OWEN THOMAS AWARD WINNING BEST SELLING FICTION AUTHOR
OWEN THOMAS FICTION TITLES
OWEN THOMAS NOVELLAS
OWEN THOMAS NOVELLAS
Owen Thomas
Award-winning Author
Owen Thomas has written seven books: The Lion Trees (which has garnered over sixteen international book awards, including the Amazon Kindle Book Award, the Eric Hoffer Book Award, the Book and Author Book of the Year, the Beverly Hills International Book Award and, most recently, a finalist in the 2020 Book Excellence Awards); Mother Blues (a novel of music and mystery set in post-Hurricane Harvey Texas); Message in a Bullet: A Raymond Mackey Mystery (the first in a series of detective novels); The Russian Doll: A Raymond Mackey Mystery (the second book in that series); The Big Dream: A Raymond Mackey Mystery (the third book in that series); Signs of Passing (a book of interconnected short stories, and winner of fourteen book awards, including the 2014 Pacific Book Awards for Short Fiction, also named one of the 100 Most Notable Books of 2015 by Shelf Unbound Magazine); and This is the Dream (a collection of stories and novellas that explore that perplexing liminal distance between who we are and what we want). Owen lives and writes twelve hundred feet up the side of a volcano on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
When he is not writing, Owen enjoys taking photographs, some of which are posted on his 1000 Words per Frame gallery.
BOOKS BY OWEN THOMAS…
THE LION TREES
This rollicking debut novel is the winner of 16 international book awards, including: the 2015 Amazon Kindle Book Award for Literary Fiction, the 2015 Global eBook Award for New Adult Fiction, a 2015 Eric Hoffer Book Award, the 2015 ‘Book of The Year’ for BooksAndAuthor.com, Finalist for the 2015 First Horizon Book Award, and placements at the London Book Festival, the New York Book Festival, the Amsterdam Book Festival, and the Beverly Hills International Book Awards.
"[A] great, original novel, full of characters so authentic and engaging you begin to miss them even as you finish the final page."
Mariel Hemingway
"Highly addictive, spectacular, and mind blowing... Thomas is a wizard of fiction.”
U.S. Review of Books
“A sweeping literary saga in the traditional 'Dr. Zhivago', 'Gone with the Wind', and 'The Thorn Birds', this book has it all... original and stirring...”
The Eric Hoffer Book Award
“[A] cerebral page turner...a powerful and promising debut.”
Kirkus Reviews
“OWEN THOMAS DELIVERS EVERYTHING WE EXPECT FROM GREAT LITERARY FICTION. LAUGH-OUT-LOUD HUMOR. SUSPENSE. PATHOS. WISDOM. INTROSPECTION. ABOVE ALL, CHARACTERS THAT ABSOLUTELY COME ALIVE ON THE PAGE…. THE LION TREES [IS] AN IMMENSELY SATISFYING READ.” – MARIEL HEMINGWAY
SIGNS OF PASSING
Signs of Passing is winner of fourteen book awards, including the 2014 Pacific Book Awards for Short Fiction, the Indie Reader Discovery Award, the Great Southwest Book Festival, has garnered placements at the Paris, London and Los Angeles Book Festivals and was also named one of the 100 Most Notable Books of 2015 by Shelf Unbound Magazine.
“Thomas’ fully-realized characters are what make Signs of Passing a truly enjoyable work of fiction.”
Indie Reader
“4.5 STARS! Thomas’ fully realized characters are what make SIGNS OF PASSING a truly enjoyable work of fiction. ... SIGNS OF PASSING is a thoughtful and evocative collection of short stories full of memorable characters.”
Indie Reader
WINNER OF THE PACIFIC BOOK AWARD FOR SHORT FICTION!
MOTHER BLUES
“Mother Blues is a soulful, exciting read that will stay with you for a while. This rollicking saga unspools a rich, dramatic tapestry, brimming with unforgettable characters: some battered and broken; others heroic and inspiring; some so evil your blood will boil, and still others so decent your heart will ache.”
Mariel Hemingway
“Owen Thomas is a genius when it comes to crafting twisty plot points and weaving magical realism into the story. His prose transports the reader.”
The Book Commentary
“Mother Blues is awesome, written in a lyrical style and powerful in exploring the dark side of human nature.”
Readers Favorite
“Mother Blues defies expectations and tells a story that is as real as it is magical; Thomas’ distinctive narrative voice shines through once again with mesmerizing prose that pushes us to reach for what’s just beyond our understanding.”
Maincrest Media
"Mother Blues is awesome, written in a lyrical style and powerful in exploring the dark side of human nature. It is the story of one man’s struggle to earn his freedom from a painful past. Owen Thomas makes readers fall in love with the characters and want to know their fate. Mother Blues by Owen Thomas is suspenseful and gripping."
Readers Favorite
A Masterpiece!
“I am in awe of the author’s deft choreography of the novel’s extensive cast, an extraordinary and memorable lot, each as consumed with making sense of the past as living life in the present moment.”
treekiller
MOTHER BLUES BOOK TRAILER
MARIEL HEMINGWAY ENDORSEMENT
“I STRONGLY RECOMMEND MOTHER BLUES… YOU’LL LOVE THIS BOOK.” — MARIEL HEMINGWAY
THIS IS THE DREAM
The is the Dream, a collection of stories and novellas that explore that liminal distance between wanting and having, dreaming and not dreaming, has been named a finalist for the International Book Awards, named as a finalist for the American Writing Award for fiction anthologies, and collected a bronze medal from the Reader’s Views Choice Awards.
