Quote: “Body armor is all well and good, but if you rupture a man’s internal organs, he becomes a sausage in Kevlar casing.”

I wasn’t sure if I’d like this one as it’s not a genre I read often. I had no idea I’d devour it in 2 sittings…in less than 24 hours. I also listened to the audiobook which was good as well be I think I preferred actually reading the physical book for this one.

This was an action packed story about Dez Limerick. A man who moves from the UK to California after a career of military and intelligence work. He’s got a unique skill set and is able to get things done. He’s called the Gatekeeper for good reason.

I loved Dez’s ability to be cool, calm and collected in pretty much any situation. Even when he’s literally getting pulverized he’s always thinking of a way out and executing his plan effortlessly.

When Dez moves from the UK to California he just wants to relax, hangout with attractive women and live an uneventful life as a musician. Unfortunately, trouble finds him when he ends up helping an attractive statuesque woman survive an attack at a hotel.

There are a lot of moving parts to this book so I’m not even going to try to explain it further. Just know that this is an action packed novel that will keep you entertained from start to finish. It also has a strong female MC which was really refreshing in this novel that focuses on tough guy, Dez Limerick.

I definitely recommend this page turner!

Audiobook Review: The Gatekeeper by James Byrne
Narrated by John Keating
A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books, June 7, 2022

★★★☆☆ (3.25 Stars)
Mixed!

Audiobook narration: Tops!

The high-pitched delivery won't be among the most resonant and distinguished, but award-winning Tipperary-born, New York theatre and film actor, John Keating, simply nails this "Dez" gig, - to add to over 180 audiobooks under his belt, including books by Leon Uris, Catriona Ward, Louis L'Amour and John A Flanagan.

Better as an audiobook. Should the Limerick character have any success, John Keating's "Dez", could be as iconic as Robert Bathurst's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Scott Brick's Orphan X (among many Brick does well).

// Enter stage left: Desmond Aloysius "Dez" Limerick. //

"Dez", all of 5'8", bowlegged, with a brawler's 50" chest, is introduced as a displaced Brit in SoCal, bass guitarist in an amateur band, who doesn't seem to have much going for himself.

Sometimes called "chef" and sharp as a tack, "Dez" churns out a quip every second sentence, with wise-guy repartees delivered via a vibrant high-pitched, working-class British /Irish accent no one can quite place, clownish to the brink, and after a few iterations, a tad tiresome.

He calls himself a "gatekeeper", a bouncer of sorts, definitely an upgrade but not conceivably very far from the muscle one would see prominently visible at the door of a popular night club, except this gatekeeper is multilingual, can lockpick like a hoodlum, is familiar with firearms, and can bare-knuckle and manhandle five, six guys, no problem, one would begin to suspect he's got some kind of MI-6 or SAS or foreign legion background (key info which never breaks the surface in the book).

All well and good, except...

// "The Gatekeeper" //

Russia, Russia, Russia!

"Anonymous", that prolific scribe through the ages, returns this time as a pseudonym for an American Pacific Northwest political pundit, and pens an ultra-cliched, far-left slamfest, over the top and cringeworthy, even for this Bill Clinton D.

In the process, "Anonymous" absolutely ruins the debut of his own creation, a potentially high-octane "Jack Reacher"-calibre protagonist called "Dez".

-----

A foreign power, who'd "intervened" in the "rigged" US 2016 presidential election conspires with a deep state Greco-American multinational investment /banking /military contractor conglomerate, along with the usual boondoggle of "white supremacists" and other stereotypes not in lockstep with the narrative, with everything but the kitchen sink thrown in.

And the only one standing in the cabal's way is none other than the one and only "Gatekeeper".

Banal, trite, farfetched, caricatured characters (soulless pistols and rifles without parents, spouses or children), amusing in parts with some unpredictable twists.

It was a quite a chore to finish this book.

Review based on an advanced listening copy courtesy of Macmillan Audio and Minotaur Books, and NetGalley.

This my first time reading anything by James Byrne and The Gatekeeper was right up my alley. I love books that combine espionage, thrillers, spies and action. I am so glad I found this book. I am hoping this book takes off and becomes a series, because I would definitely read it.

