THE GATEKEEPER

4 stars out of 5

Somehow it seems out of character to call a story with this much mayhem, murder and malicious monkey business  a "fun" read, but after finishing it, I can't come up with a better description. The near-superhero, Desmond Aloysius Limerick, or Dez, brought physical abilities and mental insights to the table, not the least of which is a sense of humor that elicited a giggle now and again. A retired mercenary with a side gig as a musician, he makes the whole thing work (and me eager to encounter him in the next go-round, assuming there is one).

As he's readying to leave his California hotel, he encounters a beautiful (of course!) damsel in extreme distress and quickly decides to take a short but bloody detour to save her. Turns out she's in distress for another reason: She's learned that someone at her father's uber-profitable company, Triton Expeditors (where she's gainfully employed), has been siphoning off billions of dollars but so far has escaped identification. Dez being between assignments at the moment (and Dez just being Dez), he agrees to help her find the culprit. He is, after all, a gatekeeper; he's the best at opening doors - actually, just about anything - and keeping them open as long as necessary.

What he finds, though, it far more complicated and dangerous (and, if I'm honest, more far-fetched, even though parts are ripped from the headlines). Dez encounters biased media, a clandestine militia operation that's intent on taking over and the threat of nuclear disaster - bulldozing his way through them all and leaving bloody messes in his wake as he looks for, and tries to bring down, the bad guys and gals. The ending is fairly predictable, but satisfying - including Dez's ride off into the sunset.

In short, only one thing nearly ruined the whole experience: I absolutely detest reading books written in the present tense. And no matter how good this one is, that got in the way and stomped on my enthusiasm. But that's just me; others, in fact, may find it a refreshing approach. In any event, many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to get to know this character and author by way of a pre-release copy.

The Gatekeeper by James Byrne (Minotaur Books, June 2022); 330 pp.