The Detective’s Trust: Brothers in Blue Series #2 Views: 25
"As a former Marine, Betley really knows his stuff. Fans of nonstop, nail-biting action will love this one!" —Kyle Mills, #1 New York Times bestselling author
When Logan West impulsively answers a dead man’s ringing phone, he triggers a global race against the clock to track down an unknown organization searching for an Iraqi artifact that is central to a planned attack in the Middle East—one that will draw the United States into a major conflict with Iran.
Logan, a former Marine officer, is quickly contracted as a “consultant” to assist the FBI as part of a special task force bent on stopping the shadowy operatives, whatever the cost. The battles are nonstop, from the plains of the Midwest, to mansions in northern Mexico, to the war-torn Al-Anbar province, pitting an international team against trained mercenaries employed by the world’s largest private security contractor...whose owner has a personal vendetta against the US government. Meanwhile, Logan is battling his own demons, especially the trauma of the ambush that his Force Recon unit suffered at an insurgent torture compound in Fallujah in 2004, which threatens to destroy everything he holds dear.
With high-stakes and fully-realized characters, Overwatch is a thriller unlike any you’ve read before: deftly plotted, up-to-the-minute, and impossible to put down.
**Amazon.com Review
A Conversation between Christopher Reich and Matthew Betley
Photo Credit: Brian Schurman
Photo Credit: Kahn Photography
Christopher Reich: What inspired you to become a writer, specifically, in the thriller genre?
Matthew Betley: I have zero formal training as a writer, no English literature background, and never once considered being an author while I was growing up. But one year, while my wife and I were on vacation, I was reading an international best seller in the thriller genre that had been recommended in a magazine by another world famous author. The problem – I kept thinking to myself, I can write a better novel than this. It was approximately a year later, now out of the Marine Corps, that I finally put digital ink to virtual paper, putting my money where my mind was after a year of talking and obsessing about it. It was really that simple – I had a vision, made a decision, and put it into action. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. Considering how fortunate I am to be in this position today, it was definitely the right choice.
Christopher Reich: What was it like writing your first novel?
Matthew Betley: An emotionally brutal roller coaster. From the very first rough draft – which you saw and gave me great and harsh feedback on – to getting an agent, to receiving a book deal with Emily Bestler Books at Atria, it was nothing short of a series of highs and lows, with near deals, constant rejections, and a nomad-like journey wandering in the publishing wilderness, wondering if it would ever happen. I would tell anyone who wishes to become an author that no matter what, you have to have the thickest skin possible and get used to rejection. I remember reading that you have a better chance of winning the lottery than getting a book published with a major publisher as an unknown author. But based on initial beta reader feedback, I persevered because I believed I had a product people would want to read.
Christopher Reich: What authors influenced you the most?
Matthew Betley: Easy – Matthew Reilly. I read Ice Station when I was a junior officer in the Marine Corps in 2000. His pacing, the intimacy of the action – especially in his first novel – and the scope of his settings were original, making it nearly impossible to put Ice Station down– or any of his books, for that matter. For me, it’s what the genre should be.
Christopher Reich: How much of Overwatch stems from your own personal experiences in the Marine Corps?
Matthew Betley: We have a saying – “You can take the man out of the Marine Corps, but you can never take the Marine Corps out of the man.” Like my main character, Logan West, I am a former Marine officer, and all-too-briefly commanded a scout sniper platoon as a young and inexperienced lieutenant. I’m also a recovering alcoholic, as well as extremely sarcastic. (You have to have a sense of humor in today’s age.) However, while I had a significant amount of tactical training as a junior officer, my deployments were in a staff support function. (Unfortunately, incoming rockets and mortars don’t care about your exact function.) The locations, settings, military units, and certain narrative components are all very real, but the overall story is completely my own.
Christopher Reich: How likely is something like this to happen?
