Will Leitch, best known for How Lucky and The Time Has Come, returns with Lloyd McNeil’s Last Ride, a novel that manages to be charming, grim, absurd, and profound—often within the same paragraph. Through the eyes of a dying police officer on a mission to turn his last days into a legacy for his son, Leitch captures what it means to wrestle control from chaos, to die with purpose, and most importantly, to live with love.
This is not just a book about death. It’s about the comedy of errors that happens when you try to choreograph your own exit, and life keeps showing up with unexpected curtain calls.
Synopsis: When Death Becomes a Plan and Life Becomes a Plot Twist
Lloyd McNeil is dying. A brain tumor has left him with just months to live. He’s not interested in fighting it—he’s already made peace with the inevitable. But he is interested in providing for his teenage son after he’s gone.
His solution? Die a “hero cop,” so his death benefit will leave his son financially secure.
But fate, irony, and Leitch’s trademark wit have other ideas.
Lloyd keeps surviving. Whether it’s interfering in drug busts or throwing himself between gunmen and civilians, he walks away bruised but alive. Soon, his community hails him as a hero. His department praises his bravery. His son begins to see him not as a tragic figure but a changed man—present, involved, oddly alive in the face of death.
And then comes the twist: a figure from Lloyd’s past resurfaces, complicating everything and putting into motion a reckoning that forces Lloyd to reconsider what dying well—and living well—truly mean.
Thematic Analysis: Death as a Catalyst for Life
The novel dances between solemn reflection and laugh-out-loud misadventures. But beneath its humor, Leitch embeds philosophical depth:
- Mortality as Motivation: Instead of fighting death, Lloyd uses it as a reason to act boldly—for better or worse.
- Fatherhood Under the Microscope: As he attempts to leave behind financial security, Lloyd begins to understand that emotional presence may matter more.
- Legacy vs. Memory: The book questions whether being remembered for a final act is more important than being remembered for a lifetime of quiet care.
Leitch doesn’t sermonize. He simply places his protagonist in mess after mess and lets the reader feel the tug between fear and hope, ego and humility.
Character Study: Flawed, Funny, and Finally Fully Alive
Lloyd McNeil: Our Perfectly Imperfect Protagonist
Lloyd is a paradox: a man too brave to die but too scared to live meaningfully until it’s almost too late. He’s judgmental, impulsive, and sometimes emotionally distant—but also vulnerable, sincere, and deeply human. It’s hard not to root for a man who’s trying, even if clumsily, to do right.
The Son: A Mirror and Moral Compass
Lloyd’s teenage son, while more reserved in dialogue, acts as the moral center of the novel. His quiet patience, growing understanding, and nuanced reactions offer a contrast to Lloyd’s larger-than-life gestures. He doesn’t need a hero. He just needs a dad.
The Past Returns
A mysterious figure from Lloyd’s earlier years introduces conflict, forcing him to reckon with unresolved guilt and test whether redemption is possible this late in life.
Writing Style: A Masterclass in Emotional Balance
Leitch’s prose in Lloyd McNeil’s Last Ride is stripped-down, crisp, and deeply conversational. The novel reads like a man talking directly to the reader—no flourishes, no pretensions.
- Tone: Wistful yet irreverent
- Pacing: Consistent, with accelerating tension in the final third
- Dialogues: Naturalistic, often tinged with dry humor or unexpected tenderness
You’ll laugh out loud one minute and feel a lump in your throat the next.
This sentence exemplifies Leitch’s ability to blend insight with irony, and it’s this stylistic signature that keeps the narrative buoyant even as it circles around death.
Highlights: What Makes This Novel Stand Out
- Unusual Premise: A man seeking death to become a hero is an inversion of the usual hero’s journey.
- Dark Humor Done Right: Jokes never feel forced—they arise from character and context.
- Father-Son Dynamics: Rarely is a father-son relationship so richly explored with such little sentimentality.
- Urban Authenticity: The Atlanta setting is rendered with realism but never over-described.
- Internal Monologues: The most revealing action happens inside Lloyd’s head, giving readers front-row seats to transformation.
Room for Critique: Not All Smooth Roads
- Pacing Drag in the Middle: Around the second act, the narrative occasionally loses urgency. Repeated failed “hero” attempts begin to feel episodic rather than progressive.
- Character Underdevelopment: Some supporting characters—particularly Lloyd’s ex-wife and precinct colleagues—remain thin sketches.
- Predictable Climax: The final confrontation, while emotionally satisfying, may be anticipated by readers familiar with redemption arcs.
Still, these issues feel like small speed bumps rather than roadblocks.
Where It Fits in Leitch’s Canon—and Beyond
Will Leitch has always been a writer interested in timing, consequence, and character introspection. This book feels like a natural evolution from How Lucky, which explored disability and independence, and The Time Has Come, which wove multiple storylines around pivotal moments.
Fans of those novels will find much to admire here, especially as Lloyd McNeil’s Last Ride leans further into the tragicomic tone and moral complexity Leitch has been circling for years.
Similar reads include:
- Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
- The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
- The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison
Final Thoughts: A Legacy Written in Small Acts, Not Grand Gestures
Lloyd McNeil’s Last Ride may begin with a man trying to choreograph his death, but it ends with something far more rewarding: a rediscovery of what life still has to offer, even at the edge of the abyss.
This is a novel about showing up. About being flawed but trying. About laughing when you feel like crying. And about discovering, in your final chapter, that the best thing you can leave behind is not a legend—but love.
Perfect For:
- Readers looking for literary fiction with humor and emotional depth
- Fans of character-driven stories about mortality and relationships
- Those who enjoy introspective yet accessible storytelling
Will Leitch delivers a compelling narrative full of wit, vulnerability, and heart. In a literary world often obsessed with dramatic flourish, Lloyd McNeil’s Last Ride is a rare, gentle gem that earns its tears honestly—and its laughter even more so.