Overwatch: A Thriller (The Logan West Thrillers Book 1)

I am definitely on a kick. Thanks to the likes of Vince Flynn. While I have always loved crime novels, only recently have I started reading about espionage, and military-thrillers. My latest read is Matthew Betley's debut, OVERWATCH. The overall plot is somewhat simple. I like that. There is an objective, and the Betley just spends nearly four-hundred pages going at it full head-on! The main character is former marine Logan West. Since his time after the war he's let his life somewhat crumble. Marriage is a signature away from over, and his drinking isn't helping matters. On a binge, West wakes up to find he is not alone. A man is in the same room with him. He wants a flag. It was taken during a mission West spearheaded in Fallujah some four years prior. The flag belonged to Saddam Hussein, and it held the power to change the physical balance of the middle east forever. The intruder made a mistake. Several, actually. The intruder threatened harm to West's wife if the flag wasn't recovered and turned over. West calls on his closest, most trustworthy (and former military) friend, Mike Benson. Benson is a special agent with the National Counter-terrorism Center (and Benson's Uncle Jake is the Director of the F.B.I. Counter-terrorism Division). West never gave up any information, but he does know where the flag is, and who has it. Working with his former Platoon Sargent, John Quick, Benson and West are on a mission sanctioned by the President of the United States to track down and stop a planned, and major terrorist attack. They have three things working against them. They don't know who is involved. They don't know what kind of secrets are on the flag. And they have no idea what the intended target is . . . and yet, time is running out. OVERWATCH is nothing shy of an intense, adrenaline rush. It kind of reminds me of "24," if Jack Bauer had been in the marines. I will admit I spent time Googling things while reading. The military weapons, and terms, and vehicles used throughout the book. Could have just read over them, but what fun is that? I wanted to picture what was being described! And wowzers, I got the picture! Great book. Great read. I enjoyed Matthew Betley's fun writing style, and developed characters. Cannot wait to dig into the second book in this new series! Phillip Tomasso Author of Assassin's Promise and Sounds of Silence

Overwatch is not what I've come to expect for a debut novel. The plot was clear and uncluttered, the characters were, for the most part, likable, the book was well-paced, and the story had a satisfying ending. I thought that other debut novel (Joshua Hood's Clear by Fire) that had me hooked on the first page was an anomaly. Guess not. The plot. Fast-paced from one "battle" to the next, with barely time to catch your breath, there isn't much down time in Overwatch. While I didn't count the number of days that actually passed, it couldn't have been many. As a civilian, whose only knowledge of how the military works was in dating military guys, and movies, I can't tell you if the action is realistic, but those who have been there and have read the book say it is. It definitely feels like you're there breathing in the sand and sweating bullets as rounds zing right over you. The Main Character. Logan West doesn't start off as the most likable guy. He's passed out drunk, on the verge of divorce, and blames himself for things that really weren't his fault which had created and placed a huge chip on his shoulder. He quickly shows, however, that he can overcome anything to get to a goal. He's fiercely loyal, and exactly the man you want on your side when things go sideways. The Writing. This is where I shaved off a star. Really, if it would allow me, it would have been only half a star. While the story and characters were spot on five-stars, the writing was where the "first-time, no professional-writing background" showed. This, I expect to improve with each book. In a way, though, it's really more the editor's fault for not nixing the over-use of the words "fortunately" and "unfortunately." This may sound incredibly nit-picky, and perhaps it is, but after about the fifth time, I was looking for the white-out. I'm not sure why it bothered me so much, but it stuck out, and was distracting. (Sorry, now it will probably distract you, too, when if I'd not pointed it out you may not have noticed.) As for Logan's drinking problem, I've never experienced that, so I can't say for sure, but after the initial drunk-fest, he doesn't seem to struggle with it at all. Perhaps it was because he was too busy and too hyped up on Adrenalin to give it much thought. Time will tell if he got the demon off his back that help drive him to the liquor store. I really wished there had been more of Logan's wife, Sarah, in the book. She rocked her "screen-time." Another reason for just four stars is that it's similar to a that first evaluation you get. If you ace it, where do you have to go from there? Down. So, now there is room to grow and get even better. While I'm too tight with Vince Flynn and Brad Thor to crown Matthew Betley the next King of Thrillers (he does have some competition in Joshua Hood, after all), he is an exciting writer to follow and I look forward to the next Logan West thriller. And that's not something I can say about every new book I read

I am a fanatic for military (Special Ops) type action. I was looking for a good new series because I have about read all the good ones that I am aware of (I own over 700 books in this genre). Now down to business. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was not the same old plot delivery and multiple times you think one of the main characters is about to be killed but some way they make it through. The author makes it a fight to the death where the character doesn't give up even when they believe they will die. I was the daughter of a US Marine who taught me to love God, my country and the people who protect our great country. My dad was a dedicated US Marine (although retired years ago) until he passed away in his late 80s. He had pictures he had taken during WWII that I passed on to our next door neighbor who also served in the US Marines many years later. I had not been able to have children and he had 3 boys that he would pass them on to. I just wanted someone who loved the Marine Corps as my dad did. I hope anyone who reads this series will enjoy it as I am. On to book #2.

