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May 26, 2026

Dez Limerick is doing his best to enjoy his early retirement from the military, helping friends, finding musical gigs that pay, and occasionally helping those in need of his particular skill set: Dez was trained as a “gatekeeper” — he can open any door, keep it open for as long as necessary, and control who does, and doesn’t pass through.

Those skills are in demand when the State Department seeks his help. A multinational scientific research facility on the coast of Newfoundland has gone dark, the facility in full lockdown, and no one can get in or out. No one knows what’s going on but it can’t be good. And a close friend of Dez is presumed locked inside the facility with everyone else.

Even getting to the facility is an almost insurmountable challenge. The weather has flights grounded, some shadowy group is doing everything they can to impede the rescue team’s progress, and hidden enemies are embedded in the rescue team.

But anyone who thinks this is more than one man can face has never met Dez Limerick.

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Chain Reaction

Desmond Aloysius Limerick (“Dez” to his friends and close personal enemies) is a man with a shadowy past, certain useful hard-won skills and, if one digs deep enough, a reputation as a good man to have at your back. He was trained as a “gatekeeper” — he can open any door, keep it open as long as necessary, and control who does — and does not — go through. Now retired from his previous life, Dez still tries to keep his skills up to date.

Knocking around the country, picking up the occasional gig as a guitarist, Dez is contacted by a friend in urgent need of his musical skills. Dez flies to the East Coast to a gig at the brand-new massive complex, the Liberty Center. But he’s barely landed before he finds himself in the midst of a terrorist attack. A group has taken over the whole center and thousands of hostages’ lives are in danger. With the semi-willing help of a talented thief, Dez takes on the impossible task of outfighting and outwitting a literal army. But that’s just the beginning, as Dez learns he was lured there under false pretenses by someone who knows more about Dez, his past and his skills than any living person should.

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Deadlock

Desmond Aloysius Limerick (“Dez” to his friends and close personal enemies) is a man with a shadowy past, certain useful hard-won skills, and, if one digs deep enough, a reputation as a good man to have at your back. Now retired from his previous life, Dez is just a bloke with a winning smile, a bass guitar, and bullet wounds that paint a road map of past lives.

Jaleh Swann, a journalist, lands in the hospital just one day after her Portland, Oregon apartment is ransacked. When Jaleh’s sister, Raziah, reaches out to a friend for help, Dez doesn’t hesitate to answer. When hired thugs come to finish the job and attack the Swann sisters at the hospital, Dez does what he does best – leaving two of the attackers badly injured and one dead. But that’s only the beginning – the Swann sisters, and Dez Limerick right beside them, have been inadvertently pulled into a dizzying web of cover-ups and danger.

At the center of all this is an insidious Oregon-based tech corporation, Clockjack, which has enough money and hired guns to silence just about anyone—including this rag-tag trio.

Outnumbered, under resourced and outgunned, Dez must use all his skills and connections to survive, and thwart the deadly plans that are about to unfold. The one thing Clockjack didn’t count on? The legendary gatekeeper that is Dez Limerick.

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The Gatekeeper

In Bookstores Now!

Desmond Aloysius Limerick (“Dez” to his friends) has retired at 35 from a shadowy past of military and intelligence work. Now he’s just a bloke touring America with boyish charm, a bass guitar, and old bullet-wounds. He doesn’t go looking for trouble, but when it comes, Dez deploys his almost unique skill set: He can open any door, keep it open, and control who goes through and who doesn’t. When a highly trained team launches an attack on the heir to a multinational corporation, Dez becomes the right man in the wrong place at the right time. Now Dez and the target, whose brilliance with international finance matches Dez’s skill with violence, find themselves opening doors to a dangerous conspiracy that could fracture the United States itself. There’s only one obstacle between the conspirators and success — Dez, The Gatekeeper.

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Powell’s City of Books Annie Bloom’s Books Bookshop.org Barnes and Noble Amazon
The Gatekeeper by James Byrne hardcover image

“What a welcome blast of freshness James Byrne’s THE GATEKEEPER is to the world of thrillers! Great plot, great pacing, and a voice that jumps off the page. Most essentially, it’s charming as hell, which makes for a delightful read. Let’s hope we’re lucky enough to get plenty more of “Dez” Limerick’s unique brand of gritty troubleshooting in future tomes.”

“The Gatekeeper by James Byrne starts fast and moves faster. It’s a taut, explosive tale with high stakes and authenticity that kept me riveted and fanning the pages. Fans of Lee Child and Vince Flynn will love the hero, Dez, and find themselves enthralled in The Gatekeeper.”

“This one grabs hold of you tight on page one, and keeps hold of you until all is finally revealed.  A stylish, entertaining romp with plenty of sizzle.”

“Dez Limerick, the smart, mysterious hero of James Byrne’s fabulous debut thriller, is the most exciting new character I’ve read in years.  THE GATEKEEPER is a flat-out, high speed winner.  I loved it.”