The Ride: The Jeffrey Curley Murder and Its Aftermath

by Brian MacQuarrie

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.

Genres: True Crime

275 pages, Paperback

First published May 12, 2009

Reviews

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Socrates said that the “unexamined life is not worth living.” Which leads me in a roundabout way to a very brief discussion of Brian MacQuarrie’s The Ride. The ethics of the death penalty are central to this book. No matter how you feel about this issue there is food for thought here. The odyssey of Bob Curley, father of a brutally murdered child, from ordinary Joe to death penalty advocate to opposer of that same penalty, is remarkable. (Not a spoiler this information is literally on the back of the book.) definitely worth reading and contemplating.

[Koren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very sad story about an 11 year old boy that was befriended by a couple of thugs who later murdered him. About half the book is about the murder and the other half is about the father and how he handled the death of his son and how he changed his mind about the death penalty. Sister Helen Prejean is mentioned in the book. She has done a lot to change thinking about the death penalty. This is a very heartbreaking book with a lot to think about.

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

On October 1, 1997 ten year old Jeffrey Curley of Cambridge , Massachusetts took a ride with two adults, Salvatore Sicari and Charles Jaynes under the false pretense of receiving a new bicycle. He was brutally murdered after not accepting their sexual advances, then post-mortally raped, and stuffed into a plastic storage box. Then the container with his body in it was thrown off a bridge into the Great Works River in South Berwick, Maine .



The Ride is the story of that case, one which is familiar to many in the Massachusetts area. The book works its way from the grisly crime to the years afterward. It focuses on the family of Jeffrey, heavily weighted on the life of Cambridge Firefighter Bob Curley, Jeffrey’s father. Briefly the book explains Bob Curley’s need for vengeance was what kept him going in the dark months following his son’s murder. He became a champion in the attempted legalization of the death penalty in Massachusetts . He spoke out at the State House, in the media, often confronting those opposing his beliefs. Years later, Bob meets the father of an Oklahoma City bombing victim and the brother of Ted Kaczynski, gentleman who opposed the death penalty. Through their shared experience, Bob Curley undergoes a remarkable transformation; he becomes an opponent of the very proposed law that he passionately fought for.



Brian MacQuarrie, a Pulitzer Prize Award nominee and Boston Globe writer does a fine detailed and astute job in reporting the facts regarding this case and the lingering affects it had on the Curley family. It is a no-holds barred account of the emotional ups and downs that occur over the years for the family, placing the reader into the edge of their painful abyss. One can not possibly fathom what it must be like to suffer such a tragedy and then turn the pain into such important work on causes the way Bob Curley did. Bob Curley’s work on child safety and protection laws is currently on the books in Massachusetts .



Bob Curley’s life as portrayed in The Ride is a study of breaking and redemption of human spirit. The rest of the Curley family was and remains shattered by Jeffrey’s murder. There are no words that can be written that could convey this by author MacQuarrie. As a writer he handled this impossible task with skill and sensitivity. I recommend this book as an excellent, interesting read and a ride into heavy emotional traffic.

[Victoria Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Heartbreaking Truth

This story will make you truly appreciate your life and the fortunes we experience. I read this book as a requirement for a Victimology course and it really spreads to the emotional issues and shortfalls of the criminal justice system. Very emotional and a graphic representation of a tragedy, but definitely worth the read.

[andrea sbordone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I live in Massachusetts and remember when this happened. This book takes you through the tragic death of Jeffrey to the family that fell apart. The father of Jeffrey is half of this book. The challenges and despair he dealt with and the bitter end of what changed him is heartbreaking. There is a lot of politics involved in this case.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a heartbreaking story but one which needed to be told. The author does a top notch job writing and researching this horrendous crime.

[Joli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very political, more than true crimey, but seeing Bob’s healing journey was inspiring. I have never had a concrete opinion on the death penalty and I still don’t after this book.

[Courtney Magaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember when Jeffrey Curley from Cambridge, Massachusetts was kidnapped and murdered in 1997. I was 15 and a freshman in high school. I had never heard of a child being murdered so brutally by two people he thought were his friends. As days passed and more shocking details came out. I remember there were calls for the death penalty for these two murderers.

This first half of the book details Jeffrey’s last day, along with his kidnapping and murder, the search, the arrest of the two men who killed him, the family’s reaction to their loss, and the two killers’ trials. The second half deals with his father Bob’s journey through grief, his change of heart about the death penalty, and how he learned to live with his loss while becoming an advocate for child safety.

I met Bob Curley at a book signing in 2009 when this book was published. We chatted for a while and he was very friendly and kind while talking to me. He came across as someone who enjoys meeting new people. His world was shattered with the loss of his son, but he has used his own pain to help protect children from the same type of people who tricked and murdered his own young son.

This book is incredibly well-written and detailed. Some of the details are extremely graphic, but they show the brutality of this crime that shook the Boston area in 1997.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

A moderately interesting window into the singularly devastating tragedy one family endures, and a father's ethical journey. I picked this up because Sister Helen Prejan, of Dead Man Walking fame, contributed a blurb to the galley copy. The first few chapters deal with the crime, the investigation, and the trial; the rest of the book is devoted to father Bob Curley's soul-searching experience with the media and political arenas, first as a staunch proponent of the death penalty, progressing into a strong opponent of the death penalty. Very personal, not very informative statistically or legally (although the political jockeying is interesting, if not overly familiar).

[Sadie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book I had to read for one of my criminal justice graduate courses. If your eyes have not been opened to the immense issues within sensationalized crime and the criminal justice system, this is an important read. With that said, I feel like the details in the beginning of the book of the murderer/pedophile were way too graphic for anyone with a grip on these deeply horrific issues.

The book brilliantly lets you be a part of the father’s journey. I felt myself changing with the dad from furious to finding peace.

Overall, I learned a lot from reading this book.

[Cate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very sad story about the father of Jeffrey Curley, the ten-year-old who was murdered. The book tells about the murder, and about how the father's opinion on the death penalty changes over time.

Only two stars because it's kind of overwritten.

Also, it's pretty graphic about the murder itself.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is by far one of the greatest book I have read in a long time. It is the story of Bob Curley and his person journey coming to terms with the atrocious murder of his ten year old son Jeffrey. I have always been pro death penalty, however after reading this book, I have found myself questioning my believes. This book is a must read for everyone.

[Amanda Carmichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very poignant look at the process of losing a loved one violently...more violently than one can imagine. this book chronicles the change of his belief system concerning the death penalty and his coming to grips with a loss you cannot move past.

[Ted · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing was so godawful I had to stop. The portrayl of the family and the murder was so corny and ham-handed and simplistic it made not really like anyone. But the story is a terrible one. That poor kid and family.

[Bill]

The gripping story of a father's journey in the face of his ten year old son' brutal murder, from rage and a desire for revenge
to becoming an anti death penalty advocate. It made me think AND feel and that is what a great book should do. 3.8 Martinie glasses

[Iris · Rating 4 out of 5]

compelling book about the death penalty. i cried several times, and i almost never cry when i read books.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a tough read because of the subject matter, but it is well paced, well written and riveting!

[Sarah Marzano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish every book I had to read for school was this well done!