Barbara Peters, bookstore owner, recently welcomed a long-time friend to The Poisoned Pen. James Byrne is the author of the Hot Book of the Week, Chain Reaction. It’s the third book to feature a wonderful thriller hero, Dez Limerick. Peters and Byrne talk about Dez and the stories that brought him to this most recent one. There are signed copies of Chain Reaction available in the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4giPZIo. But, if you really want to get to know this remarkable lead character, check out the earlier books as well, The Gatekeeper and Deadlock. https://bit.ly/4giPZIo
Here’s the description of Chain Reaction.
Dez Limerick, a man of many skills and a murky past, faces the impossible-a skilled, deadly opponent who anticipates his every move in James Byrne’s Chain Reaction.
Desmond Aloysius Limerick (“Dez” to his friends and close personal enemies) is a man with a shadowy past, certain useful hard-won skills, and, if one digs deep enough, a reputation as a good man to have at your back. He was trained as a “gatekeeper”—he can open any door, keep it open as long as necessary, and control who does—and does not—go through. Now retired from his previous life, Dez still tries to keep his skills up to date.
Knocking around the country, picking up the occasional gig as a guitarist, Dez is contacted by a friend in urgent need of his musical skills. At his behest, Dez flies to the East Coast to a gig at the brand new massive complex, the Liberty Center. But he’s barely landed before he finds himself in the midst of a terrorist attack, a group has taken over the whole center and thousands of hostage lives are in danger. With the semi-willing help of a talented thief, Dez takes on the impossible task of outfighting and outwitting a literal army. But that’s just the beginning, as Dez learns he was actually lured there under false pretenses, by someone who knows more about Dez, his past and his skills than any living person should.
JAMES BYRNE is the pseudonym for an author who has worked for more than twenty years as a journalist and in politics. A native of the Pacific Northwest, he lives in Portland, Oregon.
Enjoy the conversation with James Byrne and Barbara Peters.