James Byrne introduces Dez who is helping Alexandria. Someone has embezzled more than a billion dollars from her company.

This novel was action packed. Couldn’t put it down. There were plot twists and turns. Good, strong characters.

Fast paced from the very start, and had me on the edge of my set though out the entire book. As well as non stop action .

Fast paced suspense book that also offers character development. Recommend for fans of Lee Child, Gregg Hurwitz and Jack Carr.

He is fearless, funny, bold, brave, incorrigible, and incongruous. He comes from everywhere in general and nowhere in particular. He has an accent that is not recognized as being from anywhere in particular and a manner that is cute and irresistible. When he is caught in a situation that demands action, he gets involved and eventually saves a woman, Petra, from being kidnapped. Little did he realize he had just entered a complicated and well-organized plot to dismantle the United States.

I loved everything about this story, the characters, the plot, the witty way Dez handles the situation at hand and his devious plans to find a solutions for every situation. James Byrne has created an endearing character in Desmond Aloysius Limerick.

Out of all the books I've read recently, this story definitely stands out as one of my favorites! It has a unique blend of action, adventure, and suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. The protagonist, Desmond Aloysius Limerick, is a character that is hard not to fall in love with. He's fearless, funny, bold, brave, incorrigible, and incongruous. He has a unique accent and manner that makes him irresistible.

I found the way he saved Petra from being kidnapped to be heroic and daring, especially considering the complicated and well-organized plot to dismantle the United States that he got caught up in. I was constantly amazed by the way he handled the situations he was in and how he came up with devious plans to find solutions for every problem.

The characters and plot are both very engaging and well-written. I loved the witty way Dez handled the situation at hand, his devious plans, and the plot twists that kept me guessing until the very end. The author, James Byrne, has created a truly endearing character in Desmond Aloysius Limerick, and I'm eagerly looking forward to reading the sequel!

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves action-packed stories with well-developed characters and an intriguing plot. It's a book that I'll be thinking about for a long time to come, and I'm sure it will stay with me for years to come.

I don’t know how to write this review. I managed to get through this story but I didn’t find it enjoyable. I think it’s just me and I definitely don’t want you to use my review to make your decision to read this story.

I feel like I’ve read this before or it was just copying from other similar books. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

This book was action packed! A foiled kidnapping attempt lands Dez & Petra in a plot among military, Russians, & racists as they try and find out who embezzled 1.3 billion dollars from Triton Expediters. There are quite a few twists and surprises as the plot develops and James Byrne spun quite the tale! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Introducing a new character, the series will surely be loved by many people who love this type of book! Well written and very fun!!

I somehow expected a totally different plot, and yet thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced thriller. Dez (the Gatekeeper) is tough and competent and his direct approach to confrontations was well done. But my favorite part of his character was his ability to anticipate actions.

The plot was good and unfortunately all too plausible. I hope there are more books in this series!

Not a huge fan. Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to review. I kept putting this one off and decided to wade in to get it cleared from my dashboard. The first half of the story is somewhat enjoyable with some good action sequences. The author never really describes Dez Limerick’s background. I thought some of the one liners were good, therefore the two star rating instead of one.

I am always pleased to be introduced to a new author and a new character. In Dez Limerick (what a name, right? LOL), we have a bit of a mystery man who definitely has a past walking on the the dark side but gives all that up to be a bass player in a LA - based hotel band?? Really??

But when Dez hits on a smartly dressed, beautiful woman on an elevator and then less than an hour later prevents her kidnapping, that's when things heat up, Toss in a billion dollars disappearing and an insurrectionist type plot and it makes for an entertaining story, even if it is a bit far fetched.

I'm looking forward to reading more about Dez. I enjoyed this book!

If you are looking for a fast-paced read that has vibes of Die Hard crossed with Tom Clancy, The Gatekeeper will do the trick. Dez Limerick is a mercenary spending time in California playing guitar in a band when he crosses paths with Petra Alexandris. After he foils her kidnapping and ends up with a gun to the back of his head, Dez starts snooping around and riling things up. These actions and information Petra obtains lead to a conspiracy involving Triton Expeditors, right-wing conspiracy nuts, and foreign nationals. Dez has fun closing and opening doors along the way. A fun page-turning read!

