I thank the author, St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review volume II in the Dez Limerick series.

In my review for “The Gatekeeper” I said I was eagerly awaiting his new adventures, and they have been all I could have wanted! The romp continues, with more colorful friends and more dastardly villains lurking behind the scenes to threaten our world order. In Dez’ world, the forces of right can dependably prevail over the arrogant criminals preying on the weak.

That Dez is a pip! I don’t want to spoil any of his further MacGyver-esque tactics, just suffice it to say that he’s worth 20 of his adversaries. He can take a major hit and keep on ticking—with a smile and a quip once he shakes off the blow. In the first volume, my favorite tactic involved dish soap. In this story, what that guy does with creative explosives and self-driving golf carts—well, it blows my mind.

I do think the author expanded his circle of friends to fluff up his human side and demonstrate his empathy and ethics, which is just fine. But we’re here for the action and the creativity, not the warm and fuzzies.

Keep ‘em coming, Mr. Byrne, thanks for the adventures!

Not even going to think about rounding up this time. This is a solid 5 stars.

Deadlock (Gatekeeper - Book 2) by James Byrne

368 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books
Release Date: August 8, 2023

Fiction (Adult), General Fiction (Adult), Mystery, Thriller, Computing, Action, Adventure, Government Agencies

Desmond Aloysius Limerick, Dez to his friends, is back! He is a Gatekeeper. That means he can open any door, keep it open and/or close it when necessary. The book begins with an operation from the past that goes wrong. When the last man on the mission does not come out, Dez closes the door when the time runs out. Arabella Satti does not like that at all. He has made her look like a fool. Because of how that mission was handled, she has not received a leadership role.

Dez receives a telephone call from Raiziah, the vocalist in the band he sometimes plays guitar with. She asks for his help after her sister is attacked in Oregon. He jumps on a plane and is there. What he finds concerns him. A man conducting a financial audit on a firm is killed and Dez sees a connection to the attack on Laleh. What he doesn’t realize at the time is that this is only the tip of the iceberg.

The book has a fast pace, the characters are well developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. I was able to listen to the audiobook for the first book in the series, Gatekeeper, which helped me really get a feel for Dez. I can picture him as if he is standing in front of me. He is one of my absolute favorite fictional characters. I hope that I am ever in trouble that Dez comes and helps me. If you like action books, like Jason Bourne, except with a quirky Englishman, you will love this book.

Deadlock is the second book in the Gatekeeper series and is probably best read in order. I forgot how much I could love a character until Gatekeeper, Desmond Aloysius Limerick “Des” strolled through the pages of a book. There’s not a door that Des can’t open and won’t keep open until everyone is out of a mission safely. Retired now, Des plays bass and collects friends. Raziah Swann is an awesome vocalist Des plays sets with sometimes and more importantly he considers her a friend. When she calls to ask for help because her sister is in trouble, Des is ready to rage war against a big corporation full of bad soldiers to protect the Swann sisters. Action packed, satisfyingly violent, and heart pounding thrills make this an unputdownable thriller with my new literary crush. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

I've been waiting for James Byrne to follow up "The Gatekeeper" and was very pleased with "Deadlock". Dez Limerick reaches out to help out a friend and things get complicated. As a gatekeeper, his skills are put to the test and the action makes it hard to put the book down. The characters develop really well together to a point where you can feel the closeness between them, and the hatred, at the same time. I like the realism brought into the story with the main character not being invincible. I will be anxiously waiting for a follow up to this book!

I have to say this was the best thriller I have read in a couple of years. It had a totally original hero, with quirky mannerisms and speech, who seemed like someone most people would find endearing. The bad guys were even impressed by him!
I am grateful to Goodreads and the publisher for sharing this with me. I will be going straight to buy the book that started this series and will also be sharing this with my book club friends.
I found not one error in editing or grammar, just pure enjoyment and a fast read. Honestly will buy anything Mr. Byrne writes!

Whoa! Talk about action packed?! Geez this one definitely got the heart pumping!! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, action packed, murder, mystery, huge gun, knife, you name it fights, a few crazy twists and turns and one bad as dude! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!