The Gatekeeper by James Byrne

Published by Minotaur Books on June 7, 2022

Desmond Aloysius Limerick is my new favorite action hero. While most fictional tough guys take themselves much too seriously, demonstrating their toughness in a transparent effort to mask insecurity about their masculinity, Limerick doesn’t take himself seriously at all. He’s funny, self-effacing, completely secure, and — only when he needs to be — tough.

Limerick’s background is a mystery. He is recognized and respected by highly ranked American military officers, but he isn’t currently in the military. He apparently hails from England, although he spent time in Ireland and Scotland before branching out to the rest of Europe. He speaks Spanish and a version of English that Americans don’t easily understand. (Limerick’s complicated explanation of the phrase “He’ll have a right bull” inspires a cop to say “This is America. Speak English.”) He plays bass in a bar band. Some people call him chef, which might be French for chief, although he claims to have gained the nickname by working in many kitchens.

At this point in his life, when he isn’t playing music, Des is a gatekeeper. He opens doors, guards them, keeps them open, controls who and what passes through, closes them when the time comes. Six months ago, he was opening doors in Algeria for people with guns. Des knows his way around a gun but he doesn’t seem to need one.

When the main story starts, Des is in Los Angeles, playing in a hotel bar. On his way to his room, he flirts with Petra Alexandris, amusing Petra but not her bodyguards. He looks out the window of his room and sees a sniper, then sees thugs entering the hotel. Since Petra has bodyguards, he concludes that the thugs might be coming for her. He wanders down to her floor and nonchalantly but violently saves her from being kidnapped. They spend much of the novel together, sometimes in bed. Des has a good life.

Petra is counsel for her father’s corporation, a massive company that finances and expedites contracts for the world’s militaries. The kidnap attempt ties into a plot that involves white supremacists who are lured to central California with the promise of carving out a 51st state, just for them. The actual scheme is more ambitious and surprisingly clever. To throw a spanner in the works, Des needs to take on the supremacists, defend a nuclear plant, and cause havoc on a not-quite-closed military base. Des takes some beatings in the process, but never loses his smile. Trying to control him by locking him in a cell turns out to be futile because, after all, he’s the Gatekeeper.

The novel gets its charm from Des, one of the wittiest action heroes I’ve encountered. I laughed out loud more than a dozen times at the novel’s sly and surprising humor, often appearing in asides and non sequiturs. The reader has little time to fret about plausibility in an action-filled, fast-moving story. The Gatekeeper is a refreshing change from action novels featuring self-centered tough guys whose personality is based solely on being tough. Des’ personality is based on being kind, smart, funny, disarming, and good with doors. His toughness is a quality he feels no need to brag about. Des is an unconventional protagonist I look forward to meeting again ... and again ... and again.

RECOMMENDED