Good Day in Hell

Jack Keller #2

by J.D. Rhoades

From a skillful writer rapidly becoming the master of engrossing, bullet-scarred redneck noir comes another thrill-a-minute Southern suspense novel full of atmosphere and action. Bail enforcement officer Jack Keller is doing a skip trace on a young woman from the right side of the tracks who somehow got involved with the wrong kind of man. But Laurel Marks's history doesn't matter to Jack--she's wanted on a parole violation, and his paycheck depends on tracking her down.

Meanwhile, Keller's girlfriend, sheriff's deputy Marie Jones, is called to the scene of a grisly murder--a gas station owner has been shot point-blank in the face, and his teenage stepson, plus the cash from the register, is missing. But something in the back of her mind tells Marie not to jump to conclusions. . . .

When a bloody, merciless killing spree starts in a church on the other side of the county, it seems impossible that Keller's skip and Marie's murder/kidnapping case could be related. But the local media is soon involved, and the mess they make of the situation soon reveals just what Keller, Marie, and every other peace officer in the state of North Carolina doesn't want to believe: three people are viciously angry, incredibly well armed, and they're ready to strike again at any time.

Good Day in Hell cements the reputation of author J. D. Rhoades as edge-of-your-seat suspense and nonstop action radiates from the first paragraph to the final page.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Crime

288 pages, Hardcover

First published March 21, 2006

About the author

J.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

Reviews

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Good Day In Hell – 5 Paws
J. D. Rhoades
St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2006, 274 pps.

J. D. Rhoades’ recipe for A Good Day in Hell is take one mentally deranged man, Roy Randle, who aspired to be a movie star; add Laurel Marks, a bitter young woman who was sexually molested by her father and has now jumped bond; throw in Stan who is a young man used to being knocked around by his step-father; add a large supply of guns, a good supply of liquor and drugs and a killing spree that will terrorize the community, is served up for the reader.

Jack Keller is on the trail of Laurel and determined to bring her in. Marie Jones, Keller’s girl friend is now a deputy in the Sheriff’s office. It soon becomes apparent that there is a connection between Laurel and the recent killings under investigation by the Sheriff’s office.

Jack is still fighting his mental problems that are a carry over from his war injury. Marie is still struggling to find her place in Jack’s life and to better understand Jack’s problems.

Angela, Jack’s boss, is still around with her helper; Manuel Olivera. Angela and Manuel are Jack’s friends and are searching for a way to help him find peace in his life.

The shooting spree that Roy, Laurel and Stan go on is one that won’t easily be forgotten. Nor will this book easily be forgotten. A Good Day In Hell is a wonderful follow-up to The Devil’s Right Hand but it is not necessary to read the first book in order to enjoy the second book.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner from J.D. Rhoades. Although I read these books out of sequence each novel stands on it's own.

J.D., thank you, thank you, thank you for using a publisher with a real live editor instead of a computer spelling and grammar checker.

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read. It grabs your interest from the very first sentence and doesn't let go. Intriguing characters, with a story line that could be found in today's news headlines. Now I need to find "The Devil's Right Hand," because I'm looking forward to reading more Jack Keller books.

