What do you think?
Rate this book
Jack Keller #1
The Devil's Right Hand
Ex-cons DeWayne and Leonard thought it was a simple job: Swipe the payroll from a local construction company and make off with easy cash. Pity they left the owner dead. Bigger pity is that the owner's son is a violent drug-dealer who's crazier than the low-caliber ex-cons he's vowed to nail--along with anyone else who gets in his way.
Bounty hunter and war vet Jack Keller is the perfect man for his job. With a brain full of combat nightmares, he's primed for every hunt, keen for the heady scent of gunfire, and high on the release each takedown brings. His new quarry is bail-jumper DeWayne, but even Keller isn't prepared for where this chase is going to take him.
Caught in a violent vendetta between two trigger-happy rednecks and a psycho blinded by rage, Keller's soon spiraling into a revenge plot set to explode in the North Carolina backwoods. Add to this murderous mix a local cop with his own agenda and his beautiful partner who's hot for men on the edge, and someone's bound to see hell before the night is over.
Bounty hunter and war vet Jack Keller is the perfect man for his job. With a brain full of combat nightmares, he's primed for every hunt, keen for the heady scent of gunfire, and high on the release each takedown brings. His new quarry is bail-jumper DeWayne, but even Keller isn't prepared for where this chase is going to take him.
Caught in a violent vendetta between two trigger-happy rednecks and a psycho blinded by rage, Keller's soon spiraling into a revenge plot set to explode in the North Carolina backwoods. Add to this murderous mix a local cop with his own agenda and his beautiful partner who's hot for men on the edge, and someone's bound to see hell before the night is over.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
202 people are currently reading
297 people want to read
About the author
J.D. Rhoades
25 books186 followersJ.D. Rhoades is America's foremost writer of the genre known as "Redneck noir," and his biography reads like "Tobacco Road" as written by Hunter S. Thompson.
Rhoades never knew his parents; he was found abandoned on the steps of a cut-rate Filipino tax preparation service in Slidell, La. As a child, he was bounced around between a series of orphanages, reformatories and opium dens. His first brush with the law came when he shot a man in Reno just to watch him die. He was seven years old at the time.
Rhoades first turned to drugs at the age of five, when he discovered you could get high by snorting Nestle’s Quik through a rolled up copy of Highlights magazine. Since then, he claims to have ingested marijuana, peyote, heroin, psilocybin, uppers, downers, screamers, laughers, dried banana peels, glue, paste, mucilage, LSD, DMT, STP, ABC, CNN, TLC, Sterno, Drano, Bondo, Ketamine, Dopamine, glucosamine, Ovaltine, and Krispy Kreme.
He hit rock bottom when he did all of them in the same night and woke up two weeks later, hanging upside down by his knees from a tree limb in Duluth, Minn., and singing an aria from “Die Fledermaus.” In German, a language that he does not speak.
Rhoades is rumored to have once killed a stripper with a fondue fork and disposed of the body using an electric pencil sharpener over a period of 14 hours.
Ii is not known whether the rumors are true that Rhoades kidnapped the Lindbergh Baby, nor can reports that he was the shooter on the grassy knoll when Kennedy was shot be confirmed. He does, however, know Tom DeLay personally.
-Biography contributed by James Frey
Rhoades never knew his parents; he was found abandoned on the steps of a cut-rate Filipino tax preparation service in Slidell, La. As a child, he was bounced around between a series of orphanages, reformatories and opium dens. His first brush with the law came when he shot a man in Reno just to watch him die. He was seven years old at the time.
Rhoades first turned to drugs at the age of five, when he discovered you could get high by snorting Nestle’s Quik through a rolled up copy of Highlights magazine. Since then, he claims to have ingested marijuana, peyote, heroin, psilocybin, uppers, downers, screamers, laughers, dried banana peels, glue, paste, mucilage, LSD, DMT, STP, ABC, CNN, TLC, Sterno, Drano, Bondo, Ketamine, Dopamine, glucosamine, Ovaltine, and Krispy Kreme.
He hit rock bottom when he did all of them in the same night and woke up two weeks later, hanging upside down by his knees from a tree limb in Duluth, Minn., and singing an aria from “Die Fledermaus.” In German, a language that he does not speak.
