In the American West, circa 1888, readers can visit with Sheriff Aaron Mackey, hero of Terrence McCauley’s Dark Territory. Following events depicted in 2018’s Where the Bullets Fly, Mackey and his trusted deputy, Billy Sunday, are doing their best to keep the developing frontier boomtown of Dover Station, Montana, peaceable and crime-free. Their efforts are frustrated by bad actors inhabiting the makeshift town within the town, known as Tent City, a series of train robberies in the region, and the machinations of a power-hungry businessman. Up against a no-win scenario, former Army Captain Mackey soldiers on, to the best of his considerable ability.

Dark Territory has much to offer. Well written, it is at once a first-rate Western, expertly exploiting all the genre’s tropes and traditions, and a political thriller, as Mackey needs to rely on his acumen as much as his brawn and shooting skills. Well paced, its quieter moments are as compelling as its outstanding action set pieces. McCauley has definitely piqued my interest—I’m going to seek out previous works, as well as follow him in the future.