Thunder Road

Take a dollop of Western, a splash of sci-fi, a generous pinch of noir, and a sprinkling of romance, and you might come close to describing Thunder Road. Think of it like the Rifleman finding himself dropped into a casino scene from a James Bond movie crossed with The X-Files. (Now that I think about it, I did picture someone rather like Chuck Connors as our protagonist while I was reading!)

Former Ranger Jefferson Sharp is working as a livestock detective for the Fort Worth and Western Stockmen's Association. Life has gone a little sideways for him, as an unexplainable incident out in the field led to him having to put his horse down, losing his job, and finding out his wife has been cheating on him with his biggest rival. So when a local mobster hires Sharp to find an Army Air Force Major who's disappeared from his top secret job owing the mobster a pretty fat gambling debt, Sharp takes the opportunity.

Boy, does that decision lead him some places. It's 1947. Something has happened in Roswell, New Mexico, and Las Vegas isn't much more than a blip on the map with delusions of grandeur. Sharp finds himself rubbing elbows with the underworld on Fort Worth's notorious Thunder Road, confronting the military-industrial complex, and heading off into the desert to find answer to some questions that dangerous men might not want asked.

Colin Holmes has a way with words, and he creates a 1940s setting that really sucks the reader in! The story he tells is entertaining and suspenseful, and made me snort-laugh in a few places like a good Terry Pratchett tale does. He also does a great job of weaving in actual historical figures like Howard Hughes, Bugsy Siegel, and Meyer Lansky, adding to the enthralling nature of the world he's constructed.

I like the relationship between Jefferson and Roni. It isn't an insta-romance. He's a little slow on the uptake in figuring out that Roni isn't his buddy's kid sister anymore (maybe in part because his marriage has only very recently ended), and her exasperation with his slowness is just right. The ending of the book hints at more story to come, and I hope we see what direction life takes them.

Thunder Road may not have been the book I expected (because really, who could anticipate this level of genius?), but it was definitely the book I needed. Just the right amount of tension to keep you turning pages, enough intrigue to keep you guessing, and a perfect little kiss of romance for sweetness. I'd give it ten stars if I could, and I can't wait to read more from Colin Holmes.