Rhoades is rumored to have once killed a stripper with a fondue fork and disposed of the body using an electric pencil sharpener over a period of 14 hours.
Ii is not known whether the rumors are true that Rhoades kidnapped the Lindbergh Baby, nor can reports that he was the shooter on the grassy knoll when Kennedy was shot be confirmed. He does, however, know Tom DeLay personally.
-Biography contributed by James Frey
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
September 19, 2019
Maybe 2.5 stars? A bit cliche driven for my liking. Good ol' boys and their guns. Sometimes I enjoy this sort of 'action' book but at other times - meh. I've enjoyed other books by this author but I won't be continuing this particular series.
May 13, 2010
Loaded with testosterone and high-caliber weapons, Rhoades's hard-boiled debut lurches from one bloody gun battle to another in the streets and back alleys of Fayetteville, N.C., as a bounty hunter finds himself drawing highly unwelcome attention. When dim-witted cousins DeWayne and Leonard kill an old Lumbee Indian during their first armed robbery, they get a load of trouble along with the cash. Raymond, one of the victim's sons and a vicious local crime boss, vows to kill everyone involved with his father's death.
Caught in between is Jack Keller, a bail bondsman's enforcer; he's after DeWayne for skipping out on his breaking and entering bail. A Gulf War veteran tormented by guilt over the deaths of his squad members in a friendly fire incident, Jack must now deal with the two armed robbers, crazed Raymond and his gang of assorted Colombian gunmen, and sadistic cops who mistakenly think he's the cause of all the mayhem. Resourceful and determined, Jack happily lays out a few bad guys himself, but he's annoyed that everybody wants to kill him, too. He is arrested, beaten up, shot at and pursued, making miraculous escapes each time in the best pulp fiction tradition. Add spectacular car chases, kidnapping, torture, carjacking, a dozen killings and lukewarm sex scenes, and this gritty novel has everything it needs except for suspense, mystery and likable characters.
*Starred Review* Rhoades slaps this supercharged crime-fiction debut into overdrive in the first paragraph and never lets up through nearly 300 pages of nonstop action. It starts with a simple armed robbery in which two dumb and dumber ex-cons, Leonard and DeWayne, set out to steal the weekly payroll from an elderly Native American who owns a construction company.
It quickly goes wrong, however, and the owner is killed. Meanwhile, bounty hunter Jack Keller, a Gulf War vet with a head full of nightmares, is already tracking bail-jumper DeWayne. He'll have to hurry, though, if he hopes to find his quarry before the dead man's son, a drug dealer who is every bit as violent and considerably crazier than the killers he tracks. Throw in a couple of psycho cops with a thing about bounty hunters, and you have the narrative equivalent of a string of homemade bombs timed to explode at random along the Arkansas back roads.
Like Stephen Hunter's Dirty White Boys, however, this is not simply a car-chase-with-fireworks novel; Rhoades builds his rampaging white boys from the ground up, complete with believable backstory and humanizing shots of Pulp Fiction-like humor. Keller is a definite keeper, the kind of flawed noir hero that women want to nurse, cops want to bust, and bad guys want to hurt. There's a formula at work here, of course, but Rhoades never gives us time to feel manipulated.
Caught in between is Jack Keller, a bail bondsman's enforcer; he's after DeWayne for skipping out on his breaking and entering bail. A Gulf War veteran tormented by guilt over the deaths of his squad members in a friendly fire incident, Jack must now deal with the two armed robbers, crazed Raymond and his gang of assorted Colombian gunmen, and sadistic cops who mistakenly think he's the cause of all the mayhem. Resourceful and determined, Jack happily lays out a few bad guys himself, but he's annoyed that everybody wants to kill him, too. He is arrested, beaten up, shot at and pursued, making miraculous escapes each time in the best pulp fiction tradition. Add spectacular car chases, kidnapping, torture, carjacking, a dozen killings and lukewarm sex scenes, and this gritty novel has everything it needs except for suspense, mystery and likable characters.