The Gatekeeper is about a man, Desmond Aloysius Limmerick (also known as Dez), who has a knack for opening "doors" for those in the political, government, dark ops world. We find him in California after retiring from the espionage world. He always thought about living his retirement days in the hot, sunny beaches amongst beautiful women on the West Coast. Besides having skills in opening doors, Dez is a musician that can play guitar and piano. While staying in California he has been taking on gigs to play guitar with a local band. At the end of one of his gigs, he returns to his room. On the elevator up he meets Petra Alexandris, who he thinks is beautiful, and her armed guards. He asks her out for drinks, but she politely turns him down. Dez goes to his room to settle down and notices the glint of a sniper scope on the roof and so the roller coaster ride begins.

Dez saves Petra's life and prevents her kidnapping. We find out that she has kidnapping insurance because this was not the first attempt on her life. Dez learns that Petra is the daughter of a rich businessman who own Triton Companies. As the story unfolds, we learn that the kidnapping was just the start of problems for Triton. Petra learned about a scheme to embezzle money for the organization. Petra hires Dez to investigate the problems at her father's company as well as her kidnapping. Dez not only stumbles onto who wanted to kidnap Petra, but why they wanted to do it. His investigation leads to more troubling conspiracies with Russians, politics, military and government control.

I always like to give the pros and cons of a book, because no matter how perfect a book may be there are always good and bad things about them.

This book kept me on my toes. I liked the fast pace of the book and the technology aspects of it. There are a few hackers, and computer science terminology, which made me smile since I am a techie. I really enjoyed the spy, espionage background of the book. I am always intrigued by a good spy story; it always has me questioning can that really happen. What really made me happy was the character Dez. He is the gem of this book. His wit and charm made this book so enjoyable. I liked his demeanor as an Irish, English, Scottish man. And how he consistently failed at mastering the US English dialect but can open any door he is assigned. I think The Gatekeeper is a different but relatable and similar genre type book to the Orphan X Series by Gregg Hurwitz. There were so many parts where I started chuckling and giggling from the humor in this book.

Now what may be a turn off for some made me enjoy the book. There will be parts of this book that are very unrealistic. But that is what made the book endearing to me. Dez never loses, he can beat up anyone no matter how broken down or beat up he is. He can kill a person with his large bear like hands and he can solve any problem. I guess the only criticism I can think of is, because this book kept me on the edge so often and I hated putting the book down, there were a few parts where I wanted the excitement to be ramped up to Defcon 11 and it was only Defcon 6.

I would most definitely recommend this book. I want to read the next book in the series, so I am hoping there is more. It is similar to the Orphan X series but do not go into reading The Gatekeeper thinking you will get the same thing. James Byrne is different but still excellent caliber compared to Gregg Hurwitz. You will have an excellent mental ride after reading this book. It will have you begging for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was such a wild and fun ride!

The plot of The Gatekeeper may sound a bit implausible until you start thinking about the climate we currently live in and realize white nationalists trying to start their own separate country really isn't so implausible.

Aside from the plot, this book really gets its stars from the main character Dez - Descriptively speaking, he's an unlikely action hero (5ft 8, far from gorgeous and not an expert in the art of sexual pleasure) and seems like the opposite of the suave handsome lady's man, James Bond. However, what Dez lacks in elegance he makes up for in sheer brut force skills and observational prowness. Thankfully Dez's former career as a "Gatekeeper" seems to have given him sufficient skills to take on a group of kidnappers, military trained white nationalists as well as other assorted baddies.

This audiobook really is the best way to experience The Gatekeeper as Dez's full on charm and affability (that is when he is not breaking the bones of bad guys) really comes through with the help of the wonderful narration. He has to my untrained ears a very lowbrow English accent that is perfect for his character. Unlike most action heroes, Dez is someone you can see yourself having a beer with and thwarting an international terrorist plot.

There is plenty of action, intrigue and a Dez's one liners to keep listeners entertained from beginning to the end of this book.

I'm excited to see what other adventures Dez gets into in the next installment of this series.

Thank you MacMillan Audio for my advance listening copy.