Matthew Betley: The world is a much darker and more dangerous place than it was when I was getting out of the Marine Corps in 2009. These are strange times. So to answer your question – anything is possible. Less global stability creates more opportunities for bad guys of all backgrounds to wreak havoc, both here and abroad. Still, while I wanted to create a realistic setting and origin story for Logan West and friends, my universe is definitely distinct from reality in that my version of our leaders will always make the hard, right decisions when needed.
Christopher Reich: What are your plans for the future of Logan West?
Matthew Betley: When I started writing Overwatch, I had plans for three Logan West Thrillers. My intent was for each novel to be a self-contained story inside a larger story arc. I’ve actually just finished First Shot - book two of the series out in 2017 - which takes the overarching plot much further down the proverbial tracks. I’m about to start writing book three, which is outlined in my head, and I know where book four – and possibly five – is going. Beyond that, if the readers will have me, I’ll continue to write. In the end, it’s all about them.
Review
"A gripping, fast-paced, and frighteningly real tale told with bravado and expertise by someone who was there! Wall to wall action from start to finish. You will not put this book down!" (Christopher Reich, #1 New York Times bestselling author)
"As a former Marine, Betley really knows his stuff. Fans of nonstop, nail-biting action will love this one!" (Kyle Mills, #1 New York Times bestselling author)
"Matthew Betley has proven he’s an accomplished writer. Overwatch is a brilliantly conceived thriller that surges from the first chapter through mounting deception to a powerful conclusion." (Clive Cussler, #1 New York Times bestselling author)
"Matthew Betley’s Overwatch crackles with authenticity. You wonder how much of it is true." (Matthew Reilly, Author of Ice Station, Seven Deadly Wonders, and The Great Zoo of China)
"Logan West, like the author Matthew Betley, will rapidly become a household name. Overwatch is an incredible ride of action, passion, friendship, courage and reality. In this era where terrorism seems part of everyday life, Betley reminds us that we still have heroes fighting for freedom." (Lieutenant General (Retired) Mike Flynn, former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA))
“Bridging the gap between first-hand military experience and thrilling fictional adventure story, Overwatch is a great read for veterans and non-veterans alike.” (General (Retired) Stan McChrystal, former Commander, Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC))
"Matthew Betley bursts onto the stage with a thriller that dares you to put it down. It is rare to find a debut novel that keeps you up all night, furiously flipping pages, but Overwatch does that- and more." (Joshua Hood, author of CLEAR BY FIRE)
"Overwatch is an exceptional read - a thoroughly engrossing thriller that reminds us of battles fought and threats we still face. We might have expected from Matthew Betley the gripping battlefield accounts that could only come from a seasoned warrior. But the humanity of its characters and the relentless drive of its narrative will make readers impatient for Betley's next book." (Stephen Hayes The Weekly Standard)
"Betley has made Logan someone readers can relate to and feel for. He’s human, like the rest of us. In a genre where most protagonists are a pair of tights and a cape away from being Superman, this is a welcomed and refreshing change of pace....Overwatch is my early pick for the best debut novel of 2016!" (The Real Book Spy)
“Pace and authenticity are the calling cards here and Betley has both in spades.” (Men Reading Books)
“Rousing…Betley writes a good fight scene and knows how to plot” (Publishers Weekly)
“A stunningly adept thriller, Overwatch heralds great things to come from Matthew Betley.” (pop-topia.com)
“A former Marine himself, Betley proves himself an able heir to the throne currently held by the likes of Brad Thor and the late, great Vince Flynn. But Betley also incorporates a quest for a historical artifact reminiscent of James Rollins and Steve Berry,resulting in a structurally flawless read, unafraid to tackle difficult issues like PTSD as well. Not to be missed.” (Providence Journal) Views: 25
There’s a reason Faith works at Lam, a known mafia bar, despite the fact that she doesn’t have a drop of hospitality kindness or any apparent respect for men who could easily take her life. There is also a reason Danny is the new bartender there. And that reason has nothing to do with the decades-long bartending experience he lied about on his resume. So when passions emerge and become too much to deny anymore, they each scramble to try to protect their secrets- Faith, the deal she made with the devil to get and keep a job she obviously had no interest in and why; Danny, the real reason he was at Lam. But, as with all secrets, the truth will always find its way to the light… For possible triggers, please visit: http://www.jessicagadziala.com/triggers/** Views: 25
The Man Is Practical
As marriage proposals go, Charles Draysmith's suit is as romantic as the moors in December. Emma Peterson might be only a vicar's daughter, and he the new Marquis of Knightsdale, and perhaps he would rather marry her than endure the marriage mart. But when he suggests how much he'll enjoy securing an heir, well, a lady can only endure so much.
