Connelly, Baldacci, beware Desmond Aloysius Limerick, Dez to his friends, has arrived. A man who opens doors, likes to play guitar, drink good Aussie beer, and of course is most rugged. Lives by the sign of Janus, with too many underestimating his abilities to their regret, a characteristic he fosters.. No government seems to know, or is willing to admit how he got so good at what he .does. Tough, unafraid of receiving or giving pain and a man willing to help someone in need.. Follow him along as he unravels an attempt by the Russians to mingle the affairs of the United States.. Expect we will be hearing more from Aloysius.

Dez has both the brains of a chess player and fighting skills that can get him out of almost any situation. Both prove necessary in this book, as the story line kicks off with rescue of Petra Alexandra in the midst of an attempted kidnapping. At a glance, the attempt at kidnapping looks logical; she is the daughter of a very rich CEO and major shareholder of a huge military contractor, as well as being legal counsel and a large shareholder in her own right. However, we find that much more is going on. White extremists, a disgruntled general, and a major far-right media figure are all involved in staged events that should lead to a takeover of a portion of the US, but behind it all is a Russian diplomat trying to weaken and sow the seeds of discord in the United States. Dez and Petra, with the help of others, gradually discover who is turning on their country and right the situation.

I loved this book. Anyone who likes action, conspiracy theories would love this book because there was lots of action and it was very creative. Dez, the hero, was unlike heroes often found in action books--he apologizes when he swears. I was not sure I was going to like his character when I was first introduced, but the more I read, the better I liked him. There are good guys, and bad guys, and it is not until the end that all of the pieces come together. And there is also a beautiful woman. I hope there is another book about Dez. And if has not already been optioned or a movie, someone has missed an opportunity. I received an arc, and was under no pressure for a positive review.

My new favorite author and series! More sharp humor and character development than anything I have read recently. I will buy anything I can find by James Byrne.

Would not load on any of my devices, to bad, i wanted to read this book. I am now on the wait list at the library

Nonstop action and intrigue. Dez and Petra are a formidable pair as they try to figure out who attempted to adduct Petra and why. The why leads them to a conspiracy involving her company that could impact not only the U.S. but also the world.

The Gatekeeper is not my usual genre, but after reading a synopsis of the book, I decided to give it a try. My instincts didn’t fail me. This is a fast-paced explosion of excitement and adventure, albeit sometimes far fetched.

Dez is a mercenary of sorts who, by happenstance, meets a beautiful woman, Petra, in an elevator and becomes entrenched in trying to save her from a kidnapping. Turns out that the kidnappers are part of a bigger plot of far-right wing racists who have plans to secede from the nation to start the 51st state.

Dez, as a gatekeeper, has more skills than every other character combined. As he begins to unfold the mystery of this plot, we are taken for a bumpy ride.

I give this book 4.5 stars. I hope this becomes a series with Dez as the main character because I could read about his adventures all day every day.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Gatekeeper was ok. A little complicated to follow in the beginning and the vernacular added to the complications. While the main character was likeable enough, he didn't capture me. My overall review would be "Meh.".

James Byrne in this novel titled “The Gatekeeper” has created both a persona as well as a role that plays well in today’s world. The persona is Desmond Aloysious Limerick better known in the story as Dez. The role of a gatekeeper is a bit harder to define but basically it is someone who both opens and closes passageways.

In Dez’s case, this job is first outlined in the Prologue where he is the controller for a snatch-and-grap operation in Algeria. He is very good at what he does. Short of stature but powerful in body, he has the physical attributes to stand strong against anyone. Add his intellectual acumen and you have one tough character.

In some ways, Dez reminds the reader of Spencer in Robert Parker’s books but in other ways he is definitely one of a kind. This particular storyline involves a beautiful woman, a powerful multinational corporation, white suprematists, and governmental corruption not to mention Russian involvement! To find out how all these disparate characters and plot lines fit together, you’ll have to read the book.

I can assure the reader that the time to read will not be wasted as there is something happening on every page. It was hard to put it down as I wanted to know what was next.

Well this is a fun little ride with Dez! Filled with with one liners and nonstop action, the book moved quite briskly once the story starts unfolding. It didn’t take long for me to get pulled in and I found it hard to put down. While the reader has to suspend their belief at times, especially at the end, it didn’t detract much for me. The book closed with a nice set up for the next book and I actually hope Petra and Dez cross paths again in the future.

Gatekeeper
John Byrne
Fiction
Nancy
5

Desmond Aloysius Limerick is an unwieldy, ill-fitting name for anyone, but for a retired mercenary who has just completed a particularly successful (albeit bloody) assignment in the Middle East it borders on ludicrous, hence the more-appropriate nickname Dez. Not only does it work for both his careers (music and killing, along with the ability to open any lock, anywhere), “Dez” almost perfectly describes its owner, who is, at 5’8,” short. Of course, anyone distracted by his stature (or his disarming smile), might overlook the fact that he is also built like a large, heavily-muscled, lightning-fast cinder block with a wide-ranging set of deadly skills. Now in California, Dez isn’t expecting to need those skills since he’s discovered that he is in the ideal place to indulge his passion for music: he’s spending his evenings playing in various groups in need of a very good bass guitarist. Dez has just finished tonight’s gig and is planning on sleeping soundly in his comped room after unwinding with a beer, a snack, and a few minutes of watching the lights of Los Angeles from his window, plans that quickly unravel when he spots the sniper on the roof across the street, sights set on the entrance to the hotel where four men dressed for what Dez knows instinctively is a mission are entering. Discovering that the phone lines are dead, Dez thinks of the tall woman with bodyguards he had seen earlier in the lobby and realizes that of all the guests in the hotel she is the most likely target.

