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.

I just loved getting to enter this world. It was just so easy to get lost in and I just had so much fun with these characters. I look forward to reading more wonderful stories in this series.

I absolutely loved The Gatekeeper, and Dez Limerick, in my opinion, is one of the best new thriller heroes. I was happy to grab a copy of 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.

Jaleh Swann is a business journalist looking into an auditor who was mugged and killed while working on the books of a major tech corporation named Clockjack. When she lands in the hospital just one day after her Portland apartment is ransacked, her sister, Raziah, reaches out to an old friend for help, Dez has no choice but to answer.

When hired thugs come to the finish the job and attack the Swann sisters at the hospital, Dez does what he does best. Now, the two captured men (and the corpse Dez left behind) attract the attention of not just Clockjack, but of the Portland police, the D.E.A, and the U.S. Marshalls. Dez and the Swann sisters are on the run from powers beyond their control and means. Outnumbered, under resourced and outgunned, Dez must use all his skills to keep his friends safe. After all, the one thing Clockjack didn’t count on? A good man with a simple job to do.

James Byrne has created an interesting and amusing hero in Dez Limerick, and this reader looks forward to more! Highly recommended. #Deadlock #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthors

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Dez and following along as he helped damsels deal with their dangerously distressing situations.

I bought James Byrne's inaugural book in the series, and I'm happily anticipating his next one!

Desmond "Dez" Limerick. Retired from his position as a Gatekeeper in the military, he now lives in the states playing music and helping out friends when needed. When Raziah Swann, a singer in a band he plays with asks for help, he promptly goes to her aid. Raziah's sister Laleh is a journalist who has been attacked for no apparent reason. When the attack is tied to a high tech firm, the question is what
does Laleh know? Once the enemy is identified, Dez will do whatever it takes to ensure the sisters are safe. His enemies will have to try to stay a step ahead of Dez.
A fast paced read - looking forward to the next book.
 #Deadlock #NetGalley

“Deadlock” is the second in a series about Desmond Aloysius Limerick, a non- government aligned “gatekeeper,” but it satisfyingly reads as a thrilling standalone. There are some references to the previous installment, but they are understandable as background facts. They will tempt you to go back and read “The Gatekeeper” once you’re so entranced with the remarkable character that Dez is.

Dez is a multilingual freelance expert with a unique English accent who opens “doors” and closes them again. It’s a concept for missions of intrigue, but he’s in California for R&R, guitar playing, and making friends. One of those friend’s is singer-songwriter Raziah, who enlists Dez’s help when her sister, Laleh, investigative crime reporter is attacked in Portland. Laleh was following up on the story of a young business auditor’s murder. He was doing a review of Clockjack, a huge business entity in Oregon, phone manufacturer ala Apple, and publicly a do-gooder organization. Dez, however, eventually deduces that Clockjack is an empire of evil, and how he arrives at that conclusion (and what he does about it) is the fun and action-packed part. As he would say, “Ta.”

I loved the lead character and the twisty plot. Dez has a sense of morality you can root for, even if that leaves a lot of bodies in the wake. 5 stars! A great popcorn thriller and a series worth another sequel.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Dez, however, has twinkling blue eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The beauty of the Mount Hood area is part of the story.

This book sounded amazing and I didn’t even realize it was number 2 in a series, I am going to order book 1 now! “Dez” is such an entertaining character, I found myself laughing and enjoying myself the entire time I read this. Espionage and humor? Sign me up! Magnum PI meets Mission Impossible! I loved that the chapters were short and the book just flew by… finished in just a couple days. I learned so many new ways to kill someone too… 😉 can’t wait to continue this series!

This is a terrific, fun, entertaining, humorous, fast paced, action packed thriller from James Byrne, the 2nd in a series featuring Desmond 'Dez' Aloysius Limerick, a Brit with a covert history of working as a shadowy legendary 'gate keeper' in the security services. He has left all this behind for a more laid back existence as a bass guitar player in California, a good man with the scars on his body that speak of his past, and his friends can count on him if they find themselves in a tight spot. The book opens with a joint American-British operation in Chechnya which does not end as planned, with Dez making an enemy of MI6 agent, Arabella Scott. In the present, talented singer and songwriter, Raziah Swann, calls on Dez, asking for his help when her business journalist sister, Laleh, ends up in hospital in Seattle in Oregon.