*Starred Review* Rhoades slaps this supercharged crime-fiction debut into overdrive in the first paragraph and never lets up through nearly 300 pages of nonstop action. It starts with a simple armed robbery in which two dumb and dumber ex-cons, Leonard and DeWayne, set out to steal the weekly payroll from an elderly Native American who owns a construction company.
It quickly goes wrong, however, and the owner is killed. Meanwhile, bounty hunter Jack Keller, a Gulf War vet with a head full of nightmares, is already tracking bail-jumper DeWayne. He'll have to hurry, though, if he hopes to find his quarry before the dead man's son, a drug dealer who is every bit as violent and considerably crazier than the killers he tracks. Throw in a couple of psycho cops with a thing about bounty hunters, and you have the narrative equivalent of a string of homemade bombs timed to explode at random along the Arkansas back roads.
Like Stephen Hunter's Dirty White Boys, however, this is not simply a car-chase-with-fireworks novel; Rhoades builds his rampaging white boys from the ground up, complete with believable backstory and humanizing shots of Pulp Fiction-like humor. Keller is a definite keeper, the kind of flawed noir hero that women want to nurse, cops want to bust, and bad guys want to hurt. There's a formula at work here, of course, but Rhoades never gives us time to feel manipulated.
April 12, 2008
The Devil’s Right Hand-5 Paws
J. D. Rhoades
St Martin’s Minotaur, 2005, 274 pps
ISBN 0-312-33419-2
The Devil’s Right Hand introduces the reader to Jack Keller, a Gulf war veteran and a bail bondsman who is a bail jumper’s worst nightmare. Jack is trying to live in the present while fighting nightmares from his Gulf war days. He is employed by H&H Bail Bonds owned by a beautiful though scarred Angela Hager who had survived her own nightmare brought about by an abusive husband.
Jack’s current assignment is to bring in DeWayne Puryear who failed to appear on a B&E charge. Before Jack can catch up with DeWayne, DeWayne along with his cousin Leonard are involved in the robbery of an old man that paid his Mexican help in cash every week but the robbery went wrong and the man was killed.
Raymond Oxendine, owner of a nightclub and local drug deal, is the son of the man killed in the robbery and swears revenge on the killers.
Jack meets many people in his quest to find DeWayne including Leonard’s sister Crystal, a couple of crooked police officers, a very beautiful lady police officer and Columbia drug dealers. Bodies litter the path and violence is around every corner. DeWayne makes so many mistakes that you can’t help but feel a little sorry for him even though he is a murderer.
There’s a surprise twist to the end of the story and a little romance thrown in. It would have been great when I finished this book if I could have picked up the next Jack Keller novel and see what excitement is in store for Jack and his friends.
J. D. Rhoades
St Martin’s Minotaur, 2005, 274 pps
ISBN 0-312-33419-2
The Devil’s Right Hand introduces the reader to Jack Keller, a Gulf war veteran and a bail bondsman who is a bail jumper’s worst nightmare. Jack is trying to live in the present while fighting nightmares from his Gulf war days. He is employed by H&H Bail Bonds owned by a beautiful though scarred Angela Hager who had survived her own nightmare brought about by an abusive husband.
Jack’s current assignment is to bring in DeWayne Puryear who failed to appear on a B&E charge. Before Jack can catch up with DeWayne, DeWayne along with his cousin Leonard are involved in the robbery of an old man that paid his Mexican help in cash every week but the robbery went wrong and the man was killed.
Raymond Oxendine, owner of a nightclub and local drug deal, is the son of the man killed in the robbery and swears revenge on the killers.
Jack meets many people in his quest to find DeWayne including Leonard’s sister Crystal, a couple of crooked police officers, a very beautiful lady police officer and Columbia drug dealers. Bodies litter the path and violence is around every corner. DeWayne makes so many mistakes that you can’t help but feel a little sorry for him even though he is a murderer.
There’s a surprise twist to the end of the story and a little romance thrown in. It would have been great when I finished this book if I could have picked up the next Jack Keller novel and see what excitement is in store for Jack and his friends.
June 10, 2008
A well-written, nicely paced crime novel (novel that involves crime in the plot?) J.D. Rhoades manages to make us like his war-scarred, decision impaired protagonist Jack Keller.
A good read that will have you staying up to finish the book.
A good read that will have you staying up to finish the book.