I loved Dez from the very first word about him and that love only grew as the plot progressed and he continued to be the coolest cat in any situation. Dez is a gatekeeper. He opens and closes doors with skills that have taken him around the world. But now Dez feels like taking a break, so he heads to California to play in a little band and travel around the Golden State as he takes in the sights.
He's just finishing a particular gig when he ends up saving a beautiful, rich woman from being kidnapped simply because she was nice to him when he shot down his offer of a drink. Dez meeting Petra begins a snowball-rolling-downhill set of events that take all of Dez's skills to unravel and save the day, which he, of course, does with great aplomb and charm.
So much happens in this book. It's a twisted maze of events that build upon each other to keep raising the stakes without ever feeling convoluted or unnecessary. It's also a bit worrisome that I totally believe that everything Byrne sets as part of the elements for the big, bad plan that Dez foils could be something that happens in real life. I can't decide if it's just Byrne truly understanding the zeitgeist of our times or a prophetic warning to watch out for, I just hope that there are guys like Dez around to make everyone involved look like idiots.
The narration by John Keating carries the amazing story by Byrne to a whole new level by giving Dez a very unique accent that adds even more personality to an already memorable character. He really does bring Dez to life and the characters around him to such life that you feel like you're in the room as things happen.
Overall, it's a fantastic thriller that has high stakes without resorting to over-the-top violence or melodrama.

Extremely happy thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the exciting early read!

This mystery/thriller debut—unfortunately and plausibly pulling from the current sociopolitical climate and events in the US—is more engaging (and better-written) than the publisher's summary suggests. Main character Dez might be characterized as a British Jack Reacher, except that Dez is more personable and often uses humor to diffuse or enhance a situation . . . or at least to entertain himself (and the reader). If you're a fellow fan of Lee Child's Reacher series, I'd guess you'll like this book.
The book is action-packed and fast-paced. There are new and old relationships that come into play for Dez and other characters, which makes things more interesting. There are numerous characters representing women and people of color in powerful positions, which is more refreshing than it should be. There's a fair amount of teamwork involved, even though Dez is star of the show.

There is explicit and graphic violence, blood, and gore at a level common to contemporary thrillers. It's gross while it's happening, but it doesn't comprise the bulk of the book.

I hope that Byrne continues writing. I would read another novel from him.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the audio ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review. Publication is expected June 7.

3.66 stars

The Gate-keeper is a fascinating mystery thriller with exciting changes occurring with each page. Byrne does a great job of character development for all characters; those loyal to Triton Expeditors and those trying to make it an evil and controlling corporation. I loved the ultimate mission of the conspirators, to create a 51st State of the United States. Dez’s personality fit so well with numerous subversive groups, both his knowledge and background of each group plus his verbal skills, making all feel he was one of them. The author did a great job of highlighting the causes for concern in American today, crime and drugs, illegals, abortion, the unchurched and the disappearance of the male role model. They made the story more real. Great book and I look forward to reading Byrnes’ next book.

I really enjoyed this book. The protagonist reminds me of Jack Reacher, but Des has a quirky sense of humor which I quite like.

The book moves along fast. It does stretch my suspension of disbelief a bit. Des is a bit of a superman who is an amazing soldier but also a decent hacker. It was still an enjoyable listen.

The ending felt a little rushed and wasn't entirely satisfactory. I don't regret listening to this book and will try the next books in this series as well and follow this author.

Unfortunately, I was unable to bring myself to finish this book. I was hopeful to enjoy it, but the sentences were simplistic which resulted in the story being choppy in the audiobook. The narrator was very good, but I had to DNF.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook. All reviews are my own honest opinions and thoughts.

At the start of this book I thought I would end up not enjoying it because the writing style reminded me of R.R. Haywood in A Town Called Discovery. It felt like I was in a pitch meeting instead of reading a book so it does cost it a star for that but once the story got going it was exceptional. Dez is a fantastic character that I hope will continue in future books. It reminded me a lot of the Jack Reacher series in that its a wandering hero who steps in to stop a large group of bad guys. Dez is a mix of Jason Statham's character from the fast and the furious movies and Jack Reacher. If you like the Lee Child books you should like this this. Think of him as the British Jack Reacher.

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I cant quite give this five stars just because of a few quirks in the writing style and a fairly large continuity error late in the book. I could have missed something but I do not think so and the continuity error is a big one. Other than that if you want to enjoy an ass kicking character taking on a large group of bad guys this book is going to be right up your alley.

#netgalley
#thriller

The audiobook edition of The Gatekeeper by James Byrne might be the best audio performance I've ever heard. The narrator, John Keating, brings the character of Dez to life.

