Hearts of Darkness

“The title of J.D. Rhoades’ third Jackson Keller novel, Safe and Sound, conveys a state of being that runs counter to what really lies at it’s core: the horrible, dark acts that human beings--especially the central characters here--are capable of perpetrating,” remarks Anthony Rainone in his review of Rhoades’ new book, posted today in January Magazine.

Still haunted by his inner demons, North Carolina bounty hunter Keller sets out in this story to find a missing child, Alyssa Fedder. “The girl,” Rainone explains, “is believed to have been taken by her father, David Lundgren, a sergeant with the army’s Special Forces. [An attorney trying to help Alyssa] is frustrated because the army won’t tell her Lundgren’s current location. Keller knows better than anyone that the army is Machiavellian in nature and loath to impart any aspect of its business.” Yet he doesn’t give up easily, and in the course of fulfilling his assignment Keller cracks open what had sounded like a straightforward tug of war over child custody to reveal a much knottier plot involving an AWOL father, a South African mercenary-for-hire, and the search for a “key” that will unlock a bank account holding tens of millions of dollars. “By the novel’s end, children are traumatized, adults have lost their lives and Keller’s sanity is on the line,” writes Rainone.

The full review of Safe and Sound can be read here.