Richard Price weaves an intricate web of characters, sex, lies and relationships. RAY is a complicated man with a strange history as a TV writer, cocaine addict, father, teacher and more. Ray has lead a life of strange choices. Price quickly makes me realize just how much one can put their own personal and intimate thoughts and experiences in their own writing. The story flips back and forth between Ray and another character, Nerese, a detective nearing retirement that Ray knew well as a kid.
As a black female cop, Nerese lives a very different life then caucasian Ray. Ray has made a lot of mistakes and he often tries to help people out with his money (out of his own guilt), the problem seems to be that helping people leads him down difficult roads, often marrying him to people's dangerous and selfish choices.
SAMARITAN is a novel about a decent man doing what he can for people, only to see that helping people can be a dangerous business indeed. It is to be noted that Ray's relationship with his daughter Ruby is distant and complex to say the least. Ruby seems to just want a father and Ray wants to be the perfect father often overcompensating by buying gifts for Ruby in exchange for embracing simple and meaningful father/daughter moments. Nerese is an excellent character to juxtapose against Ray as she does not seem to be a good samaritan but even with her hard edge and cold cop tactics...she may actually be a much more honest and decent person.