the Edgar. Hard-boiled debut novel about a recently released inmate, his daughter and their life on the lam to avoid a gang death sentence. Very compelling debut. ( )

Nate McClusky is just out of prison. He knows his life and that of his family is in danger as crazy Craig Hillington president of Aryan Steel, has put out a death threat on Nate, his ex wife Avis and his daughter Polly. Crazy Craig has already murdered Avis..."knifed dead in the dark on the bedroom floor"..... but can Nate save Polly from the threats of the assassins bullet. He collects her from school and there then starts a cat and mouse game with Nate trying to save his daughter from those who might do her harm. He was trained in the art of bank robbery by his dead brother Nick and uses these skills now to wreak revenge on those hell bent on his destruction. He has a need to gain the trust and possibly the love of Polly especially as he has neglected her for so long. Police officer Park assigned the task of looking into the death of Avis soon finds himself embroiled in a much more complicated and dangerous situation when he discovers that she was murdered some 12 hours after McClusky's prison release....is there a connection here?

This is hard boiled noir tale that successfully blends the badness and anger of Nate McClusky with the innocence and youth of Polly whose one real friend "Bear" is nothing more than a child's teddy yet always a confidant and protector. A Lesson in Violence is also a coming of age story showing that the bond existing between a daughter and father is resilient to the harsh realities of life. As the story progresses Nate comes to the realization that he needs the warmth and respect of his daughter more than she needs him.

This novel grabbed me from the opening page..."She wore a loser's slumped shoulders and hid her face with her hair, but the girl had gunfighter eyes"......and continued with some beautifully observed prose...."That was the way Polly felt, that outside she was quiet and calm but inside her acid winds roared"......"Rod was the king shit of the Nazi Dope Boys"......"That soon as you found something to live for, you found something to die for too. But he guessed in the end it was a good trade"......

A neatly observed crime story that successfully pays homage to the writings of such notorieties as Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and Jim Thompson and at the centre is one cool hero Polly and her close companion "Bear" Recommended. ( )

"True Grit" meets "Dirty White Boys" and channels James Ellroy.

Winner of the 2018 Edgar Award for Best First Novel, "She Rides Shotgun" is a melting pot of inspiration and influences that makes for a compelling thriller. Its main protagonist is 11-year-old Polly McClusky who is swept along by her ex-con birth father Nate in his attempt to save her from a whole-family death warrant declared by a prison-based convict gang. The style borrowings are not overdone and are more along the lines of tributes. Those familiar with James Ellroy's repetitive, staccato, telegram style will easily recognize it in places.

The heart of the book though is Polly and the gradual revealing of her intelligence and fortitude in the face of extremely grim circumstances. In particular there are hints of possible photographic memory skills which may be developed further if this becomes the basis for a continuing series. ( )

2017 Edgar winner for best first novel and it deserved it. The plot line is a good fresh twist in the fertile soil of crime fiction. Polly, Nate, Teddy Bear...what's not to like in those characters. This is a fast read. Harper gets it done in short order with a master's touch. You can tell when an author loves the setting so great, gritty servings of LA, Stockton and the hard scrabble desert are all part of the recipe. I think we'll be seeing more of Polly and you'll find me up there towards the head of the line. ( )

I really enjoyed listening to this book because the father & daughter protagonists are unflinchingly presented with all their uncomfortable truths laid bare. Authentic, raw emotions at play in a storyline that, while not always fully believable, is wildly entertaining. ( )

Like a rocket-propelled grenade, this novel just blows it all out. Think Ryan and Tatum O' Neal in Paper Moon, a father- daughter team committing legendary exploits. Think Mack Bolan in Pendleton's War Against the Mafia with a lone one-man, one-little girl, and one ferocious bear against the united might of the Aryan Steel prison gang. What really makes this novel purr like a slick race car is that Harper takes the rough, nasty, vicious world of prison gangs, meth heads, no-holds-barred retaliation and juxtaposes it with an eleven-year-old misfit princess who carries around a teddy bear and acts as if it's alive. What a team these two make as, with Polly riding shotgun, they make like Robin Hood and go to war. Without Polly, it would just be another nasty crime story with a desperate man on the run with every hand against him. This is the good stuff. ( )

Not too long ago I read another book with a plot somewhat similar to this novel. A criminal father raising his daughter alone, after his wife was killed. I had a huge problem with that novel and the parenting within, so why then did I love this one? In the first book the father had a choice, he could have left his daughter to be raised by her grandmother, in this Nate has no choice. There is no one else, nowhere he could leave her where she was safe, and everything that follows is to try to ensure Polly's safety.

Nate and a young Polly were fantastically drawn characters, the way their relationship developments seemed true to life. It is a violent book, but anytime you have drugs and gangs this is generally the case. A well paced story and an addictive one. A debut novel with one very smart author. Often the characteristics that make a story memorable for me are the little details that add to and provide a personal element. In this one it is the watermelon colored hair and that darn teddy bear, two visuals I will not soon forget. The teddy bear provided humor to a story that was anything but humorous, but also enforced the vision that Polly was indeed a young girl, who out of necessity had to grow up quickly. The first book I mentioned I don't even remember the title of, but this one I won't forget. ( )