Review by Booklist Review
In this sequel to the first Dez Limerick book, The Gatekeeper (2022), retired mercenary Dez returns for another rock-'em-sock-'em adventure. This time, he's helping a pair of sisters--one of whom is a crusading business journalist--take down Clockwork Solutions, a shadowy tech company based in Oregon, while evading pursuers and foiling a few would-be killers. It's not a story that readers will take completely seriously, and it's not intended to be. Dez is a cheerfully larger-than-life character, the action verges on cartoonish, and the writing is enthusiastically over the top. The villainy, too, is delightful. Clockwork Solutions is a big company with plenty of secrets, and the story's primary baddie is a seriously nasty piece of work that readers will love to hate. As good as The Gatekeeper was, this one's even better. Byrne is a writer who knows exactly what he's doing on every page and with each thrill. His apparent mission is to make sure we have as much fun as possible reading this book about a lone man taking on an evil corporation.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
What appears to be a simple kidnapping case becomes a global emergency in Byrne's exhilarating second entry in the Dez Limerick series (after 2022's The Gatekeeper). Irish ex-mercenary Limerick hustles to Oregon from California when his friend, Raziah Swann, sends out a personal SOS: her journalist sister, Laleh, has been abducted and beaten by thugs while researching an article on accounting irregularities at Clockjack, a tech conglomerate whose tentacles stretch across entire industries and levels of government. Dez quickly neutralizes the immediate threat, disposing of Laleh's captors with crippling physical force. But when he digs into what caused the seemingly disproportionate attack, he learns that Clockjack plans use its technologies to acquire sensitive intelligence and topple foreign governments--so he infiltrates the company's headquarters outside Portland, using every tool at his disposal to bust up the scheme. Byrne continues to refine Dez into an appealing lead: a loyal friend trained in military assault tactics who would rather use charm than violence to get his way. His breadth of abilities--he's equally adept at computer hacking and plucking his guitar on a nightclub stage--may occasionally strain belief, but he's a good choice for action thriller fans who may have tired of Jack Reacher. This series seems destined for a long run. (Aug.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A righteous soldier of fortune risks all to protect a pair of young women in distress. A nail-biting prologue introduces 35-year-old Desmond Aloysius Limerick, who's flying a secret mission to Azerbaijan among an international assortment of ruthless characters. Two years later, Dez, back home in Malibu, gets a distress call from Raziah Swann in Portland. Raziah's sister Laleh, a reporter, has been hospitalized after a brutal attack. If being some sort of mercenary is Dez's vocation, music is his avocation, and he befriended the awesomely talented Raziah, a half-Black American and half-Iranian singer, while they were both performing in clubs. The seriousness of the attack is confirmed when Dez takes out a pair of thugs with designs on Laleh during his visit to the hospital. Mysteriously, this encounter alerts both the U.S. Marshals Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration, who swing into action. Part of the reason could be that Laleh has been probing Clockjack Solutions, an influential Oregon corporation. Just as Dez is both mercenary and shamus, Byrne's novel keeps one foot planted in the international thriller genre and the other in traditional detective fiction, with his generally relaxed, laconic style leaning to the latter. Easygoing Dez also has a streak of 007, rolling in the sheets with both Veronika Tsygan, who owns the Portland club Deep Dive, and Petra Alexandris, whom he rescued in his debut caper. Short, punchy chapters mark frequent changes of location and a brisk pace, as the plot pings all over the globe. Few readers will be surprised when key players from the prologue return. A busy hybrid thriller with a retro flavor. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