What a fantastic, riveting, entertaining book! This may be Byrne’s first novel, but I’m hoping it’s only the beginning of what will be many more. This is my top choice for anyone looking for an unputdownable read!

My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the chance to read a pre-publication copy of Gatekeeper.

Find more of my reviews on Facebook at NancysBookNook.

Having never read this author before I was impressed with the way he keeps you on your toes and trying to figure what's coming next. There's plenty of suspense and drams along the way.

Over the top fun!

3.5 stars

The Gatekeeper is an action-packed thriller about a former mercenary who can open doors, literally and figuratively, that are closed to others.

The plot is far-fetched and convoluted. I am not even going to bother to attempt to summarize.

What this book has going for it is the main character, Dez Limerick. Dez is a great deal of fun, quick-witted, intelligent, and charming. He can also kill someone with his bare hands in seconds. He is intriguing, and I wanted to know more about him, as little information about his backstory is shared.

I downloaded a widget of this book due to its comparison to The Orphan X series. The two series have some commonalities, but the difference is that The Orphan X series and Evan Smoake are more restrained.

This is a fast-paced, easy read with non-stop action. The plot is chaotic and goes off the rails, which forced me to turn off my brain, or I wouldn’t have been able to finish it. However, Dez’s character kept me turning the pages, and I will read the next book with the hopes of gaining more insight into his past.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Very good start to an obvious series -humour, action and one liners...looking forward to the next installment

I'm in the significant minority here but I just could not get into this one... The overly folksy tone of the eponymous lead character felt forced, as did his "quirks" like the band and banter. The characters weren't as fully developed and round as I wanted them to be - and neither was the action, and in this type of book that's the double-barreled kiss of death in my mind. This one wasn't for me...

I enjoyed this fast-paced, action-packed debut fictional thriller that is sure to become a series for this author and the main character, Desmond Aloysius Limerick (Dez). We don't learn very much about Dez's background other than he is a retired mercenary who grew up in Ireland, Scotland, and England. He is short, bow-legged, loves a great beer, is good at fighting many aggressors at once, and is an expert at getting into and out of doors, gates, passages, and many sticky situations.

I think that many readers will love this resourceful hero who puts himself in the path of repeated violent confrontations with the enemy; putting his own life in danger while protecting and saving the weak, the underdog, the damsel in distress, and even the U.S.A. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Jason Bourne, Jack Reacher, Mitch Rapp and/or Jack Ryan.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review a digital ARC of this book. Publication date: June 7, 2022.

The Gatekeeper is a fast moving, never stopping romp through an insurrection plot that kept me turning the pages til I was done! Dez Limerick starts is week by saving Petra, the daughter of a military contractor tycoon, and that's before breakfast. Before he knows it he's up to his eyeballs in a plan to create a breakaway state; said plan includes rogue elements of the military, white supremacists, and all kinds of other shady characters. One surprise after another is thrown at us while Petra and Dez work to save the world (ok, maybe just the state) as we know it.

Dez is an engaging, surprising, super fun character. It's unclear just where he's from, which is part of the fun, as is the way he speaks. I wanted to meet him, but oh yes, he's not real.

This book is a great read for anyone, but especially those who are fans of Gregg Hurwitz's Nowhere Man. What a great book! It's a fast, fun, easy, engaging, surprising read.

The Gatekeeper is Dez - in theory Desmond Aloysius Limerick - whose job is to open doors and keep them open (or closed to others) for an unnamed group. He decides to retire to California - he's British(ish) - where it isn't quite as fabulous as he'd thought. But he has a gig playing bass in a band and has been put up in a swanky hotel for the evening. Then he spots bad guys.

The good - Dez. He is awesome. He is irreverent, quirky, and hilarious. He has skills and knows how to use them (though he's dangerously close to being a Mary Sue), but he also knows he isn't the smartest person in the room. He goes out on a limb for strangers because it's the right thing to do.

The not-so-good - the plot. Not completely bad, but a lot of suspension of disbelief is involved here. The author takes every agenda item/hot button topic and throws them in a blender. Russians. White Supremacists. Conservative news media. Hackers. Political interference. And more.

Overall, Dez carries the book. He's a great character who could use a better plot. This reads like the first of a series so I expect to see Dez again one day.

Not family friendly due to language and violence.

Thank you to the publisher for an e-ARC of this title.

An introduction to Desmond Aloysius Limerick, otherwise known as Dez, this book does a great job laying the foundation for a new series that will hold its own alongside the likes of the Jack Reacher, Scott Harvath, James Reece, and Orphan X books. I though this was a great addition to the genre, and will be looking for others in this series to come.

I enjoyed this book. The main character Desi is excellent. All the characters are great. The story is very interesting. It’s a fast read, I didn’t want to stop at I started it. #TheGatekeeper #NetGalley