ARC Review: Storm Warning by James Byrne

Storm Warning
Author: James Byrne
Series: Dez Limerick (Book 4)
Publication: Minotaur Books (May 26, 2026)

Description: Dez Limerick has his considerable skills pushed to the limit when, to rescue a friend, he has to get to—and get into—a state of the art facility on full lockdown, with considerable forces determined to stop him.

Desmond Aloysius Limerick—'Dez' to all who know him—is a man with a shadowy past, certain hard-to-replicate skills, and a reputation as a good man to have when the going gets tough. Dez is doing his best to enjoy his retirement, wandering the country, doing what interests him, and occasionally helping friends when they find themselves needing any of his particular skills—mundane or extraordinary. For Dez was trained as a 'gatekeeper' - someone who can open any door, keep it open, and control who does and does not go through.

It's those skills that are now in demand when the State Department comes calling looking for his help. A multinational scientific research facility on the coast of Newfoundland has gone dark, the facility on full lockdown, and no one can get in or out. No one knows what is going on, but it can't be good. And a close friend of Dez is presumed locked inside the facility along with everyone else.

Even getting to the facility is an insurmountable challenge. The weather has flights grounded, some shadowy group is doing everything they can to impede the rescue team's progress, and hidden enemies are embedded in the rescue team. But anyone who thinks this is more than one man can face has never met Dez Limerick.

My Thoughts: Dez Limerick is recruited to find a way into a multinational scientific research facility on the coast of Newfoundland. Dez is a gatekeeper. He can open any door and keep it open. He is eager to take part in the mission because a former lover is one of the people trapped in the facility.

There are many problems not least that the facility is in the path of two major storms. Just getting there will be an accomplishment. However, the bigger problem is that people who want in are willing to do anything or kill anyone to get there first. 

Two aircraft set out, but only the one Dez is on finds its way to the facility. There they find that the small town appears abandoned though there is evidence of deaths. Getting into the facility is difficult, but Dez manages it only to find out that the townspeople have taken refuge in the quarters the miners usually used, a group of Russians have taken over two lower levels of the mine, and the research facilty down on level six is in lockdown from the inside. 

Luckily, one of the people in Dez's group is a negotiator from the US Department of State who begins to try to find a way to get to the research facility. Less lucky, the group also includes a mole in the control of the company that wanted to get there first and there is a young woman who is holding all sorts of secrets including her membership in a mysterious international organization. 

This was a fast-paced thriller starring a larger-than-life hero. I enjoyed all the twists and turns of the plot which was filled with characters with hidden agendas. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.