Desmond "Dez" Limerick was a mercenary specializing in getting locked doors open and keeping them open until the mission was over. He's retired, but that doesn't mean his skills have vanished. When he sees a sniper on a building across the street from his hotel, he knows that he could choose to stay out of it, or to help. The woman he saves from being kidnapped is the daughter of a CEO of a major military contractor. She's not only grateful, but as she has no idea whom she can trust, she asks for his expertise. What appears to be a simple investigation turns into a conspiracy with significant ramifications across the entire country, and death and destruction are only part of the planned chaos. VERDICT Though the author, who's worked for decades in journalism and politics, has written this thriller under a pseudonym, it is clear that they know how to write a gripping and compelling story. It's a mixture of the best black op novels like a Brad Thor or Mark Greaney, with a hint of the TV show Leverage. Dez has a bright future ahead, and this one is a true keeper.--Jeff Ayers

Byrne's promising debut introduces Dez Limerick, a retired mercenary "gatekeeper" who can hack into security and information systems--and plays guitar gigs in his spare time. After a show in California, Dez foils a kidnapping attempt targeting Petra Alexandris, the smart scion of a major military contractor. Impressed, Petra hires him to investigate a billion-dollar embezzlement from her family's company. After confronting the few company officers who could have pulled it off and getting denials, Dez follows leads on the kidnapping with help from an LAPD detective and his gut feeling the kidnappers were military trained. He also shakes loose, with some strong-arming, a plot to form a breakaway white nationalist ethno-state in Northern California and heads north from Los Angeles to investigate, finding militias from across the country converging after being riled up by an incendiary media company. As Dez tries to thwart a scheme to use a nuclear power plant as a bargaining chip, Petra uncovers a complex conspiracy that leads to a nail-biting final standoff. Byrne describes frantic events in an unfussy, direct style that matches Dez's collected demeanor. Fans of action-packed political thrillers will enjoy getting to know this charming new hero. Agent: Janet Reid, JetReid Literary. (June)

Let's start with the hero's terrific name: Desmond Aloysius "Dez" Limerick. Makes you think a book has to be pretty cool if its main character has a name like that. And you'd be right. This story of a retired mercenary who foils assassination attempts, rescues women, and busts open conspiracies is everything fans of over-the-top adventure would want it to be. Dez has seen action (he's covered in "scars, burns, tattoos, and bullet wounds"), but right now, he just wants a little down time in a nice California hotel. Unfortunately, he can't sit idly by while a team of armed men swarms through the hotel, and, of course, he can't let them murder an innocent woman. It's hard to believe this is Byrne's first novel: it's so sure-handed, so cleverly written, so very difficult to put down. Dez has a bit of Die Hard's John McClane in him and a bit of Lee Child's Jack Reacher, too, but he is much more than an amalgam of other characters. In a genre packed with burly, think-on-your-feet heroes, Dez is something new and fresh. He leaps off the page and into our imaginations. We can only hope there will be more Dez Limerick books to come.