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.