It's obvious Taylor Moore knows Texas. I like a fast paced read and this was just fast enough. Good character development, good grasp of character relationships.

Action-packed beginning of a series. Featuring, Garrett Kohl, an undercover DEA agent and former green beret. After he rescues an Afghan boy from the slaughter taking place in his village, Kohl is sent back home to his oil-dependent town in Texas to watch over the boy and keep him safe. Safety, though, doesn't come easy. There are a long line of action heroes in the crime fiction genre: Jack Reacher, Mitch Rapp, Bob Lee Swagger, etc. Add Garret Kohl to the list of (hopefully) crime leads with a long shelf life.

Great writing, interesting characters and a page turner. I really liked this book. I'm looking forward to the next installment in this series.

I so enjoyed this book. It was filled with action and intrigue. Every page held something new and enhanced the story. The characters were all believable and it was written in such a way you could know and understand the impact they had on the story. This is the first book in the series and I will be anxious to read the others.

A character-driven, action-packed thriller set in the High Planes of northwest Texas. Taylor Moore masterfully intertwines a taut military thriller with a western. Although there is a lot of action in this book, it’s the characters and the focus of a family in crisis that puts this book in its own category.

I enjoyed the Garrett Kohl character, a former Army Green Beret turned DEA special agent.

The book opens in Afganistan and the horrors of that war and then moves to Texas where Garrett is an undercover DEA agent fighting another brutal war on American soil.

Taylor Moore’s Down Range was a great thrilling read.

An action packed thriller I couldn't put down!
Garrett Kohl is a former Green Beret and now an undercover DEA special agent. On assignment in Afghanistan, he breaks cover to save a ten-year-old boy, Asadi, from the massacre that decimated his village. In an effort to keep the boy safe until he can testify against those who took his family, Garrett takes the boy to his home in the high plains of Texas. Here he encounters another kind of war, one that has unwittingly involved his family and a community wrapped up in oil and drugs. Can Garrett keep Asadi safe at the same time as stopping the criminals and saving his family?
This is one very well written character driven story that will keep you turning the pages. You can't help falling in love with the Kohl's and Asadi while despising their enemies. The setting and scenes could not have been written any better to pull you in and put you in the middle of the action. And it has a lot of heart to boot. This is a very impressive debut and start to a new series, one which I will anxiously await each new installment.

I received this book from NetGalley as a prerelease copy

This book is a debut novel by Taylor Moore. It is a thriller set in the high plains of the Texas Panhandle during the winter where you will be cold and snowy. This is an undercover DEA agent that is in Afghanistan and then the story moves to Texas. A Mexican cartel is taking over a rural area in Texas.

I found myself wandering through parts of it and not totally pulled into the story. All in all it was a decent story and some interesting characters.

A thriller about a family in crisi.s. This wouldn’t typically be a book I would chose but having said that I throughly enjoyed this story it was a great debut and an incredible story I could not put this down. It centers around Garret Kohl a former green beret who is deep undercover and it’s a story betray;r vengeance and murder

Down Range, a debut novel by Taylor Moore, is a thriller set in the high plains of the Texas Panhandle in the midst of winter complete with snow and cold temps. First in a series about an undercover DEA agent, it starts with action in Afghanistan and then shifts to Texas where a Mexican cartel is taking over a rural county right in the oil patch (there’s definitely a good and logical reason for the setting change). Good writing, interesting and well drawn characters plus fast paced well motivated action made this an excellent read. I’m already looking forward to more from this new writer. A good bit of violence but not a lot of gore; no sex but a hint of romance; and limited use of bad language but certainly not on every page. Perfect for fans of Jack Carr, Nick Petrie, David Baldacci.

Down Range, the first novel of a series, is a suspenseful Western thriller that moves from Afghanistan to the Texas High Plains. Garrett Kohl, former Green Beret and current undercover DEA agent, is tasked with bringing a n Afghan boy who has witnessed a massacre to temporary safety in the US. He arrives at his Texas home to discover that his brother is enmeshed in the criminal activities of a Mexican drug cartel. He reconciles with his brother and father and leads the fight against the brutal corruption of local business and law enforcement. The story is violent and fast-paced. I am not a fan of westerns or military thrillers, but this well-written debut portrays family bonds in a realistic way that I e joyed.

