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

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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.

Order now:

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.”