A big thanks to NetGalley for the pleasure of reading this advance copy of Deadlock, a solid 4.5 for me, rounded up. This book goes from 0 to 60 on page one and never lets up. The action, coupled with the personality and humor of Dez makes this book fly. Dez proves once again that he has the wits to outsmart a worthy opponent as he tries to unravel a what is happening in a well-established high tech company that is being used for highly illicit endeavors in foreign governments. Deadlock is a fast-paced thriller of a book and a terrific follow up to The Gatekeeper. Dez is a formidable character and has the makings of a long run. I sure hope so.

Soon after the events of The Gatekeeper, Dez Limerick is dragged back into a large conspiracy that will put the lives of him and his friends in danger. Raziah Swann calls Dez after her sister Jaleh, a journalist, ends up in the hospital. Jaleh has been investigating the death of an auditor, and there are powerful forces that would like to keep their identity secret, all tying back to a new powerful tech company called Clockjack. When Dez has to defend the Swann sisters from an attack at the hospital, he decides to track down the secrets of Clockjack. Dez discovers the conspiracy connects to many federal agencies and wealth and he placed a new target on his back. But Dez's background as a gatekeeper means he may be the only man who can keep the Swann sisters safe.

I enjoyed The Gatekeeper, and this follow-up was another fun complex action thriller. Dez Limerick is the key to this series, with an intelligence and wit that makes the story so much fun to read. Its easy to love Dez and the unique characters he surrounds himself with. James Byrne balances the humor of Dez with the thrilling aspects of the events he gets wrapped up in, which makes the book easy and exciting to read. The conspiracy of the book can get overly complex at times, though Byrne has again picked a very unique threat in Clockjack and the secrets of its workers for Dez to take down. Byrne keeps the book entertaining by trapping Dez in so many set pieces that he has to work his way out of. The climax was very satisfying and pulled together the various characters, leaving the door open for a hopefully very exciting sequel.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a copy of Deadlock in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. I did not read the first book and did feel in a few places that it might have helped with Dez's back story to have done so. That said, this stands pretty well as a stand alone and was fast paced and interesting read.

Date is for the review, not the reading.

I seriously lament my lack of writing skills since reading Jack Byrne’s Deadlock as I don’t have the words to give this sequel to The Gatekeeper justice. A sophisticated plot and a fun read with the best problem solver ever in Dez Limerick. Answering a call to help a friend’s sister, Dez bounces around the world in this combination international thriller and detective mystery. The dialog is witty and funny, lots of action and I want to read more Dez Limerick adventures. Don’t miss this book.

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

My thanks to Net Galley and St Martin s for allowing me to read this arc. Unfortunately I did not finish. I couldn't connect with so much going on and all the tech stuff. Not what expected. Difficult to.focus.

great follow up to the previous thriller! I couldn't put it down.

thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the copy for review.

Dez is back in a fun follow-up to The Gatekeeper. It isn't necessary to read that book to understand this one, though a character from book one does appear. Dez, full name (assuming it's real) Desmond Aloysius Limerick, is a wise-cracking, easy going man who is built like a tank and works as a gatekeeper - someone who opens doors and keeps them open until they need to be shut.

Dez is a delight, hilarious and loyal and brave and smart. You may to do some handwaving on the plot (not as much as last time, and who knows, maybe what the author has dreamed up here is possible). But it's a rollicking ride as Dez tries to help a friend and uncovers something unexpected.

Overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to readers of action thrillers.

Not family friendly due to profanity and violence.

An action-packed chess match between grandmasters of death, Deadlock is one of the most entertaining novels you will read this year. It’s intense, cerebral, and quite hilarious. In fact, Deadlock gets my vote for the cheekiest thriller of 2023. James Byrne bowled me over with this smashing tale.

Dez Limerick heads to Portland at the request of his mate Raziah, whose journalist sister was just hospitalized after being attacked. While protecting the sisters, he gets sideways with the security muscle of Oregon’s largest tech corporation, Clockjack. Turns out there’s much more happening at Clockjack than their stated mission of improving the world through technology. Dez inserts himself into the mix to do what he does best – namely open doors and keep them open by any means necessary – and finds a sinister group of mercenaries led by a brilliant psychopath hellbent on achieving massive amounts of power and money. Outnumbered and with danger around every corner, Dez will have to use every ounce of his superior skillset to keep his friends safe and take down the evildoers before they can enact their master plan.

There’s no overstating the high level of entertainment that Deadlock provides. It starts with Dez, a smart, capable and irreverent protagonist who you can’t help but fall in love with. Whether it’s his wisecracks in the face of harrowing situations, his protective nature and strong sense of doing what’s right, or his ability to fell large humans just by chucking a small metal marble at their heads, Dez worms his way into your heart and you can’t help but root hard for him to be successful in all his numerous pursuits.

