Colin Holmes

Heart-stopping action by memorable characters made this a stellar reading experience!

The Oxygen Farmer is an excellent new sci-fi mystery/thriller by Texas author Colin Holmes slated for release early next month and just in time for Christmas gift-giving. Its lunar setting, heart-stopping action, and memorable characters made for an absolutely stellar reading experience.

The main character, Millennium “Mil” Harrison, has lived and worked on the moon longer than anyone else. He’s a legend on Earth and among the employees assigned to Armstrong Base. Pushing 80, he’s cranky and cantankerous, and after dedicating his life to making the lunar settlements sustainable, his patented oxygen farming process is being replaced by new technology. However, he was fairly accepting of being “retired” and living the rest of his life out on his farm, focusing on his other interests, including his relationship with Emma, the only doctor on the moon. Just because there’s snow on the roof, you know. In Mil, the author has created a truly multidimensional character.

The story begins years after the moon settlements have been established; Mars is now the target of Earth’s exploration and expansion aspirations. The author does a great job creating a long-established lunar setting with mentions of past station commanders, making Armstrong Station a routine duty station that employees transfer in and out of, and descriptions of dusty, abandoned equipment and historic sites for tourists to visit that commemorate important milestones in the Earth’s space race past.

The action and mystery begin immediately, and surprising plot twists keep the suspense running at top speed. A small thing I enjoyed during Mil's sojourn in Japan were the use of pop culture names for some of the characters such as Ash, Yoshi, Hina. Yet, in this vision of a better future, as the multinational mission to Mars on a space vessel named Humanity prepares to get underway, some humans still revert to type to pursue personal gain while others sacrifice everything for the greater good.

I recommend THE OXYGEN FARMER to science fiction readers, especially those who enjoy a planet-side story.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Book Blog Tours.… (meer)

I received the audible version of this book from NetGalley, and would like to thank them for giving me the opportunity to listen to this book. Following is my review, which I offer as thanks. This is quite the book for a novice author, and this is his first novel. Colin Holmes does a great job on the plot. It moves along swiftly, and there's lots of excitement throughout. I also liked his main character--Jefferson Sharp. Sharp is an ex-militia, just recently returned from WWII. Sharp is a former Ranger who is currently down on his luck when we meet him. He takes a job as a Livestock Enforcer, and gets pretty beat up after a fruitless chase after cattle rustlers when we first meet him. He has an odious boss who also happens to be his father-in-law. When he arrives home unexpectedl , he catches his wife in bed with another hombre. So now Sharp is out of a job and a home. His main claim to fame is the he is a semi-professional poker player, and while at a game nursing his wounds, the owner of The Four Deuces poker palace on Thunder Road in Fort Worth, Texas, asks Jeff to take on a job for him. Sharp agrees, but warily because he knows that Doyle Deneker is well-connected to the Mob. Deneker wants him to tail an Army Major. From then on we're on a whirl-wind ride as Sharp falls into one rabbit hole or another, and it isn't long before he realizes that this job for Deneker is far more dangerous than he was led to believe. He kicks over a lot of hornets' nests, and finds himself dodging bullets and bombs all over the place. When he hooks up with his best friend's sister, things get really interesting. The book was exciting and fun. I loved Sharp and Ronnie, and even the bad guys were entertaining. Unfortunately, the book started to fall short for me when Sharp discovers an other-worldly clue, that really comes out of nowhere. From Texas to Arizona to Las Vegas, it's a wild ride as we ride along with Sharp and Ronnie. I found the ending to be a bit unsatisfying, and things seemed to left up in the air. But, I am happy I listened to the book, and enjoyed the diversion of Jefferson Sharp, who is a new kind of anti-hero. Grover Gardener does a fine job of narrating this whirlwind of a book.… (meer)

THUNDER ROAD hits the ground running!

Thunder Road by author Colin Holmes is an exciting and action-packed scorcher of a story from the very first page, and considering it begins in a pasture somewhere west of Fort Worth among a herd of cattle, you'd think that would be hard to do. But Holmes grabs the story by the horns, and it's off and running.

The reader is introduced to the book's hero, Jefferson Sharp, on one of his worst days ever. Between the events of the pasture and discovering he and his wife are no longer a compatible match, the guy takes several tough gut punches and still gets up to start all over, all the while maintaining a decent attitude. He's a down-to-earth guy and a 'ride or die' kind of friend. He's joined in the story, for the most part, by friends he's grown up with, some of whom have secrets that bring him a lot of trouble. However, my favorite supporting character is Veronica "Roni" Arquette, the sister of a childhood buddy and the widow of Sharp's former partner when both were detectives with the Fort Worth PD before the war.

I loved the post-WWII, 1947 time period and the setting in my hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. The author sprinkles the non-stop action and casework with Fort Worth history, historical figures, and local lore. Some characters appear to be fictional recreations of actual individuals, such as Amon Carter. The historical 'time travel tour' aspect was so delightful and fun that before I was even done reading the novel, I purchased multiple hardcover copies to gift to family members at Christmas.

The story can be broadly categorized as a thriller or mystery or noir or historical fiction or sci-fi; there is literally something for everyone here. But the main character is a private investigator with cases to work on, so that is the book's predominant 'look and feel'. Sharp is a stand up guy who's good in a fight and takes his drinks with little fuss. The dialogue is crisp, snappy, and clever, and place descriptions are saturated with mood and atmosphere, so much so that you'll think you're hanging at the Four Deuces right along with the characters.

I recommend THUNDER ROAD to mystery readers who would enjoy a story with a noirish post-WWII Fort Worth setting and wouldn't mind a little sci-fi action in their crime drama.… (meer)

What a wild ride this book is! Jeff Sharp, WWII vet, ex cop, cattle rustler investigator loses his wife and job in short order. An offer for private investigative work seems like a good direction. His first assignments are to run down information on a Dallas mob boss and catch a cheating husband in an affair. Both lead to trouble.

On the bright side, Jeff reunites with a childhood friend, Roni Arquette, a war widow. When Roni’s new boyfriend, Army Air Force Officer Jerry Cartwright disappears, under mysterious circumstances, Jeff and Roni are determined to find him. Their search leads them to Roswell, New Mexico and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Set in the 1940s, the story is full of period details from cars to gambling dens in Fort Worth, Texas and the crash of an alien spaceship. The narrative has a noir detective feel with a heavy dose of Sci-Fi. There is a fair amount of violence. Poor Jeff is on the wrong end of several nasty beatings.

Well written with an unusual story line, I was sucked in from the beginning. I really enjoyed the story and would recommend it to readers who like detective/mystery/thrillers in a historical fiction setting.What a wild ride this book is! Jeff Sharp, WWII vet, ex cop, cattle rustler investigator loses his wife and job in short order. An offer for private investigative work seems like a good direction. His first assignments are to run down information on a Dallas mob boss and catch a cheating husband in an affair. Both lead to trouble.

On the bright side, Jeff reunites with a childhood friend, Roni Arquette, a war widow. When Roni’s new boyfriend, Army Air Force Officer Jerry Cartwright disappears, under mysterious circumstances, Jeff and Roni are determined to find him. Their search leads them to Roswell, New Mexico and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Set in the 1940s, the story is full of period details from cars to gambling dens in Fort Worth, Texas and the crash of an alien spaceship. The narrative has a noir detective feel with a heavy dose of Sci-Fi. There is a fair amount of violence. Poor Jeff is on the wrong end of several nasty beatings.

Well written with an unusual story line, I was sucked in from the beginning. I really enjoyed the story and would recommend it to readers who like detective/mystery/thrillers in a historical fiction setting.… (meer)