A month or so ago I told you the story of my trip to the Southern Kentucky Reading Festival, when fellow author Tasha Alexander and I dodged semis wielding Civil War cannons and tornadoes, but wound up meeting some writers who've become grand friends and supporters.

Nathan Singer was the topic of that last post, and this time I am honored (not that I wasn't honored last time, Nathan) to announce that another one of those fine gentlemen, J.D. Rhoades, has just had his fourth novel published last week!

Breaking Cover is J.D.'s first "stand-alone," that is, the first novel that isn't a part of his highly successful Jack Keller series, and I have to admit that while I've loved all three of the Keller thrillers (The Devil's Right Hand, A Good Day In Hell, Safe and Sound), Breaking Cover is, hands down, my favorite of J.D.'s books.

I'm not the only one. The industry has sat up and taken notice, too. Just a few of the things being said about Breaking Cover:

"Rhoades is a true rising star. You NEED to be reading his books." -Crimespree Magazine

"Rhoades seems to have observed and remembered all the seedy details of life outside the centers of urban and suburban life as we know it. Nobody could totally invent this stuff." -Chicago Tribune

"Rhoades portrays unrepentant, psychotic killers but manages to make us feel, almost against our will, the human hearts that beat within their violent souls." -Booklist

And, I am delighted to report that the American Booksellers' Association, the national association of independent booksellers, has named Breaking Cover an Indie Next Notable title for August! Woot! Click here to find an indie store near you to buy Breaking Cover from.

Makes you want to know about it, doesn't it? Here's the description from the publisher:

From the Shamus Award-nominated author of the critically-acclaimed Jack Keller southern crime series comes an explosive stand-alone thriller about an undercover federal agent, a chameleon whose specialty is assaulting criminal organizations from within.

He was the most talented undercover agent in FBI history, until he dropped completely off the grid, and hasn't been heard from in years. Did he go native, or was he discovered and killed? When Tony Wolf is finally driven out into the open, torn from deep cover during the rescue of two kidnapped children, he becomes the number one target of both the vicious biker gang he double-crossed and a massive Federal manhunt.

But Tony's tired of being the hunted, and as both the gang and a traitorous FBI agent converge on a small southern town, they're all about to learn a hard lesson: When the Wolf breaks cover, he doesn't always run away.

Sometimes he comes straight at your throat.

Critically acclaimed author J.D. Rhoades has written his most compelling thriller to date--a pulse-pounding novel that leaps off the page and will leave readers begging for more.

Yep, it's that good. Check it out, and let me know what you think.