Very evocative of the time described, Thunder Road is a well written historical thriller. The characters are really brought to life by the narrator and the excellent writing. When Jefferson Sharp loses his job and receives divorce papers in quick succession he is left with little choice but to accept the challenge of investigating the disappearance of an Army Air Force Major. This is the beginning of a wild trip Fort Worth, New Mexico and the Nevada desert, where he uncovers an otherworldly secret. A fun read. Thank you to Net Galley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Former Ranger Jefferson Sharp is down on his luck and has a PI firm that hasn't taken off. However, he's hired to find an Army Air Force Major who vanishes from his top secret job. Due to the job Sharp and the people he care about are all put in harms way.

This was an entertaining read, but not my typical book that I would read. I did enjoy the action that was in the book and the story telling.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy

I'd like to thank the author, Audiobooks, and NetGalley, for the audio ARC in return for my unbiased and honest review. My first impression was enhanced due to the enjoyable and terrific narrator, Grover Gardner, who lends authenticity and some humor to the characters in this debut novel by Colin Holmes.

Picture late 1940's, a western setting, just outside of Fort Worth, TX, featuring a cowboy-ish detective called Jefferson Sharp, who is at first looking for cattle wranglers. WWII is finally over and Sharp is fired from his job, hit with divorce papers, and trying to adjust to life after the war. As we follow along with the intro, we meet head on with a missing person case, mysterious and political conspiracies, historical significance, the mob/Mafia, a bit of romance, and even UFO's....sci-fi?! Yep.

I found it was confusing at times because it was so much of everything, and lots of back and forth, and suspension of disbelief, but overall an interesting read.

Publisher's Blurb: "When Army Air Force Major vanishes from his Top Secret job at the Fort Worth air base 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."

Not sure what I expected when I started but loved the manner in which the characters threw a dark cloak over the plot, entwining all the law enforcement faculties to the max. Twists and turns that left me merrily enthralled

This book was like sitting down at an old fashioned diner, but all the food has a fresh and modern take to it. The burgers have a punchy garlic aioli on them and come with a side of truffle fries. Sure, it has all the ingredients of a classic at its core, but it’s got a fun twist.

This book manages to be a jack of all trades, seamlessly crossing genres like I cross sauces (ranch and BBQ) when it comes time to eat my fries. A mystery mobster thriller with an intergalactic twist that also finds time for a fulfilling romance. I applaud Holmes’ ability to interweave different storylines and have everything play out as cohesively as it did. The ending *chefs kiss* wrapped up this segment of the story very well and still left me wanting more.

Grover Gardner, the narrator, was a perfect match for this book. He managed to play each character with conviction, even the women. I hope they’re able to keep him around for the series.

Jefferson Sharp is a guy who seems to not be able to catch a break. He is a former soldier and police detective who has returned home to work a job he hates as a guard for cattle. He hates his job, and after a botched cattle theft- which he stops, he is fired by his father-in-law. He returns home to catch his wife in bed with another man. Now, he's out of a home and job. He is soon thrust in a private detective-like job which leads to more issues.

This book has a western feel, wrapped with aliens, private investigation, and a love interest. This would be a great noire picture. I can see it now, he walks on the dimly lit screen with his cheap cigarettes and begins to tell the story of a girl with great stems, a missing man, aliens, and how he- and only he- can solve the case.

It took me a few pages to get into the story but I ended up liking it. I love the narrator's reading! While I can't recommend it to my students, I have already recommended it to my brother!

I was given the opportunity to listen to this audiobook by NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Book Title: Thunder Road
Author: Colin Holmes (Debut Author)
Narrator: Grover Gardner
Publisher: CamCat Books
Genre: Mystery, Noir, Historical Fiction and Noir
(I had to look up ‘Noir” it is a sub-genre, the protagonist is usually not a detective, but instead either a
victim, a suspect, or a perpetrator. He is someone tied directly to the crime, not an outsider called to
solve or fix the situation.)
Pub Date was: February 15, 2022
My Rating: 4 Stars!
Pages: 384

I am one of those readers who always have two books going on at the same time. One is an audiobook and I was all caught up with my audio TTBR list. When I read the blurb on this is sounded okay but when I saw it was narrated by Grove Gardner, I knew his performance would be good as well as entertaining.
He is the narrator for the Andy Carpenter series – which are always fun!
This story starts 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 previously in the Military as a former Ranger Jefferson Sharp is hired to find him. Apparently the Major owes gambling debt to a local mobster.
He joins forces with an old friend their search takes them from the hideaway poker rooms of Fort Worth's Thunder Road and they hit the road to Roswell (yes, that Roswell), to secret facilities under construction in the Nevada desert.
The 1947 nostalgia had me laughing - e.g. complaining about the $0.15 cost of hot dogs at a baseball game and the invention of plastic and of course flying saucers!
Story was better than I expected. It appears author, Colin Holsem has a sense of humor and certainly picked the right narrator to not only read his words but perform the characters!

Want to thank NetGalley and CamCat Books for granting me this audiobook.
Publishing Release Date was February 15, 2022

Great combination of noir crime novel and x files type conspiracy theories. Very enjoyable and fast paced.

Thanks to NetGalley for sending me an audiobook arc of this title.

3.5⭐
I listened to the audio (9H 43M) by one of my favorite narrators, Grover Gardner! He brings the characters to life with a hint of comedic tone. In my opinion, he's a perfect choice for this story.

Thunder Road is an action-packed historical fiction mystery thriller, set in 1947. The story begins in Fort Worth with a little western feel but is more detective with some scifi, some romance and some nior combo. Jefferson Sharp is a WWII vet and a former cop who had a rough day, fired from his current job, and slap with divorce papers. He tried out being a PI.

Colin Holmes did an excellent job weaving different themes together. It is well-written. From Fort Worth to this place with casinos called Las Vegas to Roswell plus Bugsy and Howard Hughes, good times!

Thank you CamCat Books and Netgalley for my listening copy.

A very entertaining novel. Set in 1947 just as the Roswell incident happens Jefferson Sharp loses his wife job and horse., Almost everything included in the novel aliens, The Mafia, conspiracy add to a very interesting book. Good characters and well paced.The narrator is excellent for this book
I received this audiobook from Camcat and Netgalley for a review.

I am giving this book 3 stars. WHile I enjoyed the story, I wasnt really interested in the whole mystery/alien aspect of the story. It was well written and the narrator did a wonderful job with the story. It just wasn't something that I would listen to or read again.

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.

I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed this. It’s definitely not quite what I was expecting as it was advertised to me as an “alien story” and while it is, it’s not quite the alien story I was expecting. This is all kinds of things - there’s the aforementioned aliens of course, but there also mob connections, government coverups, military stuff….I mean it’s all over the place but in a good way. It’s an interesting story, a definite page turner and worth the read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️