But The Lady Is Passionate
There's something about a woman throwing pottery at a man that piques his interest. Perhaps his proposal lacks grace, Charles thinks. But it does seem a perfect solution. He acquires a wife; his young charges have the mother they so desperately need, and Emma gains security and position. You see? Simple. Practical. Sensib- oh no, not the ceramic dog...
He will have to confess the truth to calm her down. And the truth is, he's madly in love... Views: 25
Book three of the Layers Series and the end of Alexia & Jaxson's story.Will they find their happily-ever-after? Views: 25
From the award-winning, bestselling author of Ender’s Game comes…
The Worthing Chronicle!
If you would be a God, you must pay the price.
Jason Worthing was a telepath, and the best of the ark captains sent
to conquer and seed humankind anew on a hundred new worlds.
He vowed that his new-world would be different from the stagnant one
he had fled. He established his colonists and his descendants; and when
he was sure that they would survive, he sealed himself in the last somec chamber in all the galaxy, triggered to awaken him when his world had built a new civilization.
But using somec to disturb and manipulate the natural course of life cultivated dangers of its own…
Worthing slept for fifteen thousand years.
And when he awoke from his frozen slumber, it was to a future he had never dreamed of.
Corrupt forces had emerged and a strange form of mind reading had been carried down to other generations.
In a profound tale that spans thousands of years and barren lands,
Jason tries to reconcile the past with the present, amidst those who
lost their memories entirely and dreams that bring strange, disturbing
visions of the past.
Reflecting on the arrival and purpose of pain and sorrow, The Worthing Chronicle is a gripping science fiction tale that considers communal experiences of joy emerging from suffering in deconstructed worlds. Views: 25
Having received intelligence regarding a dangerous band of anarchists planning to assassinate King Peter on his royal visit to England, the British Secret Service are hot on the trail of one of the key suspects. At the centre of the investigation is Sir Leonard Wallace, the famous Chief of the Secret Service. His team soon discover that the group is a small part of a much larger conspiracy with international ambitions of exterminating all royalty. Can Sir Leonard and his courageous adherents disband the fanatics before their evil designs take hold?Wilson's Golden Age thriller, available for the first time since the 1930s, is a forgotten classic of the genre. Views: 25
When an innocent deal between friends turns sinful...Cassie Cooper has never been the kind of girl noticed for her looks. But around billionaire Kirk Rochester, her best friend from college, Cassie wishes she could turn just one head—his. So when Kirk asks her to be his pretend girlfriend to thwart another woman's unwanted advances, Cassie embraces the opportunity to prove to him that she does have a feminine side. Disillusioned by a rough marriage that had an even rougher end, Kirk values friendship more than romance. He’s always had a good thing going with Cassie. But he can’t ignore how sexy she is now playing the role of his girlfriend, and soon he’s fighting a dangerous attraction to her. Even though their time between the sheets is scorching hot, he refuses to take it beyond “ friends with benefits.” He’s learned the hard way that loving someone is the first step to destroying his heart, and he won’t risk losing the best person in his life by falling in love with her.** Views: 25
E doesn’t open up for anyone, he knows what he wants and he takes it, binds it, and spanks it. Their relationship is defined by rules which lean in his favour. Views: 25