“Owen Thomas’ straightforward approach about profound topics eases the readers into realizing the misunderstood subconscious – why we do what we do, why we crave what we crave, and how our perceived self-identity differs from our real one. The book is a brilliant composition of literary pieces that are a gem readers will revisit after their first read.”
The Book Commentary
“This is a book you can pick up anywhere, any time, and dive right in. Within the first few words you’re immersed. You’re invested. You care about these people and their ordinary lives. They could be any of us. We have to root for them.”
The Clock Strikes 13
“I can’t say enough about this literary journey; it was a celebration, and I absolutely loved it!”
Reader's Views
“[A] highly intelligent collection of fiction that captivates you from the start with well-paced stories and three-dimensional characters. … Owen Thomas’s straightforward approach about profound topics eases the readers into realizing the misunderstood subconscious.”
The Book Commentary
“This book is fantastic! Owen Thomas is a fantastic author that is really captivating to read!”
Fred
“THIS IS A BOOK YOU CAN PICK UP ANYWHERE, ANY TIME, AND DIVE RIGHT IN. WITHIN THE FIRST FEW WORDS YOU’RE IMMERSED. YOU’RE INVESTED. YOU CARE ABOUT THESE PEOPLE AND THEIR ORDINARY LIVES. THEY COULD BE ANY OF US. WE HAVE TO ROOT FOR THEM.” – THE CLOCK STRIKES 13
MESSAGE IN A BULLET:
A RAYMOND MACKEY MYSTERY
“[Message in a Bullet is] gritty, raw, and monochromatic, but still clever enough to keep you turning pages wondering if you are keeping up with the clues. Everyone is damaged goods still trying to abide by their own versions of virtue.”
Random Thought
“This was an interesting read. [Message in a Bullet is a] hardboiled crime novel — good guys, bad guys, and a cat who loves bourbon. Who can say no to that?”
Discovery
“Message in a Bullet is as kaleidoscopic as it is fun and easy to read; it’ll leave you squinting for what’s just beyond the page.”
Maincrest Media
“Thomas’s unique authorial voice shines through, which makes Message in a Bullet shockingly original regardless of genre. … Message in a Bullet is as kaleidoscopic as it is fun and easy to read; it’ll leave you squinting for what’s just beyond the page.”
Maincrest Media
“This page-turner is a fast-paced and entertaining read... It is the first offering in a series that promises to keep readers coming back for more.”
US Review of Books
THE RUSSIAN DOLL
Mystery nests within mystery. Villainy secrets itself, burrowed within the corrupted hollows of polite society, biding its time. Pressing questions about the mayor and a pick-pocket prostitute on the run from the mob must go unanswered as Raymond Mackey is sidelined in a new job.
THE BIG DREAM
Marlo. Still dead. But more of a mystery than ever. A stack of business cards in an old file. A surprise lover. An old photo of Marlo keeping company with the Chicago underworld. It’s enough to make a hard-boiled detective wonder whether he ever really knew his wife at all. That realization alone might kill him.
Doesn’t matter. Bloody, beaten and broken; outgunned and maybe even out of his mind, Mack is coming for answers.
But if the answers are out there, they won’t be easy to find. Not in a city drowning in corruption. Not with so many enemies – police departments, the court system, the governor’s office, the mob, even the mayor of Chicago – looking to bring him down. Not with Big Man around every rain-soaked corner, relishing the deadly game of cat and mouse over drugs, murder, sex trafficking, money laundering, government influence peddling, and, most recently, the fraudulent manipulation of international financial markets.
“[A] standout achievement in modern crime fiction.”
Book Viral Reviews
“The Big Dream confirms Owen Thomas as a crime writer operating at a rare level of control and ambition. This is not simply strong series fiction — it is exceptional contemporary noir.”
Book Viral Reviews
“Thomas keeps the narrative compelling as Mack races doggedly toward his hardboiled destiny. An immersive mystery caper with a memorably disturbed protagonist at its center.”
Kirkus Reviews
“[A] well-written detective thriller with a memorable main character. Owen Thomas’s stylish prose recalls Raymond Chandler in his ability to evoke a scene, and his lead’s cynical eye nods to some of the great hardboiled detectives.”
Indie Reader
“5 out of 5 Stars … a gritty noir crime saga that merges psychological suspense with hard-boiled detective fiction.”
Maincrest Media
“Thomas’ writing is marked by confidence, restraint, and an exceptional command of mood and tension; all signals of a writer with remarkable talent.”
Maincrest Media
“If you enjoy morally complex investigators, institutional corruption, and dark, atmospheric mysteries like The Poet by Michael Connelly and Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke, you will feel right at home.”
Maincrest Media
“A thought-provoking, dark crime novel that combines an engaging mystery with profound emotional depth …”
Feathered Quill Book Reviews
“The Big Dream is an exceptional choice for enthusiasts of contemporary noir and literary thrillers.”
Feathered Quill Book Reviews
KNOWING WHO TO TRUST IS HARDER THAN EVER. FINDING PEOPLE WHO WANT TO SEE MACK LOCKED UP OR DEAD IS COMPARATIVELY EASY. AND THEN THERE’S THE DOLL. HARD TO KNOW IF THAT’S A SMILE. DOESN’T MATTER. THE DOLL KNOWS EVERYTHING. BUT SHE’S NOT TALKING.
Visit Owen’s Amateur Photography Archive
1000 WORDS PER FRAME
