Well written and captivating story. It all starts off with Dez in his final role as a gatekeeper or so he thinks. It follows him and the story of Petra, being in the right place at the wrong time connects these two and the journey they go on together throughout the novel.

Desmond Aloysius Limerick aka Dez. Remember that name as it's destined to reside up there on the favorite book heroes shelf alongside Jack Reacher, Orphan X, Jason Bourne and a slew of other larger than life heroes. Readers are introduced to Dez when The Gatekeeper opens as Dez and his shady associates have infiltrated a mansion while on a should have been simple mission that's gone awry. Even as the situation deteriorates into a life or death situation, Dez keeps cool, calm and collected and does what he does best - controls the gate. He's a gatekeeper, controlling who comes in and who goes out using whatever devious, underhanded means necessary. Settle in, readers, as you're about to be entertained by three hundred and sixty six pages of incendiary action and just enough witty banter to keep things from melting down like a nuclear reactor.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into The Gatekeeper, but one thing's crystal clear - the driving force that keeps the wheels turning and the pages literally burning from explosive action is main character Dez. You wouldn't guess him to be such a force of nature from his less than stellar physique of five foot eight inches with bowed legs, but Dez is built like an army tank with massive arms, legs and hands with all guns loaded. He reminds me a bit of Jack Reacher in that he's a loner and extremely laid back, even nonchalant, until someone or something riles him, and then he's explosive. He takes down gangs of men with his hands cuffed behind his back, dusts off his clothes and walks away. Yes, Dez is a super hero, but one with a shadowy past. Readers aren't allow to learn much about Dez's illusive background other than he's a retired mercenary now passing his time playing music in California. Eventually, the mystery surrounding Dez becomes part of his charm as his wit shines through in the darkest of situations and as he side steps direct questions about himself. I wasn't sure how I felt about him in the beginning, but the balance Byrne is able to strike in creating this character is nothing short of ingenious. Dez is powerful, no doubt, but also witty, charming, polite, intelligent and highly skilled in an array of both above and below board professions. Dez is the type of hero you'll cheer on while pouring another cold one. He's cool, calm and collected under intense, life and death pressure and a saver of damsels in distress. Make no bones about it, Dez is the controlling and driving force - the gatekeeper - of this book.

That's not to say there's not an over the top, high action plot line driving this story forward at a breakneck speed because there is. Dez thwarts a kidnapping attempt against Petra Alexandris, then allows the woman to coax and charm him into working with her to find out who is pilfering money from the family business. The plot thickens to eventually include white supremacists, Russian takeovers, conspiracy, a volatile political climate and more fight scenes than I can count. Too much? Not when orchestrated by Dez.

Brilliantly written, I'm certain The Gatekeeper is destined to be book number one of many more featuring original character Dez. He's hard to explain, but all in all, Dez is the hero you'll remember long after you finish reading the book. He's the one you'll recall over and over again in comparison to other heroes. One thing's for sure . . . Dez is not your normal action thriller hero. He's the cool-headed driver leading the pack to the finish line of the Indy 500. The Gatekeeper is a taut, high-speed, convoluted thriller with a hero who refuses to take No for an answer. Fans of high action thrillers are going to love this one! Highly recommended!

The Gatekeeper by James Byrne 5 stars

Desmond Aloysius Limerick (“Dez”) is a name you should remember. He will join the fraternity that includes Orphan X, Mitch Rapp, Scot Harvath; an individual that is a highly trained operator, intelligent and courageous. Dez is a retired mercenary and a talented musician who is doing a gig in Southern California. He sees a situation where he ends up killing some kidnappers and rescuing the daughter of a billionaire. Petra Alexandris is the daughter of the CEO of Triton Expeditors, a major military contractor. Something is rotten in California and Petra asks Dez to take a look. Mayhem ensues, with the body count growing in the midst of a possible domestic terrorism event.

I loved this book, it was nonstop action from beginning to end. If this was a movie, I don’t know who I would cast that would embody this character. Not really handsome, but a man with charm and wit. I got a John McClain vibe while reading this. The author left Dez’s background a mystery, which leaves a lot of potential for more skills and history. I hope this is the beginning of a long running series and I can’t wait for the next book.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for this ARC.