Laleh's home has been ransacked, she had been following the story of an auditor who was mugged and killed. The auditor had been working on the popular do good IT B Corporation, Clockjack, but all his notes are missing. Dez finds himself going into action almost as soon as he arrives at Laleh's hospital, slipping with ease into using skills from his past, taking out 2 men and killing a third, men linked to Clockjack, men who immediately attract the attention of the police, the DEA and the Marshall Service. Deputy Chief Marshall Conroy Sims, finding himself politically constrained, personally helps Dez as he makes inquiries looking into why the Swann sisters are being targeted. There is plenty of danger and violence in this edgy and twisty narrative where the bodies pile up, a story of corporate secrets, deception, cover ups, lies, and corruption with an international agenda.

The highlight of this series is Byrne's creation and development of the character of the offbeat Dez, he is funny, charming, who catches people offguard, including the army of opponents he faces as he relentlessly picks his way round the numerous obstacles that come his way. He is not a man to be underestimated as Clockjack are to find out to their detriment. If you love good thrillers with great characters, then this is for you, it left me looking forward with great anticipation to the next in the series. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

I really liked this book, but something about it, maybe the pace, had me reading it in a week rather than my normal couple of days. The chapters were short and it was just too easy to find a reason to put it down. But the plot was great and the main character, Scottish crime fighter Desmond Limerick, was fabulous.

This has Dez fighting tons of mercenaries and their crooked leaders to protect one of Dez' friends and basically save the world. Yes, it was a bit far-fetched, but Dez used Mission Impossible-like techniques to single-handedly catch the bad guys. The book is set up for a sequel. for which I will definitely keep on the lookout.

Because the pace was slow and it did not keep me up way too late so I could read just a little more I would not give this 5 stars, but it was so good and the characters were fabulous, so I would say 4 1/2, rounded up to 5.

I LOVED this book. I purchased the first for my family and will make a preorder for this one as soon as possible. No, I will not buy if for my school library, because it may not be appropriate for teens, but Dez is a combination of Mission Impossible, the A Team and McGyver. All the action you could want with a touch of humor. The end suggests a follow up, and I cannot wait. I received this as an arc from Netgalley and was not influenced in my review.

Who can kill a person by hitting them in the temple with a marble? Desmond Aloysius Limerick can. He is a polite man with a shadowy past and exhibits the skills, both physical and technical of a trained mercenary. Deadlock is the second of Byrne’s books, after The Gatekeeper, featuring Dez Limerick. In this outing Dez has retired from his previous life in espionage as a gatekeeper and now lives a simple life in Los Angeles where he occasionally plays the bass guitar with his friend Raziah Swann. When Raziah’s sister Jaleh is mugged and her apartment ransacked, Raziah asks Dez for help. Jaleh, a journalist, is investigating the suspicious death of a man who was auditing an Oregon-based tech corporation. As Dez digs deeper into the company, Clockjack, he realizes that the people at the top are funding and hiding a secret army determined to overthrow the government of a small African country for nefarious reasons. The people at Clockjack want the Swann sisters dead and Dez must do everything in his power to keep them and himself alive. Deadlock is a fast-paced thriller full of action and violence, yet Dez continually brings an element of dark British humor into the story. As I said when I reviewed The Gatekeeper, Dez reminds me of Jack Reacher, Jason Bourne and MacGyver all rolled into one. The author hints to another Gatekeeper story in the future.

I know we all love a good thriller. This was a humorous, action packed book that I enjoyed. I think I would have enjoyed much more if I read the first book but, I still did enjoy this one!

Deadlock by James Byrne

Dewey Andreas and Jack Reacher are sissies compared to Desmond Aloysius Limerick or Dez as known to his admirers, detractors, and friends. Dez is retired from special operations. Living in the States he is asked by a bandmate to protect her sister. From this simple request, extraordinary mayhem ensues.
Byrne is a master of action. He also creates a character in Dez who is simultaneously fearsome and lovable. I normally read three books simultaneously, Dez forced me to concentrate on one book, I liked it that much. The qualities of loyalty, camaraderie, and indomitable fortitude in defense of friends capture your attention.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and heartily recommend it.

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of this book for an honest review.
This is an action packed book but there is some humor in it too. Dez is like a Jack Reacher character who is always willing to help others. I didn’t realize this was the second book I do think the first book should be read The Gatekeeper so you are more familiar with the characters.

Like Dez said, he grows on you. I enjoyed this escapade more than the first one. I have a series that I will be watching out for, from now on.