May 24, 2017
The 1st in the Jack Keller series introducing us to another demon-driven, former spec-ops bond enforcement officer...on the hunt for low-life, hillbilly small-timers who've murdered the father of some pretty high level drug dealers...all who seem to intersect at Jack's skip-tracing efforts..just OK!
May 8, 2021
J.D. Rhoades debut novel (2005) was spot on. Jack Keller bounty hunter/ bail enforcement/ ex Army.
June 9, 2021
Good read, Jack Keller, a bounty hunter w/ Military experience that left him, w/ nightmares, is chasing down a bail jumper and runs into a shit-load of trouble that has nothing to do w/ his job, but he ends up right in the middle of it! Like to read more about Jack Keller.
February 9, 2015
This high octane thriller from author J.D. Rhoades is pedal to the floor action that needs no pit stops. "The Devil's Right Hand", features protagonist Jack Keller a bail bonds enforcement detective. Keller must track down DeWayne Puryear and haul him back for court appearance. Crazy DeWayne and his equally crazy cousin Leonard are out running around creating mayhem. After the pair rob and kill the father of John Lee and Raymond, all hell breaks out. In a whirlwind of a plot, one really needs a scorecard to keep track of who is after who. During a shoot out between DeWayne/ Leonard against Raymond/ John Lee, and Oscar Sanchez who was added on to help track, the fur really begins to fly. Keller gets involved with the shootout causing Leonard and John lee being killed. After the shootout, a crazy car chase ends when a cop is killed, with Keller taking the blame. Keller "hooks up" with the partner of the dead cop, Marie Jones and things start to get steamy. Several very involved car chases and crazy shootouts keeps this book blazing along. It's wonderful characters and spot on dialog were well used here. From page to page it was hard to figure out who was gonna survive and how would it all go down. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one from cover to cover. (First screen to last screen on my Kindle). The book is just a spellbinding story. Author J.D. Rhoades really knows how to build a crazy story within a plot. Even some romance was key in keeping this one packed with action. Easily 5 stars out of a possible 5, this one hits a home run. I'd highly recommend this one to anyone that wants a thriller that cannot relax. It's action and pushes the envelope of crazy. Having now read several of author Rhoades books, I'm hooked ! They pack a solid punch and entertain throughout. If you haven't tried a Rhoades, give this one a test drive. Be sure your seat belts are firmly attached-You're gonna need them !
June 7, 2008
How could I resist a book that takes its title from a Steve Earle song? Of course it's a song about handguns, ("Mama says a pistol is a devil's right hand.") and there are lots of handguns in this book. Not to mention shotguns and automatics and various other types of devices capable of killing another human being.
I enjoyed this book. It takes place in my neck of the woods and there is a kind of vicarious thrill reading about all this action (murder, beatings, car chases and kidnapping) taking place in Fayetteville, Robeson County and Brunswick County, which is just across the bridge from Wilmington, NC.
Rhoades populates the book with an interesting cast of characters, the Lumbee Indian Raymond, the hapless good old boys Dewayne and Leonard, the crooked cops in Fayetteville NC, and of course, bail bond enforcer Jack Keller.
I enjoyed this book. It takes place in my neck of the woods and there is a kind of vicarious thrill reading about all this action (murder, beatings, car chases and kidnapping) taking place in Fayetteville, Robeson County and Brunswick County, which is just across the bridge from Wilmington, NC.
Rhoades populates the book with an interesting cast of characters, the Lumbee Indian Raymond, the hapless good old boys Dewayne and Leonard, the crooked cops in Fayetteville NC, and of course, bail bond enforcer Jack Keller.
November 29, 2008
After reading the first paragraph or two I thought I was going to hate this book, happily there were no more pop culture references. Parts of the writing reminded me of Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men. Esspecially the dialogue between DeWayne and Leonard (that could be because I read Of Mice And Men not long ago). I enjoyed the writing and the action, but I found ALL of the characters to be stereotypical and totally predictable. As a whole it reminded me of a B action movie from the 80's (good thing I like B movies from the 80's). Overall it's a fun read and gets a solid 3 stars and goes into my fluff/trash category.
May 28, 2012
My second Rhoades book, my first of the Keller series.
