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Ryan Lock #2.5

Lock & Load

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A short story featuring private security specialist, Ryan Lock.
Fresh from a stint undercover in Pelican Bay Supermax prison in Northern California, Ryan Lock, and his business partner, former US Marine Ty Johnson, are in Los Angeles, tasked with protecting a young Hollywood actress from an abusive movie star boyfriend who refuses to accept that their relationship is over. But as Lock knows only too well, and Ty is about to learn, keeping someone safe from harm can be harder than it looks, and damage can come in unexpected forms.

68 pages, Paperback

First published December 9, 2012

29 people are currently reading
640 people want to read

About the author

Sean Black

80 books247 followers
I write the Ryan Lock series of thrillers, which feature ex-military bodyguard Ryan Lock and his partner, former Marine, Ty Johnson. The first two books in the series, Lockdown and Deadlock, hit the Official UK Top 50 Bestseller Chart, and the third, Gridlock, has just been released in hardback. They have have also been translated into Dutch, German, and Russian.

I'm a firm believer in hands-on research, also known as 'any excuse to get out of the house', so before I wrote Lockdown, I trained for a month with former members of the Royal Military Police's specialist close protection unit. That turned out to be great preparation for Deadlock, which I researched by spending time inside Pelican Bay Supermax in California (see the TV interview on my author page). I recently completed a desert survival course in Arizona and ventured into the tunnels under Las Vegas, all as preparation for a new standalone thriller I will begin work on once I have completed the fourth Ryan Lock book.

Before I became a full-time novelist, I taught college and wrote television drama. I'm an Oxbridge and Ivy League graduate – try not to hold that against me.

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5 stars
104 (30%)
4 stars
117 (34%)
3 stars
99 (28%)
2 stars
14 (4%)
1 star
8 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
Profile Image for Jim A.
1,267 reviews81 followers
October 20, 2013
Quick read. Listed at 70 pages, but it reads like is less than that. Ryan Lock fans might be interested, but those who are not familiar with the character might want to try one of the full length novels first.

Lock Down is the first of the series.

Profile Image for itchy.
2,835 reviews31 followers
November 20, 2019
brief synopsis:
sean black fills in the blanks on how ryan and carrie acquired their malibu home.

setting:
malibu

named personalities:
summer clements - ryan's principal; a hollywood actress
jason durham - the threat; summer's highly unpredictable movie star boyfriend
ryan lock - a bullet catcher; a former british royal military police
tyrone 'ty' johnson - ryan's black business partner; a former marine
carrie - ryan's reporter fiancee
angel - ryan and carrie's yellow labrador
frank bernstein - head of summer's management team
paula francis - summer's publicist
paris hilton - the star of one night in paris

grammar:
p28: whether it was watching a child being blow sky high on the streets of kabul or having someone you loved and trusted try to strangle the life out of you with his bare hands, a shadow was left behind.

sean must have missed carrie, too.
100 reviews
May 18, 2020
Very short story and a deviation from the usual Lock plot.
The feeling that it could have developed into a full blown novel takes at least a half star away from the verdict. The starting point is good and I had the feeling a lot in the plot could have been described more accurately, a lot could have used as a launchpad to develop the story.
A bit of a missed opportunity.
Profile Image for Val.
646 reviews
February 18, 2025
A short story (no more than an hour or so reading time. The novel features Sean Black, former British Royal Military Police, turned Close protection Officer. He and his partner Ty, are called to protect a young actress Summer Clements, whose co- star and former lover has assaulted her.
473 reviews4 followers
November 14, 2017
Love the story but extremely disappointed with Goodreads. This book should be 3.5 not 4.5 in the series. I will admit I have a bit of OCD. But we went backward in the timeline about this one.
Profile Image for Steve.
515 reviews19 followers
June 13, 2019
What's not like Lock is great ty is funny short but smart great read.
883 reviews1 follower
January 9, 2021
Like Ryan lock, but this was a short story but still good.
Profile Image for Best Crime Books & More.
1,183 reviews178 followers
January 16, 2013
People who have read my previous reviews will know that I have a bit of a character crush with Ryan Lock the man featured in the series of books written by Sean Black. I discovered his books from the first release and have not been let down once since then. His series of books featuring Ryan Lock and his partner Ty are absolutely brilliant. Sean Black has managed to integrate himself with the other major Crime players out there such as Coben, Lee Child etc. When I realised that he had released a short story in the Lock series I immediately downloaded it onto my Kindle.

Yesterday lunchtime I settled with my lunch and began to read. It took me less than a chapter to be thrown back with Lock and Ty. This short story features them protecting a young Hollywood actress from her rather violent and abusive Movie star boyfriend. As usual Lock and Ty fall into their usual banter and it was like seeing old friends again. This book does however (I am almost positive) go back in time a little bit to just before Gridlock. People who have been reading the series will probably have noticed this too. Don’t get me wrong it didn’t make the story any less enjoyable, it just threw me slightly!

