Exclusive: See the Cover for Matthew Betley’s ‘The Council’ (with Details)

Buckle up, because on April 28, 2026, Matthew Betley’s latest novel, The Council, hits bookstores everywhere, and readers looking for high-stakes, action-packed thrillers will not want to miss this one.

It’s been several years since Betley, who broke onto the thriller scene back in 2016 with his super-charged, highly praised debut novel, Overwatch, the first book in his popular Logan West series. His last book, The Neighborhood, was released in 2022. Thankfully, though, his newest offering sounds well worth the wait, and even includes “one of my favorite characters I’ve ever written,” according to the author himself.

Check out the cover art and plot details below.

The Council by Matthew Betley

Blackstone Publishing

Release Date: April 28, 2026

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They know everything. They see everything. They control everything … except the one man who can stop them.

From Matthew Betley, award-winning author of The Neighborhood and the bestselling Logan West series, comes a no-holds-barred thrill ride that will grip you from page one through an explosive conclusion you’ll never see coming.

To most of the world, Owen Pierce is just another handsome, successful Miami lawyer.

But to the mysterious, all-powerful organization known as the Council, he’s one of the most dangerous–and useful–assassins in the world. When Owen lost everything, it was the Council that gave him purpose. He became their most dangerous weapon, the man and his team they send to eliminate hard-to-reach targets who pose a threat to the peace and security the Council claims to safeguard.

When a mission to take out a Cartel leader goes disastrously wrong, Owen starts to uncover the sinister truth of the Council–and what they’re really after. And with the Council’s master plan in its final stages, that makes him a dangerous liability. Before you can say “Mission Impossible”, Owen and his team go from the Council’s top operative to number one target.

But the Council has made one critical mistake. They chose Owen because he lost everything … and that means he has nothing left to lose.

Propulsive, shocking, and packed with high-octane action, devilishly clever twists, and emotionally gripping themes, The Council is Matthew Betley’s biggest blockbuster thrill ride yet.

To help kick off this announcement, I caught up with Betley and asked him where the idea for this book came from, and double-checked to make sure that his trademark sarcasm and humor will still ride shotgun to all the action his readers have come to expect.

“As for the origin story,” Betley explained, speaking exclusively to The Real Book Spy, “a friend of mine told me about this weekly pop culture poll at their workplace. Each week was different and included topics like favorite fictional detective, best Christmas movie, favorite 80’s alternative band, best flavor of potato chips, favorite movie villain, etc., etc. I immediately had the idea of a group of assassins debating their favorite pop diva before executing a high-risk mission, and thus, THE COUNCIL was born.”

Read more from Betley about his latest release over on TRBS Substack!

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