Customer Reviews

The Devil's Right Hand

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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

Standing at the center of this bruising novel is the relentless bounty hunter Jack Keller, a Gulf war veteran struggling with post-traumatic stress syndrome. Keller is pursuing DeWayne Puryear, who skipped bail on a lesser charge shortly before killing Raymond and John Lee Oxendine's father during a robbery. Accompanied by his cousin Leonard, DeWayne goes on the lam. Unfortunately for them, however, they've incurred the wrath of the resourceful and tenacious Oxendine brothers, who seek revenge for their father's murder.

The hapless robbers take refuge in the home of DeWayne's sister Crystal, proceeding to squander most of the robbery money on drugs. One evening, Leonard answers the doorbell to find the Oxendines waiting outside. Right on the Oxendines' heels is Keller, who has also tracked the Puryears to their hideout. A vicious firefight breaks out, forever altering the lives of those involved. The remainder of the novel deals with the surviving parties' dogged pursuit of one another, some seeking a payday, others revenge. The chase is not without its interesting detours; the consequences and the final death toll won't become apparent until the final pages.

Rhoades knows how to keep an audience's attention, never stinting on the well-choreographed action. Surprising for a novel that relies so much on explosive set pieces, however, is that it doesn't neglect character development; each player is profoundly affected by the violence that surrounds them. The winning mix of pulse pounding action and intriguing central characters will have readers anxiously anticipating the author's next offering.

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

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.

One of the reviews notes that the non-stop action starts on the first page and never lets up. That is very true. About two thirds through, the reader will think the ending is on the next page, but with a quick twist, the action keeps going.

Keller, the bounty hunter hero, is a good character, so also is the supporting cast. The bad guys are real bad and the good guys aren't perfect, which always makes an interesting combination.

The plot starts with a robbery/murder by two dumb rednecks. One of them had jumped bond and Keller was already after him. The son of the murder victim is a drug lord who goes out for revenge. Everyone ends up after everyone else and the police - not so good guys - get in the middle of it all. Like so many "heroes" of the crime solving genre, Keller manages to tick almost everyone off, but also finds an attractive damsel who also is mixed up in everything up to her eyeballs.

Confusing? Not in the book. Rhoades keeps the plot running and running smoothly.

I hope this is the beginning of a series, because Keller, as a character, already has more depth than most characters in this type of book.

Highly recommended for entertainment. It will not make you a better person to read this, but who reads private eye/bounty hunter mysteries for anything other than entertainment?

Crack open Devil's Right Hand and you're in for a midnight ride, cuffed to a D-ring in the back seat of a driverless Crown Vic, blasting down a back country road lit only by moonlight and the flames coming up from under the hood. This thing sweats with adrenaline, smells of cordite, and rocks with power chords struck from an amped up 335 strung with high tension barbed wire. If you like your heroes in the bare-knuckled tradition of Mike Hammer, Jack Keller's your guy. Pop open a forty and let this book take you places you can't see from the safety of I-95.

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

The story intertwines the lives of all the characters so effortlessly. Rhoades writes masterfully keeping the reader in time with all the storylines as they weave there way together into the climax.

I will be looking for more books by J.D. Rhoades !!!

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.

I loved this book from beginning to end. A perfect blend of action, vivid characterization, and just the right amount of romance. Jack Heller is an intriguing character, with a lot going on beneath the surface. He's the kind of guy you want to keep hanging out with long after the story is over. THE DEVIL'S RIGHT HAND kicks ass, and I'm moving on with great anticipation to the next one in the series. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!