James Byrne Books In Order
Book links take you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.Publication Order of Dez Limerick Books
The Gatekeeper | (2022) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Deadlock | (2023) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Chain Reaction | (2025) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
James Byrne is the pen name of an author of military fiction who has worked for more than two decades in politics and as a journalist.
He was born in Idaho in the Pacific Northwest but ultimately moved to Portland Oregon as a twenty-year-old where he now makes his home.
When he was 20, all he ever wanted to be was to be a novelist or journalist. Unlike most people who never achieve their desires, he had the good fortune of becoming both a journalist and author.
Nonetheless, when he went to college, he decided to study political science and after graduation, he found work in newspapers. He worked in many newsrooms in Oregon for more than 25 years but the desire to become a novelist never went away.
In 2022, James Byrne published “The Gatekeeper,” the blockbuster work that would make his name as one of the most promising authors in military fiction.
Aside from his writing, he is also an avid collector of adventure/action comic strips and books, which he hopes he can bring back to American newspapers.
James Byrne, his wife, and their car now make their home in Portland Oregon, which he thinks is one of the coolest cities in the world.
Growing up, James Byrne had a father that was an avid reader of classic adventure stories and mysteries such as “Beau Gest.” It was thus from his father that he got that passion for that genre of fiction.
When it came to his writing he had the advantage that he had years of experience covering county commissions and schoolboard and working as a reporter. Byrne can usually write a very good story at the drop of a heart.
As such, whenever he used to find time whether he was grabbing some lunch or waiting at the physician’s waiting room, he used to take the time to pen at least a chapter.
Over the years, he has penned scores of pages during flights and in airport terminals. His many years as a journalist also mean that writer’s block is never a thing.
Since a journalist cannot have writer’s block unless they want to be fired, they develop the knack of writing anytime and anywhere.
Working as a journalist, he developed the skills and hence he loves to say that he can write better than anyone who is faster than him and faster than anyone who is better than him.
It was while he was studying at community college that he took a swing at penning his first novel. While his first attempt was terrible as it did not have a well-thought plot and characters, it convinced him that he could write.
He got serious about writing every day and never looked back. He would ultimately publish his first novel under a pen name while he was in college.
What really helped James was that he found writing to be a lot of fun. His best day working as a janitor when he was in college could never beat his worst day as a writer.
He is now best known for penning his bestselling mystery and thriller fiction works. These are also the same stories that he likes reading whenever he has some free time.
James Byrne’s novel “The Gatekeeper” is one of the most anticipated thrillers which introduces the lead character as Dez Limerick.
At the opening of the novel, an elite team of mercenaries launches a coordinated and well-planned attack on a highly guarded location that is the headquarters of a military contractor.
However, they never expected that the right man would be in the wrong place at just the right time.
Retired mercenary Desmond Aloysius Limerick is also an amateur musician who lives in Southern California. He has been enjoying playing the occasional gig and sunbathing during the day when one day his hotel comes under attack.
A highly trained team is attempting to take hostage Triton Expeditors’ Chief Legal Counsel who is a major military contractor.
Petra Alexandris the legal counsel is the daughter of the firm’s CEO and it would be catastrophic if she was taken. However, the attackers’ seamlessly executed and meticulously planned scheme hits the figurative bump when Dez responds.
Since he handled himself so well Alexandria contacts him later asking for his help with another problem. Someone has stolen more than a billion dollars from Triton Expeditors and has left virtually no trace behind.
Dez is best known as a gatekeeper that can open doors but this door leads him toward a dangerous conspiracy.
He finds himself entangled in a deadly conspiracy that involves militias, media manipulation, an armed coup, and an attempt to destroy the United States.
“Deadlock” by James Byrne continues to follow Desmond Aloysius Limerick. He is a man with very useful hard-worn skills and a shadowy past.
But if you dig deep enough, he is also a man with a good reputation that would have your back when times get tough. He is retired from his shadowy past and wants to be known as just an ordinary man with bullet wounds, a bass guitar, and a winning smile.
On the other hand, is a business journalist named Jaleh Swann who is chasing an auditor that was attacked and killed. Swann arrives at the hospital the day following the ransacking of her apartment in Portland.
Raziah her sister asks Dez an old friend for help and soon they find themself in a dizzying web of danger and cover-ups. At the center is Clockjack, an Oregon-based tech company that is as insidious in its workings as could be.
It is a company that has enough hired guns and enough money to silence anyone including Dez and the two sisters. Luckily Dez is good at not only opening doors but also in keeping them open.
He is ready to do anything to protect the people determined to expose Clockjack and its dark secrets. But there is a lot standing in the way of truth and it is not just Clockjack.
When hired thugs are sent to finish the work they started and in the process attack the Swann sisters, Dez comes out guns blazing.
James, I just finished “Dead Lock’…it was as good as “Gatekeeper’. Limerick is a fascinating character. I do hope you will be coming out with another adventure soon.
Cheers, William Hewitt, Tacoma, WA.