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Keys and Tale
Stories Born From Service
  • Hollis Kennedy Martin 

    Check out Hollis's latest book "Who Can You Trust, Colby?"

    2nd Installment of the Colby James Series

  • Hollis Kennedy Martin 

    U.S. Army Veteran • Patriot • Author • Storyteller

  • Hollis Kennedy Martin 

    Check out her breakout hit "What is Fortitude, Colby?"

    1st Installment of the Colby James Series

​Colby James Series

Lyi​ng on her deathbed, Colby James is desperate to share the truth with her son, Joey—a truth that has haunted her for decades. Why wasn’t she there for him? Why did she leave his father? The answers are as complex as the life she’s lived, woven together with the sacrifices she made for her country, the dangerous missions that shattered her soul, and the impossible choices she faced.

Through relentless betrayals, high-stakes missions, and devastating losses, Colby’s story is one of survival against all odds. As she unravels the web of secrets that defined her life, she faces the ultimate question: Can her son forgive her for the choices she had to make, and can she find peace in the truth before time runs out?

Betrayal, survival, and espionage collide in this electrifying series that explores the cost of loyalty, the weight of sacrifice, and the haunting consequences of love and duty. Perfect for fans of The Bourne Identity and Homeland, the Colby James series delivers gripping action, intricate conspiracies, and deeply emotional storytelling.

Colby James

​What is Fortitude, Colby?

Lyi​ng on her deathbed, Colby James is desperate to share the truth with her son, Joey—a truth that has haunted her for decades. Why wasn’t she there for him? Why did she leave his father? The answers are as complex as the life she’s lived, woven together with the sacrifices she made for her country, the dangerous missions that shattered her soul, and the impossible choices she faced.

Through relentless betrayals, high-stakes missions, and devastating losses, Colby’s story is one of survival against all odds. As she unravels the web of secrets that defined her life, she faces the ultimate question: Can her son forgive her for the choices she had to make, and can she find peace in the truth before time runs out?

Betrayal, survival, and espionage collide in this electrifying series that explores the cost of loyalty, the weight of sacrifice, and the haunting consequences of love and duty. Perfect for fans of The Bourne Identity and Homeland, the Colby James series delivers gripping action, intricate conspiracies, and deeply emotional storytelling.

​Who Can You Trust, Colby?
Every inch of my skin was on fire from bruising, a gunshot wound, oh, and that pesky cattle prod. Bullets were raining into my motel room. My sense of reality was slipping. I never thought I'd be praying for the FBI to show up, but everyone has a breaking point.
 
In the tradition of The Bourne Identity, the Jack Ryan seriesand HBO's HomelandWho Can You Trust, Colby? is a pulse-pounding espionage thriller that blurs the line between hero and fugitive.
 
Kidnapped from a secret government facility where she is tortured within an inch of her life, DEA agent Colby James (former US enemy #1) is reunited with her team. Now trapped in a safe house with them, her nightly hellscapes take her right back to the room of unconscionable physical and psychological torture, as she tries gain the team's trust back and justify their heroic rescue mission to save her life.
 
News of a dirty bomb plot by the Iranian militia jolts the team into action, but something doesn't feel right to Colby. It's like she's traveling back in time-the last time she was on Summer Street in Boston, the last time she was Colby James, before Operation Fortitude made her the most hated woman on planet earth.
 
Then it hits her. She's being framed for a catastrophic dirty bomb plot that could cost millions of lives.
 
What is the end game here? Who wants her gone?
 
Now hunted and hurt, she must outwit her pursuers, unravel a sinister conspiracy, race against time to stop the real threat, and expose the shadow figure that put her in the sight line of an oncoming Mac truck.
 
A high-level government coverup. A foreign enemy. An inside job. A copycat terrorist.
 
Betrayal, survival, romance, and espionage collide in this electrifying high-stakes page-turner with breathless pacing, intelligent plot, and international intrigue.
 
Thriller - Suspense - Mystery - Espionage - Spy - Assassination - Terrorism - Romance - Conspiracy - Political

Hollis Kennedy 
Ma​rtin

The epiphany to leave D.C. didn’t hit Hollis until more than 15 years had passed. Those years included cutting ties with the shadier, drug-addicted, and delinquent—yet somehow loveable—branches of her family tree; letting go of true love twice; skipping her shot at a family; and, most notably, giving up any attempt to maintain good mental health.

It all started with a required polygraph to keep her security clearance—a test centered around making sure she hadn’t provided aid to the enemy. The accusation, though implied, was downright insulting for someone who’d been dedicated to serving her country since the age of seven. The clearance got renewed, but the seed to leave was planted. A few more years of living through hell made it painfully clear: while the passion was still there, the tank was empty.

It was time to step back, join the ranks of the common folk, and support the country from way behind the lines. That’s when the books started pouring out—straight from her soul and onto the page. Hollis found a new mission, one without the danger but full of purpose.

We call her H.K., and these are her tales.