The Oxygen Farmer

A cranky old oxygen farmer on the Moon stumbles onto a century old secret that threatens to derail the first mission to Mars, possibly destroy the Luna colony, and maybe even life on Earth.

Sabotage, murder, cover-ups.
Just another day on the Moon.

Reviews for The Oxygen Farmer

… sharp and fast-paced dialogue moves the story forward at breakneck speed. Readers will find themselves rooting for Mil and his companions as they race against time before more lives are lost and irreparable damage is done to the colony they call home. An action-packed thriller perfect for fans of Andy Weir and Jack McDevitt.  – Kirkus Reviews

With a fascinating fictional scenario that connects history with the future, Holmes once again tackles conspiracy, subterfuge, and murder, but he takes it out of this world in his latest novel. Readers who enjoy Andy Weir’s novels, books like The Manchurian Candidate and 2001: A Space Odyssey, and TV shows such as Babylon 5 will want to put this one on their to-read lists. – Library Journal

This space mystery is a page-turner rooted in its convincing and compelling protagonists and their well-written relationships. Mil is a frustratingly likable antihero with seemingly no sense of self-preservation and a determination to uncover whatever secret the crater holds. Sf fans will enjoy this rich novel full of good world building, mysterious space intrigue, and dry humor. – Booklist


Thunder Road is out in paperback! Order your copy now!

Thunder Road

In the summer of 1947, a series of strange coincidences changed the world, and one down-on-his-luck former Ranger was the only guy who figured it out.

It all started on Thunder Road.

Order your copy today!

Also available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple and even Walmart!


Thunder Road received the Bronze Medal at the
2023 IPPY Awards!


Feb Releases Lone Star Literary

Thunder Road was featured in the February edition of Lone Star Literary Life.

The Reviews are in for Thunder Road!

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

“I need to write a full, glowing, gushing review of what may just be my favorite book of 2022. AMAZING, intriguing, unique, and chock-full of Fort Worth history with some Twin Peaksy terrific-ness, too…and maybe some aliens. Colin Holmes has a new fan, and securing Grover Gardner to narrate this gem absolutely seals the deal. Outstanding in every aspect. I will be getting a print copy to hug and read with my eyes the 2nd time around.” –Kristine Hall, Lone Star Literary Review

“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. The dialogue is classic late ‘40s, as are the nostalgic descriptions of people, places and things. Las Vegas has one traffic light, which makes it a burgeoning metropolis compared to Roswell. Sharp is constantly feeding dimes into pay phones to make calls. Air conditioning is an exotic novelty, as people relish being immersed in “refrigerated air.” My highest recommendation. Enjoy the ride!” –Thomas J. Howley, Historical Fiction Society

“Every so often—and it is, as it should be, very rare—I read a book for review and think, “If only there were six stars in the rating system, instead of five…” So imagine my surprise when I realized that this is the author’s debut novel.” –Joey Madea, Goodreads

“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

“. . . 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

Awards News!
The Oxygen Farmer received a Silver Medal at the Independent Publishing IPPY Awards! That’s on top of earning a Silver Ben Franklin Award from the IBPA and being named a finalist for Foreward’s Indie award.


Saturday Aug 3rd from 2-4:30, I’ll join a slew of great authors at the Burleson Library’s Read This mini-conference for book sales and signings. I’ll have copies of Thunder Road, The Oxygen Farmer and a fully loaded Sharpie, so come say Hi and get a signed copy!


I had a great time signing at TLA24! Thanks to everyone who stopped by to pick up a copy of The Oxygen Farmer!


In San Antonio on April 15th? Drop by The Twig Book Shop. I’ll be signing books and doing a read from The Oxygen Farmer from 5:30 – 7:00


I’m officially an “award-winning” author. Thunder Road picked up the IPPY Bronze Medal for the Mysteries category at the 2023 Independent Publisher book awards!


Wow! Thunder Road received some embarrassingly nice reviews on our recent Blackthorn Book Tour. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read and review! The book’s at 4.5 stars on Amazon and 4.3 on Good Reads!


We had a great panel at the California Creative Writers Conference. I was among several CamCat authors discussing deception as a means to add depth to a story. Fun stuff.


The Fort Worth Business Press highlighted Thunder Road recently. It’s mostly that it took me a long time to get it written and published, but I really appreciate the coverage.



Latest Blog Posts

Scroll to Top