Beyond the humor – of which there are many laughs to be had – the action sequences are expertly crafted, the characters are perfectly developed, the dialogue is snappy, and the story is fresh and timely. It starts off hot and constantly escalates, blending brute force violence with intellectual gamesmanship and cunning tradecraft, with several curveballs to keep you on your toes. It’s simply a fantastic reading experience.

The thriller world needs Dez Limerick and thankfully he appears to be sticking around for a bit. Which is brilliant news for the genre. Aye, that.

This book is the second Dez Limerick. I did not read the first, but this is fine as a standalone novel.

It took me a bit to get into this thriller, but once I did, I was along for the ride--which, it seemed to me--really sped up in the last quarter of the book. I so see this book as an action-packed movie!!

Dez, a "gatekeeper," is a quirky, unique character with a unique skillset--often violent, and certainly requiring a lot of strategic brainpower. He is a tactician, well-educated, loyal, self-deprecating.

The plot begins when Dez heads out to help [i.e. protect] his friend's sister. His friend, Raziah, is a musician [Dez plays guitar among his other skills] and her sister, Laleh, is a journalist who--in writing about an Oregon-based tech company, Clockjack, gets into trouble. What did she uncover? Clockjack sees itself as a modern Robin Hood==and in playing politics has met its match in Dez. Why are the U.S Marshalls involved [and bcause of a turn of events], also the Oregon Polilce]. Add in MI6 for an international aspect [which is there anyway].

What did I like? The intrigue, some twists, some surprises, the overall action and general pacing. What didn't I care for--note: it is violent and bloody, though not necessarily actual descriptions. {Dez dispatches many of his adveraries with lightning speed, surprise, and bloodshed.]

I recommend this book as a summer [or other read] if you like action-packed thrillers with intelligent protagonists. It was a welcome break from literary fiction.

Thank you @netgalley and publisher for the #advanceReviewCopy.

Summary: Dez is a fearless, and talented friend for the Swann sisters to have on their side. When one of the sisters calls for help, Dez doesn’t hesitate, protecting them with all he’s got…which happens to be a lot.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed it. I loved Dez’s character traits: witty and somewhat rude (but it worked). There were even hints of humour at times. He reminded me of Jack Reacher and John Wick. This is fast-paced, and action-packed from start to finish. I read this as a stand alone but it is book 2 in a series. I didn’t realize it was a series until after I started. I still feel like the story was solid enough for me to have enjoyed on its own.

If you enjoy action and crime, jump into this one and hold on.

A summer thriller with that It Reads Like A Movie appeal!

High octane and heart thrumming, readers will keep the pages flying! Interesting characters that I need to get to know more can better (will go back and read the first book which I missed).

While this is a second installment, I was able to get oriented without having read the first.

Loved loved loved the first book in this series, The Gatekeeper, and I loved loved loved this second book just as much! Dez is even more likable in this one, if that's even possible. Love his wit, his intelligence, how he doesn't mix words, the way he analyses everything to death! He has definitely become one of my favorite literary characters. This story is full of suspense, thrills, twists and tons of laughs. I hope he'll be around for a very long time!!

The book revolves around Dez Limerick, a retired Gatekeeper. He is asked to protect a friend and her sister from an army of soldiers. They unknowingly find information about a powerful organization. The book is full of action and violence which starts from the first page. It is part of a series but it could be read as a stand alone. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

My thanks to both Netgalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this thriller about a man who loves good coffee, better food, great music and stopping people who try to hurt his friends.

When I was young my library had a bag sale almost every two months which gave me a strong love for paperback originals. Pulp reprints, science fiction, thrillers, and men's adventure novels. Stories of the Shadow mixed with the lone war of the Executioner, the satire and kung fu of the Destroyer, the sheer nihilism of the Death Merchant. If there was a sword, a gun, a throwing star anything I probably read it. As I got older so did the books, sure lone outnumbered men, but with more political plots, and stories, techno-thillers and the like. I just kind of tired of the stories. I respect the pulp sensibility of Lee Child, but haven't read one in years. Gray Man never struck me, though a few have. Though none like the adventures of Desmond Aloysius Limerick, Dez to his friends, and to his fans, and boy am I one. Deadlock is only the second book in the series, written by James Byrne, a pseudonym for a writer I would love to know more about, but writes with the assurance of a real veteran storyteller.

Picking up hours after the end of the first book Dez is a man with many sets of particular skills, one of these being loyalty to his friends. A band mate calls to tell him her sister has just been attacked and nearly killed, can he lend support. Dez travels to Portland, Oregon and in visiting the hospital finds some interesting company waiting. After dealing with them, Dez is approached by two different law enforcement groups, making Dez know this is much more than a street mugging. People are dying, criminals are disappearing and a very large social media company is putting up a lot of firewalls to keep any sort of investigation outside. However Dez has a skill with doors, and to help his friends Dez is pretty much willing to do anything.

