Having paid his debt to the CIA by running a number of dangerous errands for them, including chasing down a rogue spy on the run, former DEA special agent Garrett Kohl returns home to Texas, excited to live a quiet and normal life.
Only things don’t go according to plan.
Fatherhood, his relationship with the woman he’s been in love with since high school, and rebuilding his home that was previously decimated by wildfires, sit atop Kohl’s list of priorities. That is until an engineer from a nearby nuclear weapons plant seeks him out, desperate for Kohl’s help. It’s eventually revealed that Iranian operatives are blackmailing workers from the weapons plant, and Kohl realizes that their intentions are to strong-arm employees into helping them sabotage things in a way that could lead to massive distraction. But why? Before Kokl can figure out their end game, he and his band of CIA misfits are caught off-guard when a train carrying nuclear weapons is hijacked. But that’s hardly the only threat they face. The United States Secretary of Defense is currently visiting Texas, and Kohl and his team have reason to believe that they’ll be targeted by a capable assassin who’s just been activated and completely unleashed. With the stakes at an all-time high and very limited options to call on for help, Garrett Kohl is forced to ally himself with anyone willing to fight on the side of Texas, which means teaming with the very people he once put behind bars.
With the clock rapidly ticking down, Kohl must question everything while finding a way to trust old enemies to be new friends in hopes of yet again saving the day before it’s too late.
Having grown up on a ranch in Texas before joining the CIA well before he was a Barry Award-nominated writer, author Taylor Moore shares more than a few things in common with his popular protagonist, Garrett Kohl, who is fast becoming one of the top new heroes the thriller genre has to offer. Tough, smart, and absolutely lethal when the situation calls for it, Kohl is like the cowboy version of Jason Bourne—ya know, if Bourne was living in Texas with his loved ones around him. The character works not only because he, in so many ways, reads like the fictional version of Moore, but because Moore has done a terrific job developing him. While it’s entirely possible for readers to pick up this book and dive into Moore’s series without having read the first two books, those who do read them all in order will benefit from seeing the character growth on display across all three titles. The setting is key too, as Moore manages to make Texas feel like its own character and a major focal point of the books in the same way that James Lee Burke has done with Louisiana or William Kent Krueger has done with Minnesota. In that sense, aside from the pure adrenaline-pumping excitement, Moore manages to educate and teach the reader a thing or two about the Cowboy State. And while his first two books are very good, there’s no question that he’s dialed things up a notch for this one.
Taylor Moore burst onto the thriller scene back in 2021 with his commanding debut, Down Range, and hasn’t slowed since. Set in the Lone Star state, Garrett Kohl is a fantastic addition to the diverse stable of heroes operating in the genre today, and Moore uses him perfectly in Ricochet—a slam-bang, can’t-miss reading adventure that reminds everyone that everything—even the action—really is bigger in Texas. Moore’s gonna be a star. . . if you aren’t already reading him, start.
Book Details
Author: Taylor Moore
Series: Garrett Kohl #3
Pages: 416 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 0062834878
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: August 29th, 2023
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, Ryan Steck has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). Steck also works full-time as a freelance editor and is building a growing community on Twitch. His debut thriller, FIELDS OF FIRE, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr says “will leave you speechless and begging for more,” is now available. His second novel, LETHAL RANGE, comes out on August 8th. For more information, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook. And to take part in free, exclusive BOOK CLUBS each month, join The Real Book Spy on Discord.