Chain Reaction

Dez Limerick, Book 3

By: James Byrne

Narrated by: Ruairi Conaghan

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.

©2025 James Byrne (P)2025 Vibrance Press

Critic reviews

"[Chain Reaction] starts with a bang and never lets up for a second...Dez is an unconventional hero with unorthodox methods and a darn fun attitude. The series gets better and better." ―firstCLUE

"One of the most riveting and enjoyable thriller series out there today and you don’t want to miss it. Trust me, you need Dez in your life." ―Best Thriller Books

"A fast-paced, explosive thriller with a charming hero, Russian terrorists on U.S. soil, high-stakes money schemes, and a worthy opponent." ―Library Journal

Extremely clever

Extremely thoughtful story writing, never boring.
I know it seems cliché, but it’s a must, best on so far for this series.

Great listen

Dez is a terrific character. The ensemble in this story was excellent from the musicians to the FBI agent. First rate narration. I can’t wait for the next book.

Live dez, hate the narrator.

Some spots sounded like a different narrator. Took me out of the story every time. Made me want to stop listening, but I love the story.

Dez I love love the Dez character I am always excited to see how he solves the problem

The Narrator. His voice was too monotone and made it hard to stay focus Can we get the other narrator back

A great story!

Very entertaining and at times hard to put down!
Looking forward to more books to come.

Love me some Des, not crazy about the narrator

I’m in a bit of a dry spell, waiting for the next drop of Reacher, Mitch Rapp or the Orphan X books. This series came up for me as a recommendation. Love the first two books with the narrator John Keating. Immensely enjoyed the storyline the performance everything about the books. This is a good story line but had trouble with the narrator. Seemed very flat and odd in some places the first narrator really brought the character to life. I will look for the fourth book, and if by this narrator probably will pass. Not so much a bad performance by any means just not the life of the character that the first narrator provided.

Good ole Dez

Enjoyable though it dragged out a bit. Great characters! I had some issues with a few parts of the narration.