I don't know what it is about the Rhoades novels that I find so appealing. They really aren't anything special.
The protagonist, Keller, is a bail bond retrieval specialist (bounty hunter) who is packing a lot of baggage from the Gulf War. In this book he is chasing a bail skip, DeWayne Puryear, who in turn is being chased by a criminal because DeWayne killed the criminal's father. Keller gets involved in his own way after he kills the brother of the drug dealer. Add into the equation some local cops who are after Keller for their own reasons and you have a fast paced book.
I don't know what it is about the Rhoades novels that I find so appealing. They really aren't anything special.
The protagonist, Keller, is a bail bond retrieval specialist (bounty hunter) who is packing a lot of baggage from the Gulf War. In this book he is chasing a bail skip, DeWayne Puryear, who in turn is being chased by a criminal because DeWayne killed the criminal's father. Keller gets involved in his own way after he kills the brother of the drug dealer. Add into the equation some local cops who are after Keller for their own reasons and you have a fast paced book.
December 19, 2024
2.5* rounded up.
This book has been out a while and I've just finished the latest edition.
It's a short read and action packed but for some reason it wasn't particularly gripping. Maybe it was the way it was written.
A protagonist that is very heroic and overloaded with testosterone but kind and sensitive when needs be....he's a bit of a stereotype (a traumatic past, obviously)but likable.
There's a good story in there somewhere but it's a bit mishmash in its presentation. The dialect took a little getting used to but it made it feel real. The chapters need organising, very random. Typos and punctuation, poor to fair.
A good edit and it probably would have got one more star from me.
This book has been out a while and I've just finished the latest edition.
It's a short read and action packed but for some reason it wasn't particularly gripping. Maybe it was the way it was written.
A protagonist that is very heroic and overloaded with testosterone but kind and sensitive when needs be....he's a bit of a stereotype (a traumatic past, obviously)but likable.
There's a good story in there somewhere but it's a bit mishmash in its presentation. The dialect took a little getting used to but it made it feel real. The chapters need organising, very random. Typos and punctuation, poor to fair.
A good edit and it probably would have got one more star from me.
September 24, 2007
TITLE/AUTHOR: THE DEVIL'S RIGHT HAND by J.D. Rhoades
RATING: 4/B
GENRE/PUB DATE/# OF PGS: Mystery, 2005, 327 pgs
TIME/PLACE: Present, North Carolina
CHARACTERS: Jack Keller/Bounty Hunter
COMMENTS: 1st in series. Lots of action. DeWayne has
not only jumped bail but killed a man in a robbery.
He's got Jack Keller, bounty hunter after him as well
as the sons of the man he's killed.
RATING: 4/B
GENRE/PUB DATE/# OF PGS: Mystery, 2005, 327 pgs
TIME/PLACE: Present, North Carolina
CHARACTERS: Jack Keller/Bounty Hunter
COMMENTS: 1st in series. Lots of action. DeWayne has
not only jumped bail but killed a man in a robbery.
He's got Jack Keller, bounty hunter after him as well
as the sons of the man he's killed.
December 2, 2008
Bounty hunter Jack Keller is caught in the crossfire between a pair of dimwitted cousins who murder an old Indian during an armed robbery and their victim's son, a local crime boss. Meanwhile, Keller has his own problems dealing with Gulf War issues.
High-powered adrenaline and nonstop action. First in a series. Highly recommend.
Similar authors: Lee Child
High-powered adrenaline and nonstop action. First in a series. Highly recommend.
Similar authors: Lee Child
October 27, 2009
Jack is a bounty hunter. He is haunted by memories of his past service to his country and the horrors of war. What starts off as a routine skip trace,brings him into a world filled with drug deals, murder and bad cops. A good read it held my interest.
March 20, 2008
This was a great debut novel of a series featuring bounty hunter and war vet Jack Keller. I will definitely be reading the next novel in this series.
July 31, 2008
The first book I read by the author. Being a Tarheel myself, I enjoyed a thriller set in areas I was familiar with. Became a fan right then.
October 15, 2008
This is a very action packed book. I read it in 2 days keeps you turning the pages. I would read this again later down the road.