[Sherri Vigil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action packed and will endear you to the character Jack Keller even more.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reviews are in and everyone seems to love this book. Number two in the Jack Keller series. Jack a bail enforcement officer is another casualty of the Forever War. Suffering with his demons and going head on into danger really ticked me off. He carelessly put others into harms way. Then used his PTSD as an excuse. Rhoades is a good writer and could do better.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second Jack Keller novel in series by J.D. Rhoades, "Good Day In Hell" is an electrifying wild ride set in North Carolina. Jack Keller works for H&H Bonds which is owned by Angela. Jack is sent out after Laurel Marks a 20 year old who has been a wild child for several years. Laurel has hooked up with 40ish Roy Randle to head out on a mission to be famous. First stop is at a gas service station where they kill the owner and rob the the place. However, at the gas station, the owner's step-son Stan,16 is a witness. Stan has two choices. Join up or die. Stan decides to go along. Not long later Roy and Laurel head into a local church with guns blazing killing 14. Meanwhile Officer Marie Jones, Keller's girlfriend is first cop on scene at the gas station. Marie temporarily teams up with detective Warren Shelby to investigate. However, Jack is hot on Laurel's trail and Marie must slow him down and allow the police handle this crime. Before long Roy, Laurel, and now Stan shoot up the parking log of a hog processing plant killing 8. Packed with action sequences throughout this book it's a high octane thriller without a brake pedal. It's hard to keep track of all of the victims within this spree. The characters of Jack and Marie are very well crafted with plenty of depth. The other cast of characters are an interesting lot to say the least. Very colorful with dialog to match. This second Jack Keller book was as good as the first book in series was. An enjoyable read that moves at a rocket's pace. Jack suffers from flash backs to the first Iraq war and does everything possible it seems to keep Marie mad at him. At one point I thought Marie was going to be taken away from Jack for good. I really did worry for Jack. No, not all of the cast in this novel survive. Author Rhoades has built a yarn that's really good at seeing it's characters clash. 5 stars out of a possible 5 stars for "Good Day In Hell". If you haven't read anything from author J.D. Rhoades, you are surely missing out. His Jack Keller series is a winner. Rhoades knows what it takes in all of his books to spin a thriller that's difficult to put down. "Good Day In Hell" is one of those books you just hold on tight for a wild ride that delivers a punch. Check it out, and all of J.D. Rhoades books for enjoyable thrillers to read.

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A Good Day in Hell" is non-stop action thriller that also examines the causes and the motivations behind violent behavior and the effects of violence on individuals, good guys as well as bad. I blasted through it in two days. I stopped reading only when I had to. I wanted to find out what was going to happen on the next page, but knew the next page would always take me one page closer to the end.

I'm not going to summarize the plot. This is the second book I've read by J.D. Rhoades and I enjoyed it every bit as much as the next book in the series, Safe and Sound. (Yes, I read them out of order.) I will absolutely be keeping my eyes open for more of Rhoades' books. His work has a depth that is rarely found in genre fiction. Action thrillers aren't my favorite genre, I'm mostly a science fiction reader who likes action, but it's a pleasure to step outside my usual favorite genre to read a book by J.D. Rhoades.

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book several months ago and paid the going Kindle price for it after having read a few other books by JD Rhoades. I see this one is now temporarily a free Kindle download, and I have to say you can't go wrong here, especially at this price. JD Rhoades has a clear, visual style with a wry sense of humor.

This story brings the reader further into the bounty-hunting world of Jack Keller and his budding romance with his cop partner, Marie, as they hunt down a couple of crazy killers in the North Carolina back country. The pace is quick, full of action and thrills to keep you clicking through pages to the end.

I enjoyed this thriller and JD Rhoades' writing style. I am eagerly awaiting his next book.

[Lee Holz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Day in Hell is a first-rate and unusual thriller/police procedural. The action is non-stop, and the violence and sex are pretty graphic. This isn’t unusual for a good thriller. However, in this book the characters, both good guys and bad, are unusually complex and nuanced. The plot is highly original, if not unique, and issues of the human condition are examined. This is definitely a thinking person’s thriller while at the same time a thoroughly entertaining read.

[Joe O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent; Continuing character: Jack Keller; the search for a woman who skipped bail leads Keller onto the track of a duo who make Bonnie and Clyde look tame, while trying to come to grips with his own demons

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

J.D. Rhoades does not disappoint in the second Jack Keller book... had to keep reading on the smart phone when I left my Kindle at the office.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roy Randle took the fall for a fatal accident on a film set and it ended what he, and he alone, believed was going to be a rapid rise to stardom. He's hell-bent on revenge against the world in general and has set up murderous scenarios straight out of Hollywood.
Aiding and abetting him is incest victim Laurel Marks, a young woman who has skipped bail.
Jack Keller of H&H Bonds is hot on her trail and closing in fast.
The author, J. D. Rhoades, has an admirable disregard for the lives of the characters in "Good Day In Hell" - it's a pleasant (or nasty!) change from books where the violence is toned down so some snowflake might be offended.
Jack's relationship with Marie continues but his inability to talk about his PTSD and occasional panic attacks is putting a strain on it.
As the end approached I was expecting mayhem on an epic scale but, remarkably, it doesn't choose to go down that route and is all the better for it.
It's one of the best action thrillers I have read in a long time. It is also surprising complex - Jack Keller is more than one-dimensional.
4 Stars.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first read with Jack Keller and even thou I have read it out of order it stands very well by its own. Good Day in Hell is a critical thinkers read. Graphic, oh my yes, sex scenes and violent scenes are definitely graphic. You will be turning the pages and not wanting to stop. Thank you J.D. Rhoades for a good read.

