The Devil's Right Hand

If you're a fan of Elmore Leonard, you've come to the right place. With THE DEVIL'S RIGHT HAND, author J. D. Rhoades demonstrates a talent for crime fiction that even "Dutch" himself could appreciate. The action is relentless and brutal with jarring bursts of expertly rendered violence. Rhoades shows a keen ear for Southern "redneck" dialogue and a wonderful grasp of his rural North Carolina setting. The characters are exquistely drawn, especially antihero Jack Keller, a bounty hunter battling more than a few demons, both personal and profesional. Rhoades even manages to throw in a tender, believable love story that will have you winking with knowing delight in between action scenes that will leave you breathless. With THE DEVIL'S RIGHT HAND, J. D. Rhoades proves that he is well on his way to becoming Dutch Leonard's heir apparent.Devil's Brew

This books is great from cover to cover. There are NO dead spots in the story line. It will keep you guessing from the start. Just when you think you know what is going to happen next J D Rhodes throws you a curve and you have to start all over. VERY good book. It was hard to put down.

Haunted by a nightmarish experience in Desert Storm and suffering post-traumatic stress disorder, Jack Keller is barely alive. Physically alive is one thing but his emotional life and his ability to connect with others is in strong jeopardy. For this self imposed loner and societal outcast, the only thing that keeps him going is the thrill of the hunt which results in the ultimate capture of his target. Work as a bounty hunter for H & H, a North Carolina bail bonds company keeps him working and alive, but it isn't much of a life, as he has not much passion for anything else. Other than Angela, the enigmatic owner of H & H who has her own very heavy load of emotional baggage and isn't yet ready to cross that line from employer to lover with Jack Keller. Keller's personal life begins to change in an unlikely way when he goes on the hunt for a habitual criminal, Dewayne, whose only ability is incredible stupidity in regards to his crimes and extreme violence. Stupidity that most recently caused Dewayne to kill an elderly man in the course of robbing him for a small cash payroll of a few thousand dollars. Stupidity that caused the son's of the deceased man, Raymond and John Lee, to begin their own violent hunt for Dewayne. Both the sons and Keller have a good idea where Dewayne is headed. Keller needs him alive so that he can take care of the bond money because the Old West adage of bring them back dead or alive no longer works. Raymond and John Lee want Dewayne dead and don't care who gets hurt in the process. Throw in a violent out of control cop, a love interest in an unlikely place, and a few other story ingredients and the result is a fast paced intense read from start to finish. Told through constantly shifting point of view, this tale is part mystery, part thriller, and all intense. The story unravels before the reader's eyes with sufficient plot twists and turns to keep one guessing to the very last page. Through it all is the complex and multi-faceted character of Jack Keller, a man prone to violence who might like it just a little too much but at the same time is aware not only of his faults, but that sometimes, extreme violence is the only answer. Kevin R. Tipple © 2005

Jack Keller is a bounty hunter. He's looking for a bail jumper. The bail jumper, not exactly a bright bulb, intends to rob an old man . . . and ends up murdering him along with his dim-witted cousin. Keller has some psychological baggage of his own, which actually gets in the way of the story at times. But Keller's pursuit of the criminals is what makes the novel a page turner. The action is fast, furious and plausible for the most part. On the whole, a fun book. Jerry

This book is a must for anyone who loved Stephen Hunter's "Dirty White Boys." It's an action classic that will have everyone hoping for more from this writer.