Simply Superb. This was such an easy and enjoyable book to read. I started out by reading Matthew Betley’s second and third book (which I absolutely loved), before reading this first book in the series, and I’m so glad I’ve now read ‘Overwatch’ to see where Logan West came from. I really enjoyed how this story is constructed, and the way we are taken back to Logan’s days in Iraq. I know how much I’m enjoying a book when I need to stop reading it for work and life’s other interruptions, and then I’m excited to start reading it again. This is certainly one of those stories. Even drinking until he passes out, won’t stop Logan West from forgetting the horrors of losing most of his squad in Iraq. Not that he would be expected to after seeing them blown to pieces. Now the constant memories and nightmares aren’t helped his marriage. Logan is lucky that his fighting skills at that well-honed from being in the Marine Corps as a Force Recon Officer, that it continues to keep him alive as a civilian. He’s certainly not happy when his wife Sarah is targeted by the same group of killers that attack him, and they don’t look like stopping anytime soon. Logan calls on his friend Special Agent Mike Benson from the FBI to help, once they find out what the killers are after. They know there must be more to it than just an Iraqi flag, that Logan knows is at John Quicks house. Mike doesn’t have much trouble in convincing Logan and Mike to join in the hunt for the killers, especially after they have both been targeted themselves. If you enjoy Action Thrillers, then this is definitely an Author you should add to your reading list. A fabulous read from start to finish.

Logan West's just woken up on his cellar floor after falling off the wagon, but his hangover and the lost hours hours are may have shocked him but not as much as the voice of the uninvited guest waiting for him to come round, Logan knows a professional killer when he sees one. Sorry for the edited spoiler but only a miniscule taste of what's to come. This is a brilliantly written book with great characters. I absolutely loved this story and can't praise Matthew Betley enough for producing such an exciting and gripping story.

Mathew Belley, a former marine, has written an exciting international conspiracy thriller involving his protagonist Logan West. The story is unceasing in action shifting from Washington, to San Antonio, to Mexico, and to Iraq. Many weapons and military support assets which an ex-marine can accurately describe are featured in the fast paced story. The text is interspersed with a sub-story related to action against the insurgency in Iraq in 2004 which directly relates to the events in the main story taking place in 2008. The story is relevant to current events such as the June 25, 2016 press release stating that Fallujah, Iraq has been liberated from ISIL by the Iraqi army, Shiite militias and US-led air strikes. My only negative comment is that the protagonist is an acknowledged alcoholic dating from after his 2004 harrowing experiences in Iraq. I have never known alcoholics to demonstrate both outstanding physical and mental conditioning surpassing that of their non-alcoholic peers as demonstrated in this novel.

Fast paced, relevant , well written thriller. I would recommend to anyone who likes to read a book from start to finish

Matthew Betley explodes onto the scene with his debut novel Overwatch, introducing us to former Marine officer Logan West. Logan West wakes up from an alcohol induced blackout to find an intruder in his apartment. The intruder tells him that he has something that they want, but makes the fatal mistake of underestimating the hungover West is not a viable threat to his safety. As Logan finishes a phone call to his friend FBI special agent Mike Benson asking for his help, a phone on the dead man in his apartment starts ringing, impulsively answering it, Logan soon finds out that Roberto was working for a man who wishes to know the whereabouts of one of Saddam Hussein’s flags that Logan’s team acquired during a tour of Fallujah. Logan not having the flag himself, but knowing where it is and who has it, not knowing why anyone would want it or what its importance might be, Logan goads the voice on the phone, but he sends a shiver up Logan’s spine by mentioning that if Logan ever wants to see Sarah his separated ex-wife again, who he still loves he’ll have to deliver the flag. Hanging up the phone Logan dials Mike back to tell him of a change of plan. Sarah is in trouble. After saving his estranged wife with the help of his friend Mike Benson, Logan interrogates a man they capture holding his wife and finds out he works for a freelance contractor and enforcer of the Los Toros cartel. When the Los Toros cartel steal the flag from retired gunnery sergeant John Quick, he and Logan are hired to join an FBI special taskforce, which to stop the unknown organisation, has been given the green light to do whatever’s necessary to stop any attack before it’s too late. By triangulating the dead man’s phone with the alive one from Sarah’s house the FBI get a hit from a phone in the Alamo Texas, where the taskforce just happen to be, during a shootout at the Alamo the flag is passed to a unknown person, after which West and the taskforce along with Mexican special forces attack the compound of the Los Toros cartel, which brings up bad memories for West, who as well as being an alcoholic is also suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder originating from an incident that occurred during his time in the marines. During the interrogation of a man they captured during the raid at the compound, they find out they are up against Hard Resolutions Incorporated, and its owner Cain Frost, who not only is the world’s largest security contractor, but who also has a personal vendetta against the US government and Logan West in particular, over the death of his brother in Fallujah, and needs the flag to set into motion a planned attack in the middle east which will draw the United States into a major conflict with Iran. The Taskforce races to a set of coordinates in the Al – Anbar province of Iraq hoping their not too late and Cain Frost hasn’t got his hands on a weapon that will kill thousands of innocent people.