[Alex Carbo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little to close to Natural Born Killer to my taste. The ressemblances kept me from getting immersed in the story.
will keep reading Keller series though. sometimes you just need a linear red neck crime thriller ;)

[Linda Look · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Keller is a bail bondsman barely able to pay his bills. He also suffers from PTSD and his personal life suffers. Trying to trace a female who skipped her hearing, Jack is drawn into murders and mahem. Fast read and good plot. I rate this a 4.8 because I like Southern characters.

[john alder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the second book I have read in this series. A really good read with lots of action. There was much food for thought. I will now read the third book in the series, Safe and Sound. Five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book was a good read. Received books 1, 2, 3 free on Nook.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the first in the Keller series, but this one really pissed me off. Made Keller out to be an selfish ass. Better luck with the next one I hope.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bail bondsman Jack Keller is back again, hot on the trail of Laurel Marks, a young woman with a long criminal history and a knack for getting into trouble. She's open for anything, including helping a washed up stuntman choreograph his cinematic vision of mass killings throughout coastal North Carolina. That happens to be my neck of the woods and he nails the area perfectly including Wilmington's reputation as "Hollywood On The East Coast."

It is, of course, a bit graphic in the scenes of violence, with lots of death and destruction. But on the whole, it's a good and quick read, and made my flight from Cincinnati to Eugene Oregon with the layover in Salt Lake City most enjoyable.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read, but it really should be packaged as a sequel or follow-up to Rhoades' The Devil's Right Hand. While not necessarily integral to understanding the plot, events from the first book are fairly often mentioned here and I feel I would have had a better understanding of the characters had I known to read that work first. However, that may have been the decision of the publisher and not the author, and he still spins a fairly good tale here. As a personal aside, main character deputy Marie Jones is thoroughly insufferable and I found myself deeply sympathetic to the female villain by the end, so take that for what it's worth.

[Sonny Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent crime read! J.D Rhoades has created a believable and frightening scenario as three lost souls go on a killing spree. Pursuing them is a bounty hunter with his own demons and his lover, a cop trying to regain her place in the department. From the violent opening, Rhoades bulldozes straight ahead to a surprising conclusion. Along the way, he fleshes out his characters, making you care about them, and fear some. It's very cinematic and pulls you into the picture. J.D. Rhoades is one of my new favorite writers.

[Will Decker · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say I enjoyed this story would be an understatement. It takes a lot to keep me on the edge of my seat, and even near the end when it seemed a bit predictable, it still kept me hanging on. The story was well written with few grammar and word use errors, Although there ;'was romance and even a little romantic suspense, it didn't consume the story. I recommend this story to anyone that likes Action/Adventure. Thank you J.D.Rhoades.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#2 in the Jack Keller series. Jack Keller is a Wilmington, NC based bounty hunter.

Jack Keller is searching for bail jumper Laurel Marks. His girlfriend, deputy Marie Jones, is looking for a male/female team who are committing mass murders. The two cases coincide and Jack's reaction may be too action oriented for Marie.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the second book in a series it wasn't very difficult to catch up in the characters. Having not read the first book I followed most of this one with the exception of a few small references to the previous book. There's lots of action, some crazed murderers, lots of blood and gore and a little bit of romance that is completely and utterly messed up. What's not to like?

[Jesika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good writing and intriguing story. Lame ending....should be a lead off to a sequel. Loved the crude language. Not a waste of time to read. Ugliest book cover I've seen in a long time. Title isn't very good.

[Christof · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good setting, good story. May be a bit gory for some readers.

[Sammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good series so far. I read it quickly and wanted more. I recommend it to anyone that wants to read a good thriller!