Not bad for a freshman thriller, but could have used a good editor. Too many plot points unresolved realistically, too many repetitive descriptions. ‘Major’ characters disappearing for over half the novel. I was continually jarred out of the narrative by what I can only describe as unrealistic plot gimmicks. Again, a good editor may have taken this from what appears to be a monthly magazine serial to a coherent, cohesive novel.

This is an action packed introduction to what looks to be a very good series! The author has created a lead character in Dez Limerick who has a broad range of lethal and non-lethal skills, but retains a sense of jusice and heart. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I’m already looking forward to what’s next for Dez!

Dez is an action hero in the Jack Reacher tradition—a man with specialized skills who can’t help coming to the rescue and involving himself in a situation that had nothing to do with him. Dez is a “gatekeeper,” which required some slightly contrived explanation about Janus, god of beginnings and endings, doors, gates, etc. Basically for our purposes he’s a regular guy with huge fists, serious fighting ability, and various other skills ranging from computer hacking to fluency in Spanish. He rescues a fellow hotel guest from a kidnapping attempt, and from there becomes allied with her in her fight against a the bad guys, who basically represent the collaborative efforts of all the usual modern-day thriller-novel villains put together. It all has seeds in reality but the overall evil plan seems a little convenient. Reading this sort of thriller is more fun if you go with it and don’t concern yourself too much with plausibility. Enjoy the action and the larger-than-life characters. I’m hoping this is the start of a series featuring Dez.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur for a digital advance copy.

If you're looking for a fun, action packed, roller coaster of a read, you've found it.

Gatekeeper, the one who opens doors and keeps them open. That was the job of Desmond Aloysius Limerick (call him Dez). He's left that life behind and now makes his home in sunny California biding his time as an amateur musician, playing gigs when he feels like it, Until the night he finds himself breaking up a very professional attempt to kidnap the chief legal counsel of Triton Expediters, a large and influential military contractor. Petra Alexandris was grateful for the save, but now she needs Dez's help to discover who's embezzled billions of dollars from her company. With nothing better to do, Dez agrees, slipping back into his old role with ease. Only the doors he's opening lead to some very alarming places and put him and Petra on a crash course with rogue military operators, well-armed militia members and an egomaniacal media baron and a plot that could cause untold damage to the United States. Just another day at the office for Dez.

The action here takes off on page one, jumping from zero to sixty before the end of the first chapter. The story is a shot of pure adrenaline. Dez is clever, quick witted and truly doesn't try to be anything but who he is. His dry, sarcastic sense of humor had me laughing out loud even at the height of the action. I finished the story and immediately started over again, partly to pick up all the little details I may have missed the first time around, but mostly because I just wasn't ready to leave Dez behind. I'm hoping for more books in this series as I can't wait to adventure with Dez again.

This is a new to me author and I had high hopes for the story based on the description. For me, the most action filled part was the very beginning when we get a look at the last mission Dez was on prior to "retiring". The pace of the story after that was slow, it didn't feel very suspenseful to me, and the manner in which Dez spoke weighed the story down. And even though Petra slept with him, it didn't feel like there was any chemistry between them.

The Gatekeeper by James Byrne

9781250805768

330 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books
Release Date: June 7, 2022

Fiction, General Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Action, Adventure, Violence, Attempted Kidnapping

Desmond Aloysius Limerick, “Dez” to his friends, is a gatekeeper. There is not a door that he cannot open or defend. That is what he has been trained to do. He also plays bass guitar with a band when he is in town. Tonight, the hotel has comped him a room. He gets on the elevator with an elegantly dressed woman and her two bodyguards. He asks her if she wants a drink, but she declines. In his room, he is looking out the window, always on alert. He spies a sniper across the street and then hears loud noises coming from the room above him. When he gets to the room, he realizes it is the room of the woman from the elevator. He stops the attack, and that one action will change the course of Dez’s plans.