A book that really is the perfect action thriller. One that a streaming service could film right from the book. Humor, music, food, great characters, scary bad guys, books, friendship, love interests, a good mix of international politics, moral questions and a fascinating character in Dez. Dez is a true international man of mystery, a thinker, a fighter, lover of coffee, music and food. The plot is really good, the stakes seem real, and frankly watching tech companies and their shenanigans, a plot that in many ways could happen. The writing is very good, brings readers in, makes sense, gives enough out about Dez to make readers want to know more, and keeps the pages flipping. Portland itself is a character, and does more for tourism than anything I have seen. The action is really good, believable in that one riot one ranger sense, but really holds. Byrne has a real gift for creating a situation, and going hmm, how do I move this along. Oh this will work, and bam great action scenes. Plus there is taste for the next book, which makes readers want more.

I really enjoyed the first book, one I nearly skipped over until word of mouth reached me, and I was blown away. This one is even better, and I honestly can't wait for the third. Great action, interesting dialogue, rivalry, mystery, really great stuff. For fans of the Nick Petrie Peter Ash novels or early Clive Cussler.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ARC of this title in exchange for my review.

I believe this was my first book from this author, and I did not realize it was book 2 in a series. Overall, it was a quick moving thrilling story, I enjoyed the character development. But I did get a bit bogged down in the details of the tech, and I'm just not a fan of violence or swearing. I don't often read Jack Reacher or Jason Bourne type books, and that is very much what this one is. Not bad, just not my usual tastes.

3 stars for 'liked it'.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of the latest Dez Limerick installment.

I loved book one, and was excited it was the start new a new thriller series. I was thrilled to get an e-ARC of book two. This one wasn't great as book one, but still a solid addition to Dez's story. I'm looking forward to more in this series.

Deadlock is a surprising funny and entertaining thriller. I loved the anti-hero hero, Desmond Aloysius Limerick or Dez to his friends. He's creative, funny, and completely devoted to his friends and keeping the world safe from bad guys. When his dear friend Razieh is attacked, Dez finds himself drawn into a conspiracy theory world from which no one is safe! Of course, he has several close encounters with bad guys, and some near misses when it comes to escaping, but he approaches everything with creativity and flair and a great sense of humor. I finished the book in about two days. It's a great vacation read, and would be fun for fans of books like the Orphan X series (Dez has a much better sense of humor!).

Dez is the type of character that you come across once in a lifetime. He has charm, wit and skills unequaled, he's the kinda guy you'd drink with all night long or better yet, listening to him playing music. I wouldn't ever want to get crossways to him, it's not a very healthy thing. Dez is always there for his friends and he has no problem charming police and federal officials, the number of favors owed him likely needs an Excel spreadsheet. The thing I enjoy most about this author is that I can read a fantastic book like this in a weekend. I couldn't stop reading this, I sincerely wished it lasted longer because I was having so much fun learning more about my good friend Dez. I'm now looking forward to the next installment of this series, it gets better with every new book. I'm hoping to be reading these books for the next 30 years or more, until Dez starts playing polkas. I consider the day I discovered this author was a most fortunate day for me.

4 stars

Desmond "Dez" Aloysius Limerick - a name fashioned by cruel parents, according to one amusing character - is the m.c. of this gripping thriller, the second in the series. Buckle up for a wild ride!

This is not my usual genre, but I enjoyed this book as much as its predecessor for the same reason: an absolutely tremendous m.c. The plot is engaging and well-paced, but Dez is the star of this show not just in position but also in pizzaz. Even the narration about his character and details shared about him by others are completely hilarious. My experiences with both books in this series happened in the audio format, and I can't say enough about this narrator! It's true that he has great material to read, but this skilled individual also really brings Dez to life. That sense of uniqueness, charisma, and humor that is so characteristic of Dez is made absolutely vivid by this audio. Obviously, I highly recommend this format when and where accessible.

Dez is one of a kind, and he's a character who cracks me up in even the tensest situations. This is a fantastic read for folks who enjoy the genre, but it is also a wonderful entry point for folks who love a memorable character and a lot of action to boot. Long live Dez! I am already looking forward to his next exploits!

Dez Limerick is a Gatekeeper. He receives a call from a bandmate asking for help after her sister is attacked. Investigating this leads Dez down a rabbit hole of subterfuge and violence.

I really wish I’d read the first book in the series before starting this one even though it wasn’t necessary. There is a lot going on here and I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed it even more with the background from the first book. And I did enjoy it even though this type of book isn’t necessarily my cup of tea. I can totally see my male friends loving this book.

The action is non-stop, and hero is a quirky, likeable guy who could kill you with a marble. He’s sort of a cross between Jason Bourne and MacGyver. I actually want to read the first in the series now and then revisit this one as an audiobook whenever that is released.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.