Hard Times - by Jeff Boyd (Hardcover)

About the Book

"An extraordinary crime novel from a rising star, that follows the ripple effects of a tragic shooting throughout a Chicago community from the view of the teachers, police officers, and students impacted. Buddy Mack has been caught in the middle of two worlds at war. As an English teacher at a South Side, Chicago, high school lauded for its football team, but at risk in every other way, he tries to instill a love of literature. While all of his students face challenges, he's especially concerned with a trio of boys who test him to no end but are full of promise and heart: Zeke, the football star; Truth, the sweet-talking charmer; and Dontell, Buddy's most promising student. At home, his wife, Chrissy, a successful corporate lawyer, is ready to upgrade to a big house on the North Side and start a family, but Buddy's torn over the implications. And the closest person he has in his life to talk to is Chrissy's little brother, Curtis, a corrupt Chicago cop. When the two worlds collide in a shocking moment that rocks the school, Buddy has to choose a side and fight for all he holds dear. Hard Times takes stock of what it means to be there for your people whether you want to or not and unflinchingly confronts the American Dream-a moving, engrossing, and necessary read"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

An extraordinary crime novel from a rising star, that follows the ripple effects of a tragic shooting throughout a Chicago community from the view of the teachers, police officers, and students impacted

"A deeply satisfying story with as much, heart, grit and history as the city that it's set in." --Xochitl Gonzalez, New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming

Buddy Mack has been caught in the middle of two worlds at war.

As an English teacher at a South Side, Chicago, high school lauded for its football team, but at risk in every other way, he tries to instill a love of literature. While all of his students face challenges, he's especially concerned with a trio of boys who test him to no end but are full of promise and heart: Zeke, the football star; Truth, the sweet-talking charmer; and Dontell, Buddy's most promising student.

At home, his wife, Chrissy, a successful corporate lawyer, is ready to upgrade to a big house on the North Side and start a family, but Buddy's torn over the implications. And the closest person he has in his life to talk to is Chrissy's little brother, Curtis, a corrupt Chicago cop.

When the two worlds collide in a shocking moment that rocks the school, Buddy has to choose a side and fight for all he holds dear. Hard Times takes stock of what it means to be there for your people whether you want to or not and unflinchingly confronts the American Dream--a moving, engrossing, and necessary read.

Review Quotes

"In this riveting, page-turning journey through the streets and suburbs of Chicago, Jeff Boyd delivers a deeply satisfying story with as much, heart, grit and history as the city that its set in. Hard Times brilliantly examines the ideas of goodness, badness, loyalty and masculinity in a way that reminds you of what the novel is for." --Xochitl Gonzalez, New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming and Anita de Monte Laughs Last

"Gritty, fascinating. . . The author's affinity for realistic storytelling with a strong sense of compassion for his characters elevates Hard Times. . . Boyd explores race, class, crime and policing with his assured plotting and crisp dialogue. He is a talent to watch."
--South Florida Sun Sentinel

"A powerful and suspenseful novel. . . Boyd's layered storytelling weaves together multiple perspectives, creating a gripping mystery rooted in social realities and moral dilemmas. The novel's richly drawn characters and emotionally resonant themes give the story both weight and urgency. Gritty yet compassionate, Hard Times is a compelling crime novel that captures the human cost of secrets and the courage it takes to confront them."
--The Seattle Book Review

"Boyd excels with this gritty tale. . . Boyd's stark realism and fatalistic view of the characters' milieu makes the hopeful ending all the more triumphant. This one hits hard."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Hard Times is a sweeping, suspenseful, gripping novel, a gritty and humane love letter to Chicago. Jeff Boyd's characters will stick with you long after you turn the last page." --Jess Walter, bestselling author of The Cold Millions

"Boyd's impressive command of his engrossing novel's multiple points of view is matched by his compassion for his often perplexing but always engaging characters. The novel's heart and its smarts are almost as big as Buddy Mack's own. . . [A] novel that puts humanity far ahead of sociology."
--Kirkus (starred review)

"Powerful. . . A gripping social novel with a deep sense of humanity."
--CrimeReads

"Hard Times is extraordinary--compassionate, gripping, and propulsive. Jeff Boyd has conjured a complex tough love world filled with perfectly drawn characters who leap off the page able to steal your heart and break it all at once." --Ivy Pochoda, award-winning author of Sing Her Down

"Hard Times is a big, gritty, thought-provoking novel about crime, morality, and loyalty in an environment warped by corruption. Jeff Boyd populates his Chicago with a vibrant cast of complex characters, every one of them fighting for their souls." --Steph Cha, award-winning author of Your House Will Pay and series editor of Best American Mystery & Suspense

Praise for Jeff Boyd:
"Boyd has a grounded and capable hand. This is dialogue that you can actually hear. Powerful, dreamy, and altogether very true." --Kiley Reid, author of the New York Times bestseller and Booker Prize longlist selection Such a Fun Age

"Boyd has August Wilson's scope and James Alan McPherson's human heart, but his literary touchstones are wide and catholic. . . I think of this book as the announcement of a big new talent and the start of a long and meaningful career." --Joshua Ferris, author of the National Book Award finalist Then We Came to the End and A Calling for Charlie Barnes

"A moving, comic and prodigious debut." --Jess Walter, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Beautiful Ruins and The Cold Millions

About the Author

Jeff Boyd is the author of The Weight. He is a former Chicago public school teacher and a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. He lives in New York with his family.