The book is fast paced, full of action and adventure, and the characters are well developed. The author has a great descriptive writing style which makes the reader feel a part of the book. It is written in the third person point of view. I absolutely love Dez and hope there will be more books about him in the future. If you like the Jason Borne or Orphan X series, you will like this one.

What’s it about (in a nutshell):
The Gatekeeper is a fast-paced thriller about a former mercenary, Dez, who is known as the Gatekeeper, and what happens after he decides to save a woman (in the hotel where he is staying) from would-be kidnappers.

Initial Expectations (before beginning the book):
The cover shows lots of broken glass and a man running –that totally says a thriller to me. The blurb talks about so many professional aspects that make me think this story will be a very high-powered story with so many dire consequences that will impact whole countries. This story sounds like it could be super intense, high octane, and all of the many buzz words that I often see to describe books in this genre.

Actual Reading Experience:
I was right about the story being a high-octane, fast-paced thriller but what I didn’t know was how character-driven the story would be. Dez and his desire to champion the victim and handle impossible situations with a laid-back charm and unparalleled skills is the story. The interesting thing is that none of Dez’s back story gets told, yet I felt like I knew him thoroughly. He is not your typical action hero in the physical sense, but that made him even more endearing and perfectly human.

The situation is, hopefully, far-fetched, but I didn’t really care about that because I just wanted to see the bad guys taken down and the person behind the scheme revealed. I never guessed the scope of the mystery though I did suspect the culprit. Still, the reveal is just as thrilling as the rest of the story and did not disappoint.

The story is told in third person and primarily focuses on Dez’s point of view. The writing is full of wit and cynicism. I loved every sarcastic minute of it, finding myself chuckling at the oddest times. Short chapters and the fast pace from beginning to end make this a quick read full of political thrills and creative spills.

Characters:
The only well-developed character is Dez. The rest of the characters tend to be somewhat stereotypical, but like with the plot, that didn’t bother me in the least, and I didn’t even think about it at all while I was reading. It just occurred to me when I sat down to write this review.

To Read or Not to Read:
If you are looking for a new action hero to rally behind, The Gatekeeper is just what you want.

Are you a fan of Jack Reacher? Jason Bourne? Jack Ryan? Or do you love authors such as Gregg Hurwitz, Vince Flynn, or Robert Crais? Then, grab The Gatekeeper, the debut novel by #JamesByrne and cancel your plans for the next 48 hours.

I loved Desmond Aloysius Limerick, aka Dez Limerick, our mercenary who’s as calm and witty as he is fast thinking with MacGyver-like skills. The characters in this book span the globe, from a multinational corporation that bankrolls the world’s military services to Armed White Aryan militia groups to a national media group that manipulates support for a fractured United States. These people feel like they’ve been ripped from today’s headlines!!

The high-octane plot is explosively thrilling. While the writing might be a bit simplistic, the style definitely delivers high-speed entertainment. I flew through the pages to see how Dez would save the day. I hope @jamesbyrnemystery continues Dez Limerick, The Gatekeeper, as a series. I would love to see all the doors Dez can open, keep open and control who goes through and who doesn’t.

This is a wonderful thriller with a new hero. I love Dez. He is not the typical gorgeous man that is in a thriller. Dez is a true hero that does not take credit. He is fun and he helps. I could not put this down once I started. This is full of action and many twists and turns. I received a copy of this book from Minotaur for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

The Gatekeeper by James Byrne is a witty, hilarious, cheeky thriller filled with action and smart-assery! Dez Limerick is a refreshing addition to the cast of thriller main characters. I sincerely hope that he returns for many more books. My only problem with this book is that I lost too much sleep because I couldn't put it down!

This story has a brilliant plot and wonderful characters. Dez is a sharp and intense character who is capable of many things. Petra is high powered and intelligent with a sharp wit. The story is told in first person point of view and allows the reader to get different angles of the same situations. It is action packed and a definite page turner as Dez reigns chaos on the plans of the inflators.