The only problem I had with this, and it’s a major problem for me, is that it was finished by the time my lunch break came to an end! For this reason alone I was not a happy bunny. I do believe Sean that you are a bit of a tease! How dare you flaunt my favourite lead male character and then whip him away again!?!? All I can do is console myself with the fact that a new book in the series should be due next year. For all those Lock fans this is a little teaser, and people that haven’t read the series, a cheaper way to try before you buy if you like. I don’t think you will be disappointed! I guess I will wait with baited breath until the next release before I get too excited again.
Profile Image for Michael Jones.
19 reviews1 follower
February 23, 2013
When I received this short novel in the mail I thought this is going to be an empty attempt to fill a gap in a series. A series I had not previously read. However, I started reading and found that it was more or less a stand alone volume.

Sean Black immediately draws you into Lock and Ty's world. The little bit of back story worked nicely to bring in new readers, such as myself, and gave just enough character build to hold readers. The main plot of the story being the need to protect a starlet from her abusive and addicted Hollywood boyfriend is a good storyline which any reader will have no trouble believing is real. The action is almost nonstop and readers who can actually manage to put it down will almost immediately want to pick it right back up.

Superb Dialogue, gripping action, and a final confrontation to make you feel sorry for the abuser. Excellent writing, great narrative, and action aplenty will make many readers either go back and start at the beginning of the Ryan Lock series and most certainly sit on the edge of their seats waiting for the next.

A must read for Ryan Lock fans and thriller-suspense fans both.

Thank you to Sean Black and Goodreads for the opportunity to read this book. Write on Sean BlackSean Black
Profile Image for Sean Randall.
2,113 reviews51 followers
December 22, 2013
Divided as to whether or not I'd read a full length novel about these guys. A short story was a great way to get into them, though.

Disclosure: I won this book as the result of an astounding giveaway by Graham Storrs publisher, because of my review of his then newly-published novel True Path. True Path is a sequel, but please check out the rest of my reviews of Graham's books and other works published by Momentum, his publisher.
Profile Image for Keith Nixon.
Author 36 books174 followers
February 16, 2013
An enjoyable book. Ryan Lock is bodyguard to Hollywood actress Summer Clements. Her just ex boyfriend and actor Jason Durham has attacked her. He threatens to make her life difficult unless she takes him back. Lock is employed to get rid of Jason.

This novella was a fast read, I went through it I one sitting. It's a decent page turned and a good introduction to Lock. I'll be looking out for more by Black.
Profile Image for James Groenestein.
101 reviews5 followers
November 20, 2013
I think I've just found another favourite author!!

This short book is a great read.

The author has created great characters, a brilliant plot that explores abusive relationships, and mixed it all up with Hollywood.

What's great about this piece, is that it's a stand alone book but can be integrated in to the surrounding series too.

Will definitely be checking out the rest of the series!!
Profile Image for Neil.
543 reviews55 followers
December 18, 2016
As a short story this was rather predictable, and provided no surprises. It does serve as a taster to this writer's style, and to full length books in the series. Due to the length of the read I couldn't really get any affinity with any of the characters. I am undecided as to whether to seek out any of the other books from the series.
Profile Image for Christine bonner.
188 reviews5 followers
May 14, 2013
this is a quick read about Ryan Lock

he and ty have to look after a movie star who is having trouble with a ex

it all fun and games but there is a twist to it as you will find out

i love reading Sean Blacks books an this is a book that i am sure you will all like
Profile Image for Hayden Skilling.
18 reviews
September 6, 2013
I love the concept of having Ryan Lock short stories but this first one fell a little flat for me. It may just have been that it being a short story led to greater predictability relative to Black's other books. Still a good read nonetheless.
Profile Image for Michelle.
1,065 reviews2 followers
May 20, 2015
This is not the first book in the series but as it is such a short book I don't think it mattered that I had not read any of the others. It was a decent story about the work of Ty and Lock doing their job to protect a young Hollywood actress
Profile Image for Clare.
1,246 reviews5 followers
February 8, 2013
Really enjoyed this short story, it was enough to hold me until the next book comes out.
Profile Image for Nick.
48 reviews5 followers
February 9, 2014
Decent short story but was a bit predictable. I would not mind reading one of the novels in this series though as then there is more time to build anticipation and suspense.
Profile Image for Sarah.
405 reviews16 followers
December 20, 2013
Eh. Wasn't my kind of book. But it's just a short story, maybe the full novels are better.
8 reviews
December 29, 2013
OK - just. Too much like a promo for the other books (which are far better) than a story itself.
Profile Image for Jim Morton.
485 reviews9 followers
December 26, 2014
First book of the series and it is really good. Starting number two today. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews

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