"Desmond Aloysius Limerick (Dez to his friends) thwarts an attempted kidnapping of Petra Alexandris. She is Chief Legal Counsel of Triton Expeditors, a major military contractor. She asks Dez to help her find some money missing from her company - $ 1.5 Billion. Dez is a Gatekeeper - he opens doors and keeps them open - and he's in between jobs now so he agrees to help. He finds a massive conspiracy threatening the US and becomes the only one standing between them and success."

Great character from Byrne. Dez is not a superman - there's a couple of times where he takes some licks. But he seems like a fun guy. And with Byrne's descriptions and Keating narration you can see him easily.

The story is suspense/thriller/humor. There's a big conspiracy that's easy to believe. But Dez is right there in the middle of it. (And his "perfect American accent" is hilarious)

This is a fast-paced narrative - you'll want to keep reading or listening. Fantastic audio performance from Keating. Add this to your summer beach reading list

The Gate-Keeper, by James Byrne, is an action-packed, wild ride of a thriller! It’s definitely a page-turner and requires a suspension of disbelief, but will keep you turning the pages.

The main character, Dez Limerick, is a Scotch-Irish, larger-than-life, man-of-all-trades. He is a part-time musician who used to be a mercenary, though we get little of his backstory. He was known as the “Gate-Keeper” in his past life, someone who could open any door and keep it open. His skills are wide and comprehensive. He is humorous, clever, cunning and charming. He is a fun, if not wholly believable, action hero. This thriller starts with a kidnapping of Alexandris, the chief legal council of Triton Expeditors, a military contractor, and escalates to so much more. Dez is recruited to step in, uncover the reasons and plan behind the attack, and bring justice, aka, save the day!

The Gate-Keeper is a little bit all over the place and definitely on the unrealistic side, but if you enjoy James Bond-style action packed-thrillers, then you will have a lot of fun with this one. The audio version of this book is narrated by John Keating. His accent adds authenticity to the story and his voice nicely embodies the character of Dez.

Excellent book! Good characters that are easy to root for. Fast paced and tons of action. I loved the narrator and his accent. It made the book come to life! I highly recommend this audio book. I listened in my car and found myself sitting in my driveway waiting for a chapter to finish before I got out of my car.

I enjoyed this one from beginning to end! It was face paced and intriguing. Dez is a former mercenary who has settled in Southern California to play guitar and after a gig he is in his hotel room when he notices 3 obvious operatives entering the building. Since he cannot just sit idly by he engages them and takes them out in splendid fashion and meets their intended target who just happened to be the woman he had noticed in the club that evening, Petra Alexandris, Chief legal counsel of Triton Expeditors, a major military contractor. Not only that, she is the daughter of the CEO. This is just the beginning of the story of potential treason, corruption, murder, kidnapping, and a host of other felonies that would boggle the mind. I had a hard time putting this one down and when I could not find my ear buds was listening to it doing yardwork through my phone speakers so the neighbors were listening too. (all good) This one gets a recommendation from me!

Name of Book: The Gatekeeper
Author: James Byrne
Audiobook Narrator; John Keating
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Macmillan Audio Pub Date: June 7, 2022
My Rating: 2.3 Stars!

Story features Scott-Irish Desmond “Dez” Aloysius Limerick a retired mercenary and a bit of a musician living in Southern California.
Story is action packed and since I live in Orange Count in Southern California and the story takes place in Orange County, I thought this would be fun but it just didn’t work for me. However, I know there are other readers who will totally enjoy this!

Want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio a division of St. Martin’s Press for this audio eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for my honest professional opinion.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 7, 2022.

I loved this book. The narrator is fantastic. He voices the MC Dez perfectly.

Dez is my new favorite self proclaimed Jack-of-all-trades. He’s retired from mercenary life to Southern California. He’s retired at the top of his game & is staying at a posh hotel occasionally playing with the house band.

Dez is a bit cocky but you get the feeling that it’s well-earned as he’s seen & done it all.

Dez meets his match in Petra, the beautiful, clever daughter of a powerful Military contractor CEO. He knows she’s out of his league but he asks her out anyway. She of course, politely declined.

Petra is well guarded but a surprise attack by a team of mercenaries tasked with kidnapping her overwhelms all but Dez whose cool & nonchalant demeanor will have you cheering him on.

There’s humor, action, mystery, thriller. with a twist & a great ending.

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Audio, I need more Dez in my life.