May 18, 2009
Very entertaining
August 10, 2011
Excellent; Continuing character: Jack Keller (first in series); a bounty hunter is after a man who is on a crime spree and also being pursued by relatives of a man he killed
March 26, 2012
This Book was awesome, lots of action in the beginning and the end. It did get boring through the middle though
April 9, 2012
Rhoades's stories are compelling and bloody, this one is no exception. I liked both Keller and Angela and plan to read the rest of the books in the series.
June 6, 2019
I enjoyed but this book probably had the most hateful collection of villains I've ever read. Not a single one had a redeeming feature.
July 24, 2023
"The Devil's Right Hand" is a fast-paced actioner from start to finish.
Bounty hunter Jack Keller, suffering from PTSD since Operation Desert Storm, ain't one for introspection or for opening up to others.
He's good with his fists, handy with weapons and is hot on the trail of DeWayne Puryear. It's not long before all hell breaks loose and Jack becomes one of the hunted.
The climax is straight of a "Die Hard" movie.
There is, of course, a woman involved!
If you're in the mood for a fast and furious read you need look no further. I definitely was.
3.5 Stars raised to 4 Stars.
Bounty hunter Jack Keller, suffering from PTSD since Operation Desert Storm, ain't one for introspection or for opening up to others.
He's good with his fists, handy with weapons and is hot on the trail of DeWayne Puryear. It's not long before all hell breaks loose and Jack becomes one of the hunted.
The climax is straight of a "Die Hard" movie.
There is, of course, a woman involved!
If you're in the mood for a fast and furious read you need look no further. I definitely was.
3.5 Stars raised to 4 Stars.
January 2, 2025
This book jumps right into the action and doesn't let up. Jack Keller is a man driven by the ghosts of his past, and as a bounty hunter, he always gets his man - or woman.
There is a lot of action, and the author seems knowledgeable regarding guns and (US) police procedure leading to some visceral descriptions of shoot-outs and fights. This book is a compelling tale of how one dumb decision leads to a whole heap of mess and dead bodies. If you like the Jack Reacher books by Lee Child, you'll enjoy this.
There is a lot of action, and the author seems knowledgeable regarding guns and (US) police procedure leading to some visceral descriptions of shoot-outs and fights. This book is a compelling tale of how one dumb decision leads to a whole heap of mess and dead bodies. If you like the Jack Reacher books by Lee Child, you'll enjoy this.
January 27, 2025
I enjoyed The Devil's Right Hand for what it is, a basic bounty hunter and bad guy story. There's nothing exceptional about it, but nothing bad about it either. Anyone who has read a lot could probably tell where the story is going from the first page. I could have done without the sex scenes, but that's just me. So, will I try any more of Mr. Rhoades' books? Sure. You never know when you might run across a diamond in the rough.
I received a review copy from the author via Bloodhound Books and this review reflects my honest and voluntary opinion.
I received a review copy from the author via Bloodhound Books and this review reflects my honest and voluntary opinion.
October 22, 2023
Although there were several things that I found enjoyable about this book I thought the stereotypes were bit too much. Combat-damaged vet, strong but broken women, ignorant rednecks, savage drug traffickers, bad cops with giant chips on their shoulders, all taken to the extreme. I may try the next in the series.
May 21, 2025
The story was good and well crafted, but the editing was atrocious. Words were spelled incorrectly, the wrong character was named once where I had to continue reading to the next page just to know the name that SHOULD have been written. Very frustrating when punctuation is used incorrectly, or not even used at all. It's difficult to read a book that isn't well-edited.
August 13, 2025
A new author and a new character for me. I really enjoyed the book and the nice characters. The baddies did their job well and the world is a better place without them. Lots of action and a very enjoyable ride. I will now start to read the next book in the series, Good Day in Hell. A big thank you to the author J.D.Rhoades and from me a well deserved 5 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
February 28, 2020
The Devil's Right Hand
Very interesting and entertaining storyline about a veteran suffering from PTSD who is working as a recovery person for a bonding company. His issues keep him in perilous situations that make interesting reading.
Very interesting and entertaining storyline about a veteran suffering from PTSD who is working as a recovery person for a bonding company. His issues keep him in perilous situations that make interesting reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews