Ryan Lock is shaping up to be the most complex of the new breed of literary heroes. He is not an indestructible mountain of a man and his investigative skills are at times flawed in “Gridlock”, the third outing for Lock from the increasingly impressive British writer Sean Black. This time around we also find the Close Protection Operative wrestling with his morals on multiple fronts. The Principal (the body needing guarding ) this time around is Raven Lane, a beautiful and at risk Adult Movie Star who has a stalker with rather creative serial killer skills. The nature of Ms Lane’s work is handled with restraint by Black and although some of the references to certain types of porn work are graphic they lean to the darker, uglier aspects of the adult industry so do not expect “cheap thrills” of the sexual type. The thrills are however, plentiful in the action and the visual “set pieces” will please the many fans of “Lock Down” and “Dead Lock”. The Close Protection tradecraft is a bigger feature in Gridlock than I remember it being in the first two books and early parts of the book read like an unmade sequel to the Costner movie “The Bodyguard” . That however, is no bad thing, if anything it helps the character of Lock to be explored as he goes about the day job with his business partner “Ty” and his personal relationship with his fiancée “Carrie”. It is Carrie that delivers one of the moral dilemmas with her distaste for what her boyfriend’s new client does for a living coupled with the close proximity that Lock has to keep to ensure the safety of the Porn Starlet. Lock is also trying to handle the demons of previous actions and the lines that he crossed on more than one occasion in the past where his role changed “from protector to predator” and it is this depth that make Lock...interesting. Black shows the darker side of his hero and the safety of Raven Lane and her Downs Syndrome brother, Kevin – this character is portrayed with an accuracy and sensitivity that highlights just how good Black is becoming - never feels completely assured, even in Lock’s accomplished hands. In all Gridlock is an excellent summer holiday read that delivers on multiple levels. It is a competently plotted thriller that twists as it drives forward a cast of characters that are interesting and real. Gridlock also has something that I cannot commend to you highly enough in a truly jaw dropping, you will never see it coming, finale. Gridlock is a game changer for both Sean Black and Ryan Lock. It will leave you breathless.