Book Review: Deadlock by James Byrne
By Jeff Ayers
August 15, 2023
Byrne brings back Desmond Aloysius Limerick (Dez), a special ops expert, in this terrific follow-up to The Gatekeeper. When Dez was active, he kept the ways in and out open and the teams alive. When a young woman, Raziah, calls him for help, he heads to Portland.
Her journalist sister, Jaleh, was attacked, which appears to be related to a story she was working on. Dez is not subtle in either his attitude or his methods, and from the moment he arrives, he realizes that Raziah and Jaleh are in grave danger. A tech company called Clockjack has slowly grown to be a mega influence in the area on the level of Google or Microsoft, and their reach goes all the way to the U.S. Government, making them untouchable. The heads of the company have nefarious motives, and Dez helping his friends brings out local law enforcement along with the DEA and the U.S. Marshals Service. The odds might be against Dez and the people he cares about staying alive, but the evil folks at Clockjack have never gone against Dez.
Dez is a mix of a snarky Equalizer with a logistical Jack Reacher. Knowing that a live video feed will be seen by the people he’s going after, Dez buys popcorn and stands in plain sight eating it, ticking off the villains. He never falters or worries about not having the upper hand. Byrne has created an engaging hero that is a true delight, and with the complex thriller and impossible odds, makes Deadlock essential reading for any thriller fan.