Thunder Road | Colin Holmes

#noirmystery #mystery

Thunder Road

by Colin Holmes

May 1 – 26, 2023 Virtual Book Tour

In this gamble, more than a few poker chips are at stake.

When an Army Air Force Major vanishes from his Top Secret job at the Fort Worth airbase in the summer of 1947, down-on-his-luck former Ranger Jefferson Sharp is hired to find him, because the Major owes a sizable gambling debt to a local mobster. The search takes Sharp from the hideaway poker rooms of Fort Worth’s Thunder Road, to the barren ranch lands of New Mexico, to secret facilities under construction in the Nevada desert.

Lethal operatives and an opaque military bureaucracy stand in his way, but when he finds an otherworldly clue and learns President Truman is creating a new Central Intelligence Agency and splitting the Air Force from the Army, Sharp begins to connect dots. And those dots draw a straight line to a conspiracy aiming to cover up a secret that is out of this world—literally so.

My Thoughts:

The noir-mystery genre is one that I dove head-first into a few years ago and devour them up in between all the romance I read to balance me out. Because of the lack of color TV prior to the 1950’s, I love being swept away in a black-and-white picture that plays out in the words before me. With the bit of sci-fi inclusion, I felt like I was reading a spin-off of the Twilight Zone mixed with a detective flick. Colin Holmes delivers in a big way with this novel!

The post WWII setting of Fort Worth, Texas, New Mexico, and Nevada are the perfect backdrops to set the stage for each layer. To me, this is a critical time in history for the entire country – as well as mankind. The unique happenings all across the US were rolling in from all directions — and even outside of our standard purview (i.e. outer space!). Having them layered in with personal problems that plague our hero gives the reader a very well-rounded book. I even got a bit of romance! Ranger Jefferson Sharp has his personal world fall apart just before he’s catapulted onto a new path that leads him into unknown territory. It’s dark, adventurous, and compelling for anyone looking for a read that is outside the box.

If you’re a fan of the tv series Fringe that ran from 2008-2013, you may remember an episode that pulled a bit of noir mystery in with the sci-fi. This is right up that alley, and I was here for all of it. I enjoyed that Sharp keeps a level head despite the entire world shifting before his very eyes. I’m impressed that this is a debut novel and I sincerely hope that there are many more of these to come. This is a fantastic read!

I received a complimentary copy for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

Praise for Thunder Road:

“This genre-defying and enormously entertaining romp is Mickey Spillane meets Whitley Strieber meets Woody Allen. I can’t remember when I’ve had so much plain old fun reading a book and just didn’t want it to end.”

~ Historical Novel Society, Editor’s Choice

“Sparkling 1940’s dialogue, wry humor, an unpredictable yet coherent storyline, and a breezy style all his own, make Colin Holmes’ somewhat spooky novel, Thunder Road, a winner. I’ll be on the lookout for his next novel.”

~ Rob Leininger, author of Killing Suki Flood and the Mortimer Angel “Gumshoe” series

“[In this] intriguing debut . . . clear crisp prose . . . morphs from a western into a detective story with an overlay of conspiracy theories.”

~ Publishers Weekly

“. . . one of the best mysteries I’ve ever read. The plot, characterization, timing, setting, dialogue, and tension was spot on. Love the noir feel of the past. Have to admit the ending twist caught me by surprise. Well done..”

~ Larry Enmon, author of Class III Threat, City of Fear, and The Burial Place

Book Details:

Genre: Noir Mystery
Published by: CamCat Books
Publication Date: February 15, 2022
Number of Pages: 384
ISBN: 9780744304978 (ISBN10: 0744304970)
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | CamCat Books

Follow the Book Tour!

05/02 Guest post @ The Book Divas Reads
05/03 Interview @ darciahelle
05/04 Showcase @ Books, Ramblings, and Tea
05/05 Review @ Urban Book Reviews
05/06 Showcase @ Guatemala Paula Loves to Read
05/09 Review @ Lynchburg Mama
05/10 Review @ Book Reviews From an Avid Reader
05/12 Showcase @ Celticladys Reviews
05/13 Review @ Confessions of the Perfect Mom
05/16 Interview @ Hott Books
05/17 Showcase @ 411 ON BOOKS, AUTHORS, AND PUBLISHING NEWS
05/19 Review @ reviewsbyrudra
05/20 Showcase @ Silvers Reviews
05/21 Review @ mysteries. and. mayhem
05/23 Review @ sunny island breezes
05/25 Guest post @ The Mystery of Writing

Author Bio:

Before the pandemic, Colin Holmes toiled in a beige cubical as a mid-level marketing and advertising manager for an international electronics firm. A recovering advertising creative director, he spent far too long at ad agencies and freelancing as a hired gun in the war for capitalism.

As an adman, Holmes has written newspaper classifieds, TV commercials, radio spots, trade journal articles and tweets. His ads have sold cowboy boots and cheeseburgers, 72-ounce steaks, and hazardous waste site clean-up services. He’s encountered fascinating characters at every turn.

Now he writes novels, short stories and screenplays in an effort to stay out of the way and not drive his far too patient wife completely crazy. He is an honors graduate of the UCLA Writers Program, a former board member of the DFW Writers Workshop and serves on the steering committee of the DFW Writers Conference. He’s a fan of baseball, barbeque, fine automobiles and unpretentious scotch.

Catch Up With Colin Holmes:

ByColinHolmes.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @bycolinholmes
Instagram – @bycolinholmes
Twitter – @bycolinholmes
Facebook – @colin.holmes.1213

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Colin Holmes & CamCat Books. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

The giveaway is for 3 paperback copies of Thunder Road, US Only