Editorial Content for Down Range: A Garrett Kohl Novel
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
It is always a treat to jump on board a new series at the beginning, especially one that sets up expectations and fulfills them right out of the gate. DOWN RANGE, which introduces DEA special agent Garrett Kohl, does just that.
Author Taylor Moore is a former CIA intelligence officer and a sixth-generation Texan. DOWN RANGE is shot through with his knowledge of the Texas High Plains, spycraft and weaponry. Following a prologue that foreshadows what is to come, we meet Kohl, who is on a joint assignment with the CIA in Afghanistan. He witnesses the massacre of a village and violates protocol when he steps in to save the life of a young Afghan boy named Asadi. Instead of being disciplined, Kohl is tasked with keeping Asadi in protective custody so that he can provide testimony about the murders he witnessed. All he has to do is take Asadi back to the family home at the base of the Caprock Escarpment in the High Plains of the Texas Panhandle. The assignment is not as easy as it sounds.
"The final third of the book, where the various gears of the story mesh thoroughly, provides a heart-in-the-mouth experience that makes it impossible for a reader to press pause."
Kohl’s father, who is not the welcoming sort (though for good reason), is the only person who knows that his son is a DEA agent and not the oil roughneck he pretends to be as a cover. Kohl is also estranged from his brother, an attorney who represents a powerful oil company in the area. In short order, he learns that his brother is in serious trouble with some dangerous individuals engaging in criminal activities. Asadi might have been safer back in Afghanistan, but Kohl has a few aces up his sleeve, including his own formidable skill set and the best thing of all: loyal friends. What develops is a wild, violent and unpredictable ride with a high body count that keeps us guessing almost to the very end.
As might be expected with the inaugural episode of a new series, Moore takes a bit of time and space in setting up the dominoes of his story and gearing things up. There are a number of interesting supporting characters, familial and otherwise, who jockey for position throughout the book. The primary backdrop is also quite an expanse, geographically and historically; given Kohl’s ties to the area, Moore can be forgiven for the occasional explanations and descriptions that almost derail the narrative.
That said, there is no denying that Moore possesses all of the necessary chops to keep a thriller fan reading through the night. The final third of the book, where the various gears of the story mesh thoroughly, provides a heart-in-the-mouth experience that makes it impossible for a reader to press pause.
DOWN RANGE is complete in and of itself but sets up enough possibilities for stories in the future that this series is bound to run for many years. That would be a very good thing.
Teaser
As a decorated undercover DEA special agent, Garrett Kohl has traveled the world --- and fought in most of it --- but it’s the High Plains of northwest Texas he calls home and dreams of returning to one day. Kohl is in the middle of an assignment in Afghanistan when his commander orders him back to Texas on a short mission expected to take a week at most. The once-peaceful ranching community he loves is under attack by a band of criminals who have infiltrated law enforcement and corrupted local businesses, and are now terrorizing Kohl’s own family. Hoping to prevent bloodshed, Kohl tries to resolve matters peacefully. But when the group strikes first, he has no choice but to go on the attack.
Promo
As a decorated undercover DEA special agent, Garrett Kohl has traveled the world --- and fought in most of it --- but it’s the High Plains of northwest Texas he calls home and dreams of returning to one day. Kohl is in the middle of an assignment in Afghanistan when his commander orders him back to Texas on a short mission expected to take a week at most. The once-peaceful ranching community he loves is under attack by a band of criminals who have infiltrated law enforcement and corrupted local businesses, and are now terrorizing Kohl’s own family. Hoping to prevent bloodshed, Kohl tries to resolve matters peacefully. But when the group strikes first, he has no choice but to go on the attack.
About the Book
In this action-packed debut thriller for fans of C. J. Box and Jack Carr, DEA agent Garrett Kohl fights to protect his home on the Texas High Plains when a vicious criminal enterprise comes after his family.
As a decorated undercover DEA special agent, Garrett Kohl has traveled the world --- and fought in most of it --- but it’s the High Plains of northwest Texas he calls home and dreams of returning to one day. Kohl is in the middle of an assignment in Afghanistan when his commander orders him back to Texas on a short mission expected to take a week at most. But Kohl is unsettled to discover that he’s moving from one kind of war to another.
The once-peaceful ranching community he loves is under attack by a band of criminals who have infiltrated law enforcement and corrupted local businesses, and are now terrorizing Kohl’s own family. Hoping to prevent bloodshed, Kohl tries to resolve matters peacefully. But when the group strikes first, he has no choice but to go on the attack.
Unfortunately for the crew of criminals, Garrett Kohl, besides being an elite undercover officer for the DEA, is a battle-hardened Green Beret who spent the better part of his career hunting terrorists. Although outnumbered and outgunned, Kohl knows the wild and forsaken Llano Estacado region of Texas better than anyone. And like so many trespassers before them, these murderers will find out the hard way that the only thing tougher than this land is the people who call it home.
Audiobook available, read by Jeremy Arthur
