Featured Review: ‘Oath Of Honor’ By Matthew Betley

Oath of Honor, Matthew Betley.jpg

When a powerful, high-tech weapon falls into enemy hands, former Marine officer turned FBI investigator Logan West is called on to save the day.  

Following the events of Matthew Betley’s debut novel, Overwatch (2016), which took the thriller world by storm last year, Logan West has joined his friend and battle buddy, John Quick, and is now officially working with the FBI.

ONERING, a sophisticated next-gen weapon capable of hacking into any satellite without leaving a trace, is finally ready for testing. Accompanied by a research team, the weapon is taken aboard the Arctic Glide, anchored just off of Amaknak Island. But when intel suggests a team of Russian operatives will target the boat, West and Quick are sent to Alaska to stop them.

Arriving a tad too late, West engages the enemies in a ballsy shootout as a last-ditch effort to prevent the theft of ONERING, but is ultimately unsuccessful, as the weapon vanishes along with the gunmen who stole it. 

Back in Washington, West and Quick are instructed to track down ONERING and recover it at all costs. Joining them is newcomer Cole Matthews, a spy who becomes fast friends with Logan and John, often engaging in their sarcastic banter, while quickly proving his worth when the bullets start flying–which they do often in this one.

After Logan, John, and Cole follow the trail to Spain, they once again arrive minutes too late and are unable to stop the bad guys, a recurring trend in their pursuit to recover the devastating weapon. As they continue chasing leads and coming up short, they soon realize there’s a very real possibility that their intel isn’t just bad, but planted by someone leading them in the wrong direction. 

As they make their way across the globe, leaving footprints (and bullet casings) in Alaska, Spain, and North Africa, the trio of heroes cross paths with everyone from highly-trained Russians to Chinese commandos, as well as multiple foreign governments. Unaware of a much larger, carefully organized New World Order–comprised of a coalition of America’s enemies–taking shape behind the scenes, West, Quick, and Cole battle their way to a thrilling, emotionally-charged ending that will leave readers thoroughly satisfied and begging for the next book.

While the many action sequences steal the show, the best part of the story takes place when Logan and Cole find themselves in an off-the-books prison (there’s also a scene-stealing shootout that takes place on a ship which features a wildly entertaining way to take down a helicopter). And while parts of the plot have a James Rollins-like feel to them, Betley has quickly developed his own unique style that separates him from the pack. 

The author’s blend of witty, sarcastic humor and hard-hitting action go perfectly together, making an already fast-paced plot flow at blazing speeds. While Logan West is the star, all three lead characters bring a different dynamic to the story, and Betley’s razor-sharp dialogue is already some of the best in the business.

While the story seems straightforward in the beginning, readers will soon realize that the cast of bad guys is far more diverse and creative than what originally meets the eye. As Betley slowly pulls back the curtain, revealing a large-scale conspiracy, it’s easy to see that the events of this book will have a profound impact on future installments of his series, which has already reached must-read status after only two books.

Matthew Betley’s Oath Of Honor is a relentless, pulse-pounding adventure that will leave you breathless. Make room at the top of the genre, there’s a new king of high-concept political thrillers!

Book Details

Author: Matthew Betley
Series: Logan West #2
Pages: 404 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 1476799253
Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Release Date: March 14, 2017 (Order Now!)


About The Author 

Matthew Betley“Matthew Betley grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, which he considers home after his family moved there from New Jersey, where he was born and which also explains his affinity for the New York Yankees. He attended St. Xavier High School and then Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he graduated with a B.A. in psychology and minors in political science and sociology. He also spent the first semester of senior year investigating felony murder cases as an intern investigator in Washington, D.C., for the Public Defender’s Office, a formative experience that provided countless stories that could fill the pages of a non-fiction book. Upon graduation, he worked in corporate America for five years in Cincinnati before joining the Marine Corps in 1999.

Matt spent ten years as a Marine officer and was trained as a scout sniper platoon commander, an infantry officer, and a ground intelligence officer. His experiences include deployments to Djibouti after 9/11, and Fallujah, Iraq, prior to the surge, both in staff officer support billets.”

To learn more about Matthew Betley, visit his official website here. And don’t forget to follow him on Twitter and Facebook

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