Desmond Aloysius Limerick (Dez to his friends and close enemies), the former mercenary enjoying “retired” life on the West Coast, receives a call from his friend and band-mate that her sister is in trouble. Laleh, Raziah’s sister, is in the hospital after an attack. When Dez and Raziah arrive, they encounter three ruthless-looking men. Turns out they are also there for Laleh, but only to finish the job. Dez does his thing to protect the sisters. But when local, federal, and out-of-state law enforcement get involved, they all realize that the attack on Laleh involves something much bigger than they could have anticipated. Deadlock by James Byrne is the second installment in the Dez Limerick series in which Dez finds his way into another match-up against some very wealthy and powerful people, and turns their world upside-down. 

The Gatekeeper is the first book in the Dez Limerick series. Readers do not have to read the first book to follow along with and enjoy Deadlock. But honestly, why would you rob yourself of meeting Dez for the first time? Either way, you can find a review of The Gatekeeper if you need a refresher. 

As Dez and the sisters try to figure out why someone would want Laleh killed, they suspect that it might have something to do with Laleh’s journalism research into the death of her auditor friend. He was conducting an audit of Clockjack, the liberal-leaning, do-good massive tech company making waves in the industry. As they continue to investigate why someone would want to stop an audit and subsequent investigation about it, they realize that two of the four founders have also recently died. With more bodies to keep track of, as well as the danger that still follows the sisters, Dez knows that no one is safe until he gets to the bottom of it and removes the threat. 

After reading The Gatekeeper, I couldn’t wait to get more Dez. And Deadlock delivers. Byrne takes it up a notch by reminding readers why Dez is a force to be reckoned with. While he eases up on the wacky commentary, he shows us more of the tech side of Dez’s skill set, along with some book smarts, that comes with the moniker “Gatekeeper”. He opens gates, keeps them open, and controls who gets in and out. Physical or digital. And no matter what resources he has available to him, he exceeds expectations. After all, Dez is up against a highly coordinated and trained team of mercenaries. Yet somehow, he is always one step (or more) ahead of them. And he seems to enjoy himself while doing it. If you didn’t fall in love with Dez in the first round, you will with this one. 

James Byrne returns as a second-time guest on The Nerd Cantina Show. He talks about how this experience differed from his first book release, and plans for the next installment. Keep an ear out for the Cantina Conversation and preorder Deadlock, available August 8.