Lloyd McNeil's Last Ride follows a father, Lloyd, who, facing a terminal diagnosis, embarks on a series of dangerous stunts in hopes of dying in the line of duty to secure his son's future. As his reckless acts turn him into a local hero, Lloyd must confront what truly matters—teaching his son and saying goodbye. A mix of suspense, humor, and heart, this novel explores the lengths a father will go for his child.

Lloyd McNeil has learned he only has a few months to live. His main concern is leaving enough money for his teenager son but his job as a cop hasn’t done that. But if he dies in the line of duty, his son will be taken care of. However, as a beat cop in Atlanta, that is harder than one would think.

This was an easy and fast read, but also very meaningful. I loved that the main character was a cop, which I wasn’t sure about, but Lloyd is the cop we wish all cops would be. He has a heart of gold. While the plot is somber in nature, the book does not have a somber tone. It has a lot of humor to it, as well as wise words and wisdom Lloyd is passing down to his son.

“Don’t worry about death. Just live. You won’t regret it.”

Lloyd McNeil’s Last Ride comes out 5/20.

This was a heartwarming book on compassion, and what kind of legacy you want to leave behind. I enjoyed the humor and candid outlook.

Will Leitch is an amazing writer and this may well be his best work. Well written with multi-faceted characters. Don’t miss it!

Gah. 😭

I could just leave that as my entire review, but I’ll elaborate, in case you just need more details. #highmaintenancereaders🙄

This book is beautiful. It’s a man’s love-letter to his son. And probably his father. And maybe just the world. Lloyd is a cop. He’s dying. He’s dying AND he’s trying to teach his son what it really means to LIVE—all at the same time. Lloyd isn’t really anyone in particular (other than a cop), he’s nothing special. But also, he is a beautiful, ordinary, special, precious human. And that’s what I love about this book. It’s about an ordinary amazing human doing every day courageous things because that’s what decent humans do. He wants to be better, and make the world better for the son he loves more than anything else in the world.

The writing is clean, un-frilly, almost journalistic, but with enough poetry in it to make you cry. It’s giving Frederik Backman, but slightly less sob-y. Only slightly…

What an intriguing book about dying.

We follow police officer McNeil who is trying to come to terms with a grim diagnosis and leaving behind his teenage son. We read as he struggles to cope with the situation and find a way to overcome the challenges in leaving the world before he’s ready.

It is funny, the tone is upbeat although the story is bleak. It’s an incredible mix of emotions that kept me level due tot eh way it was written. I felt that some of the things he thinks about or goes on about for pages becomes boring and not worth reading. I felt it was more filler to an anything which is why I took off a star.

I appreciated what appears to be some really decent research in the cop world. My husband retired and a lot of what the author depicts is factual. There were still some things that were off but I didn’t knock if anything for that. Pulled me out of the story though.

Overall, if you’re looking for a light read about a sad thing but are looking for a ride through perspective lane, this was a pretty good one.

Thank you to the author, Harper Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was the third book I read by this author and it's my second favourite now (my top fave still is How Lucky).
It's funny, dark-humoured, heartfelt, sad but not depressing, and enjoyable read to pass the time.
Not very realistic at times, but it doesn't matter. It's a great novel to pass the time, especially if you have read a book by this author before and enjoyed it.
I'd highly recommend it.
Thank you, NetGalley and Harper, for providing me with a free eARC of this novel.

I have enjoyed two previous works by this author so I was excited to see he had a new one coming out. This is the story of Lloyd McNeil, a police officer in Atlanta that receives a terminal diagnosis. Faced with the reality of leaving his young son fatherless, he decides to try to die in the line of duty, ensuring his son will be provided for financially at least, but his efforts don’t go according to plan. I have some quibbles with the plot of the book, but they were overridden by how much I enjoyed the tone of this book. My favorite type of book is one that handles a heavy topic with a light hand and despite this book starting out as bleak as possible with Lloyd’s diagnosis coming right at the start, the book was still frequently funny and infused with so much warmth and heart. Lloyd’s love for his son is the heartbeat of every page, including some wonderful sections where he writes down advice that he wants to leave for his son (“10 gentle edicts”.) Heartwarming without being schmaltzy, as much as a book about dying can be a feel good book, this is it.

I received an ARC of this ebook from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review. I am torn on this one. I wouldn’t say I disliked it. It was a heartwarming story and managed to make me laugh a few times despite the macabre theme. I just found some elements disappointing and the ending felt rushed and fell flat for me. I am giving it 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

It's been my experience that when authors attempt the "sad but also funny" book, they usually achieve the sad part, but the humor is pretty lame. Will Leitch, however, has pulled it off. A police officer with a 13-year-old son learns he has a couple months to live. Definitely heartbreaking, but there are a lot of legitimately funny moments in this book.

Leitch's level of insight and empathy are off the charts. The moments between the father and son are incredible. It's amazing that he turned a book about a guy facing certain death into a page turner.

I honestly don't even know why you need a review from me when there's already a rave review from Richard Russo. Listen to Russo, read this book! Read this book and try to incorporate its message about appreciating your life and those around you.

Thanks to Netgalley, which provided me with a free e-galley in return for an honest review.

This book was both heartbreaking due to circumstances but also hilarious. You'll want to hug Lloyd the whole way through!

Lloyd McNeil, a second generation Atlanta police officer, is diagnosed with a brain tumor and given a few months to live. He decides it is best to keep the diagnosis from his ex-wife, thirteen year old son, and his supervisor. McNeil devises a plan to die in the line of duty so his son receives the maximum cash benefit allowed. Highly recommended for discussion groups because of the two-fold themes involving parenting and terminal illness.

I just finished the funniest book. Lloyd McNeil’s Last Ride by Will Leicht kept me chuckling page after page.