I sadly couldn't finish this one. I lasted maybe three chapters before realizing this isn't for me. I'd recommend to anyone who likes third person action books with conspiracies and espionage. Sadly I just couldn't continue in my current reading mood.

The Gatekeeper starts of strong and I found myself interested in the plot, but as the pages progressed, I found my interest waning. The plot is convoluted and the characters aren't particularly likable or relatable. I love a good mystery/thriller, but this was just not it for me. I rarely DNF a book, but I had to put this one day. I will likely try and pick it up again, because I think every book deserves a fair chance. I am at about 75% though and it just wasn't for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the gifted copy!

The Gatekeeper by James Bryan wants us to know that a Gatekeeper is beginnings and gates; transitions and gates; duality and doors; passages and endings.. The Gatekeeper is Devlin Limerick! He might be a Brit or a Scot or from Ireland or from Wales; he's lived in each for a time. He's served in Afghanistan and a few other sandboxes. He plays a very good guitar and with the size of fists, throws a mean right, or left! At a fine downtown LA hotel, he senses something is amiss. He's right. He interrupts an apparent kidnapping, saving Petra Alexandris, a billionaire's brilliant daughter. From there, begins an intense thrill ride of the best I've read this year! Humor glib, blatant, understated, and so so clever. Speaking of clever, James Bryne is that, he weaves this tale to perfection! Edge of your seat? Yup! Corruption, intrigue, murder, corporate theft, white racists, International monetary schemes, and more, much more!
I highly recommend this outstanding global thriller!!! Read it, you'll thank me!

I liked the characters and the story and the end, well done, engaging and interesting. It captures a lot about how ambivalent we can be even as we seem to e operating responsibly. Being older myself and having adult kids, I really felt the dynamics between son and family was real. While I though the author captured the dilemma children and parents sometimes find themselves in, I do wish there were some solutions. Looking forward to the next book.

Wow - I’ve had two 5 ⭐️ reads in a single month! This book was on my TBR forever - so glad I finally picked it up!

Even the prologue was super intriguing. And the action started there and never slowed down. Dez was surrounded with international mystery and kept to a code all his own. After lots of twists and surprises, the thriller kept me guessing until the very end.

I highly recommend this book and will be looking for more by James Bryne!

I just finished The Gatekeeper. I was hooked on the first page! The main character, Dez, is a quirky bad-ass who is irresistibly loveable. The plot is historical yet truly original. I can't wait to see what James Byrne writes next.

I loved the plot. Cheeky Brit (street fighter and perhaps military special training in some former life) endeavors to foil an international scheme to take over the USA. The bad guys are mustering the right wingers in California. There are lots of lies, deception, violence, dead guys, and ingenious tricks to get around security and mucho IT hackery. Oh Hollywood, this would make a great action flick. My thanks to the author and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book.

The Gatekeeper by James Byrne was a WOW, WOW and even more WOW! What a great rollercoaster of a ride! Hold on to your seat and be ready to go on a journey. The new main superdude is Dez, Desmond Aloysius Limerick. He is the most unlikely of heroes, a retired mercenary with a pension to be a gatekeeper.

After an interesting introduction to Dez’s past, we are dropped into the present when Dez meets Petra Alexandris, Chief legal counsel of Triton Expeditors, a major military contractor. How they meet - well you’ll need to enjoy that scene yourself. Needless to say, a trust relationship is formed and Dez agrees to help Petra figure out where some missing billion dollars might have disappeared. An unusual pairing that seems just right.

The novel has some interesting characters and a very relevant storyline about the Russians interfering with the elections in the US among other subjects. I chose this book on a whim and although it is not my usual genre - I LOVED IT. Dez and Petra kick but and take names. The best part is that this is the first novel in a series (or at least planned that way). I am so looking forward to reading more from James Byrne. (I understand the name is a pseudonym.)

A word of warning… you do need to let go of somethings - knowing that a book that is labeled fiction will have some leeway with incidents that happen. I found I didn’t care and JUST wanted to move on to the main points.

The Gatekeeper by James Byrne is a Great Read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review