What a great debut and introduction to a new character! Down Range introduces DEA special agent Garrett Kohl, and I can't wait to read further books. The book starts off strong and never lets up. The characters are well-written and you care for them, and the action scenes are tense and electrifying. A great debut novel, and I look forward to more stories featuring Kohl.

Down Range will be released on August 3rd. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

This action-packed military thriller, set in Afghanistan and in the High Plains of northwest Texas, introduces former Green Beret Garrett Kohl, who is now a decorated DEA special agent.

After observing a village massacre in Afghanistan, Garrett he rescues a fleeing child, Asadi. After CIA base chief Kim Manning asks Garrett to handle protective custody for Asadi, he takes the boy home to the Kohl Ranch in Texas.

Turns out there are serious problems at home where Garrett's lawyer brother has got entangled with a drug cartel. Plenty of blood is spilled, children are at risk, and the Kohl brothers ride to the rescue though it seems a forlorn hope.

Summary: 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 he’s unsettled to discover that he’s moved 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, corrupted local businesses, and is 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 criminal crew, besides being an elite undercover officer for the DEA, Garrett Kohl 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

I love thrillers and I’ve never read Historical thrillers. Unique and a little gritty. It was fast over and exciting, highly recommend

An entertaining debut novel that has been tagged as a 'western' but felt more like what 24 would have looked like on a small ranching Texas town.
CJ Box owns Wyoming and Montana, Ace Atkins owns Northern Mississippi, too many own L.A., so DOWN RANGE established its quarters in Texas, introducing a new Jack Bauer, Dewey Andreas, Jack Ryan, Mitch Rapp, etc, etc.
DOWN RANGE doesnt break any new grounds, and even makes sure to include all the clichés known to the genre of 'lonesome troubled introverted hero'.
Kohl's always right, Kohl's always one step ahead, Kohl's moral compass his the only one—except for the former head cheerleader falling for him the minute he sets foot back in town after too long—that seems to be working.

Still, even with all those predictable elements, Moore got me to turn every page until I reached the obvious and predictable ending.

I enjoyed this suspenseful thriller. This is one of my first books by this aurhor and I cant wait to see what is next for them. This is a well written story about murder and a towns people who are tougher than anyone realizes. I enjoyed being pulled into this story from the first word. The characters are connectable and made the story fun and easy to read. They made the story engaging and kept me turning pages. They truly made the story for me. The authors use of details gave the story a realistic feel. Will the tresspassers that come to this town find out how receptive to them they really are? Really a great story that I highly recommend. Worth the pick up for sure.

Down Home takes place in the Texas panhandle, where families are known for self-reliance. Garret Kohl has been away from the family ranch for many years, but when an intelligence assignment goes wrong, and he saves an Afghan boy who is the sole survivor of his village’s genocide, Garret returns home to protect and hide the boy until he can testify against the murderers.
But in the meantime, Garret's brother Bridger has become entangled with a Mexican drug cartel, and Garret finds himself caught in the crossfire of several angry individuals who are bent on revenge.
A real page turner, with a somewhat abrupt ending.

DOWN RANGE: A Garrett Kohl Novel
Taylor Moore
William Morrow
ISBN-13: 978-0063066502
Hardcover
Thriller

It is always a treat in genre fiction to jump on board a new series at the beginning, especially one that in its inaugural volume both sets up expectations and fulfills them out of the gate. DOWN RANGE, which introduces DEA Agent Garrett Kohl, does just that.

Author Taylor Moore is a former CIA intelligence officer who is a sixth-generation Texan. DOWN RANGE is shot through with his knowledge of the Texas High Plains, spycraft, and weaponry. Moore, after a Prologue that foreshadows what is to come, almost immediately introduces Kohl, an elite DEA undercover agent who is on a joint assignment with the CIA in Afghanistan. Kohl witnesses the massacre of a village and violates protocol when he steps in to save the life of a young Afghan boy named Asadi. Kohl is all but certain that he will be mustered out as a result. He is therefore surprised to learn that he has been assigned to keep Asadi in protective custody so that he can provide testimony about the killings he witnessed. All Kohl has to do is to 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. Kohl’s father, who is not the welcoming sort --- though for good reason --- is the only person who knows that Kohl is a DEA agent instead of the oil roughneck that 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. Kohl in short order finds that his brother is in some very serious trouble with some dangerous individuals engaging in criminal activities. Kohl soon finds that Asadi might have been safer back in Afghanistan, but he 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 the reader 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. Moore in addition to Garrett has a number of interesting supporting characters, familial and otherwise, who jockey for position throughout DOWN RANGE. The primary backdrop for the story is also quite an expanse, geographically and historically, and given Garrett’s ties to the area, Moore can be forgiven for the occasional explanations and descriptions that almost derail the narrative, however momentarily. That said, there is no denying that Moore possesses, in spades, all of the necessary chops to keep a fan of the thriller genre reading through the night. The final third of DOWN RANGE, 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. What is almost as good is that DOWN RANGE is complete in and of itself but sets up enough potential possibilities for stories in the future that this series is all but certain to run for a long time to come. That’s a good thing. Recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2021, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