Desmond Aloysius Limerick is a name to remember if you are a thriller fan. His friends call him Dez and from the first page of The Gatekeeper by James Byrne he grabs your attention and takes you on an exciting ride. After the completion of a successful mission, he retires to California for the pretty girls and the music scene. After one of his performances he foils the kidnapping of Petra Alexandris, the lawyer for a company that expedites contracts all over the world. Impressed by Dez, she hires him to look into financial irregularities at the company. What he stumbles upon is a conspiracy by a group of military members working in conjunction with someone at the company that would lead to the formation of a new state. The plan has already been set in motion and the actions have drawn the attention of racists and skinheads who are arriving from across the country. It is up to Dez to scout the small town where this is taking place and find a way to stop it.

As a gatekeeper, Dez finds a way past any door and is responsible for keeping people out. One of the targets is a power plant. Dez is uniquely qualified to stop the takeover. Petra is working back at the company headquarters to discover who is involved. When she gathers the executives together she is surprised to find how extensive the betrayal is.

While Petra is tall and elegant, Dez is a total opposite. With large powerful fists and a thick squat body, he is a capable fighter. He keeps calm in the face of danger and faces opponents with a sense of humor. Byrne keeps the action moving, often at a breakneck speed. Fans of Brad Taylor’s Pike Logan or Mark Greaney’s Gray Man will look forward to seeing more of Dez in the future. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this book for my review.

Do I love Jack Reacher? - check. Do I love MacGyver? - check. Do I love Dirk Pitt? - check. Now I will add Dez Limerick to my list of favorites. To start with, we don't know much about his background beyond he's a retired ex-mercenary but that didn't bother me. It's the perfect tease to get me to read the future books in the series. May there be many, many more. Currently he is living in L.A. hanging out with various bands. (Did I mention he is super multi talented?) He flirts with a beautiful woman, Petra, while in a hotel elevator. Then it's Dez to the rescue and an adventure/thriller that is one fun ride. Sure it's often over the top - what good thriller isn't? It's often funny. Heck, I loved every minute of it and now I want to know what happens next. I'm not going to give any more details - spoilers. Bottom line this is a great reading escape.
My thanks to the publisher Minotaur and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for the ARC copy of #thegatekeeper - the opinions are my own,

This was a good, readable book with LOTS of action. Dez, the main character, remained mostly a mystery man thru the story - I'd get glimpses of his past or where he was from but not enough to really get to know him. His speech pattern sort of felt British, but not really, so that disguised him as well.

The story is a case of right time, wrong place except he was the right guy to be there and help. Then he gets totally entwined in this complex political and corporate espionage/kidnap/murder situation ala Jack Reacher. Just a guy minding his own business and then he whips out all these deadly skills and saves the day.

My main complaint is that I didn't learn enough about Dez - he's still a very shadowy figure. I get that the author may want to retain some mystery and dole out information about him slowly in succeeding books, but I'm more likely to come back for more if I know and like the main character.

3.5 stars rounded up ** reviews on Goodreads, Storygraph, Bookshelf Journeys, pinterest and Amazon when it publishes.

I'm so glad this is first in the series because I want to read ALL the things! Dez is a hoot! Not quite James Bond or Jack Reacher, but most definitely himself, a British Isles wisecracker who gets things done. Storyline of California becoming something other than what it currently is (no spoilers), is one I had with a person I met at a graduation party this past weekend! Crazy!

The writing is excellent, the story timely and the character is fun and dangerous and I can't wait to read more

The British Jack Reacher, written by an American no less, has arrived! This book, which introduces Dez Limerick, is filled with action, thrills and comedy/romance in equal measures. The novel follows the very specific trope perfected by the Brit writing an American, Lee Child. While there is nothing wholly original about the story, it becomes something else that Reacher fans can grab after they’ve exhausted The Gray Man, Orphan X and others, whose authors followed Childs’ footsteps in a “write-by-numbers” template. As an avid fan, I think Dez measures up and I cannot wait to find out what’s next!

I loved this book. Lots of action and great characters kept me reading late into the night. I finished it in one setting. This is a debut novel and I certainly hope it's a series - I will definitely be looking for more adventures with Dez. Recommended for fans of Nick Petrie, John Gilstrap, and Lee Child. Highly recommended

I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and the publisher.