4.5⭐
An impressive debut and hell to the yes! I'm stoked to know that the author was with CIA.

Down Range is an action-packed (western) thriller with former Green Baret turned DEA Special Agent Garret Kohl doing a deep-cover recon of opium trade in Afghanistan when he saw through his lens that villagers are being massacred. He blew his cover to save a ten-year-old boy Asadi. Both Kohl and Asadi were sent back to the US until the CIA could figure out who is behind the killing.

During the road trip to his dad's ranch in the High Plains of northwest Texas is where the writing shines. I enjoyed Moore's writing and how he incorporates native history (Garret Kohl is half Comanche on his mother's side) and describes the breathtaking landscapes.

Downtime at the ranch was relatively short when the Kohls got in the way of some lucrative local narco business. There's so much action in the second half of the book that I just couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Fortunately, our hero and a handful of well-thought-out characters know how to deal with these losers.

I love the writing, characters, and family unity. I want to know what happens next! There's no question, I can't wait for book 2. Highly recommend this one for action thriller fans.

This is a fast paced tale that manages to blend pure action with a firm sense of family. Garrett Kohl, an undercover DEA agent, finds himself in charge of Asadi, an Afghan child who is the only witness to the slaughter of his village. He takes Asadi home to his family ranch in Texas, where his father, never particularly communicative, finds something in Asadi that changes both of their lives - they bond over horses. Unfortunately, narcos have moved into the area and Garrett's brother Bridger, an attorney, has gotten on their bad side. This has an implausible premise, some real howlers of lines (especially wrt to women) and I got lost in the gun fighting at the end (this will play better in a movie, I think) but you know what- I couldn't put it down. That's because I found myself caught up in Asadi's story as much as anything else. And, I want him, along with Bridger's twin daughters on my side in a fight. Thanks to the publisher fr the ARC. A very good read.

Taylor Moore introduces Garrett Kohl in Down Range and fans of Jack Carr and Ben Coes will welcome this new entry to the genre. A former Green Beret, he is now an undercover agent for the DEA serving in Afghanistan. After witnessing the massacre of an entire village, he rescues Asadi, a young boy. He was on a recon mission with orders not to take aggressive action but could just not stand by when he had an opportunity to save the boy. As a result of his actions he is appointed as Asadi’s guard with orders to keep him safe until the massacre can be investigated and Asadi can testify about what he saw. Rather than a safe house, Garrett knows that the safest place for the boy is on the Texas ranch where he was raised. Garrett’s father Butch is a gruff rancher and the only person who knows of Garrett’s work with the DEA. It has kept him away for several years and he is not sure of what reception his sudden reappearance will receive but Buck bonds with Asadi over their horses and chores on the ranch. While Garrett was unsure of how to relate to Asadi in the beginning, you can see the bond develop between them as well.

Before he left Garrett had a fight with his brother Bridger and it is time to make amends. Bridger is a lawyer who does work for an oil company that is a major employer in the area. Some of the work he has had to do has been questionable. When he refused to continue working for them there were threats made against his family. The head of the oil company has now allied himself with a drug cartel and Garrett must help him find a way to keep his family safe. Garrett finds help from Lacey, a girl from his past who now works for the oil company, and Sanchez, his best friend from school who is now a deputy. He has also met Ike, the owner of a bar that caters to the oil workers. Ike is also former military and is willing to pass on information overheard at the bar. When the threats escalate against the Kohl family and a kidnapping occurs it leads to a showdown that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I would like to thank NetGalley and William Morris/Custom House Publishers for providing this book for my review.