There was a moment while reading Matthew Betley’s debut novel “Overwatch” when the 1985 Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie “Commando” popped into my mind.
The two stories are wildly different.
But there is a part in “Overwatch” when Betley is describing his protagonist Logan West’s tactical gear — Kimber .45, HK UMP .45 caliber, Mark II fighting knife, Kevlar vest with nylon loops for ammo, camouflage face paint — that reminded me of the scene in “Commando” when retired Col. John Matrix (Schwarzenegger) is putting on tac gear and face paint (that he recently “procured” from Surplus City), armed with guns, ammo, a knife, and explosives as he prepares to storm the island hacienda where his kidnapped daughter (Alyssa Milano) is being held hostage.
“Overwatch” imbues the spirit of the action movies I grew up on in the 1980s — macho, muscular, testosterone-laden stories that took no prisoners and wasted little time cutting to the chase.
Unlike a number of his contemporaries in this genre, Betley focuses on action, and makes sure his characters are in perpetual motion.
The book begins with protagonist Logan West (a former Force Reconnaissance Marine) waking from alcohol-induced stupor to find a mystery man standing above him in his basement.
West launches himself at the stranger and manages to disarm — and eventually kill — the nefarious intruder in a massive brawl that involves weaponizing a pull-down bar from a piece of home gym equipment. Logan discovers the man has a tattoo that is a pair of crossed .50-caliber bullets in front of a skull.
The dead man’s phone rings, and West learns from the caller (a man calling himself “Juan”) that he is after an artifact West and his team acquired during a 2004 tour in Falllujah — one of Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi flags.
We find out that Juan’s compatriots are about to go after West’s wife Sarah (she and Logan are separated due to his relapsed alcoholism) in rural Maryland, and that there is another team of baddies hunting down retired gunnery sergeant John Quick (Logan West’s old Force Recon buddy) in Montana.
Before we know it, Logan West, Gunny Quick and FBI Special Agent Mike West are on the hunt.
The pace never lets up as the plot zips around — a plot that includes a gunfight near the Alamo in San Antonio. There are flashbacks to West and Quick’s time in Iraq in 2004, and those exploits figure into the overall narrative Betley unfolds piece-by-piece as the mystery develops.
I consider myself something of a connoisseur of these sorts of brawny action thrillers with a military tilt. (I also love the novels of Vince Flynn and Brad Thor.)
Betley’s “Overwatch” feels fresh — despite the fact a number of authors have traveled similar territory — and Logan West’s struggles as a recovering alcoholic give his protagonist a unique bent.
Betley, a former Marine officer, includes plenty of “tools of the trade” used by special operators to dish out justice. We get intricate descriptions of the destructive power of weaponry, including M18A1 Claymore mines, M4 rifles, KA-BAR fighting knives, M67 fragmentary grendages, the Kimber .45 (which seems to be Logan West’s weapon of choice), STAR-21 rifles, Benelli M2 tactical shotguns, FEM-148 Javelin missiles, HK G36C Commando assault rifles, HK MP7s, and MP5 10mm sub-machine guns.
Readers are also treated to a man — who is wearing a bathrobe — brandishing a Vietnam War-era M9A1-7 flamethrower in one particular scene. I wanted to stand up and applaud Betley for the sheer audacity of that move — it was ridiculously fun, and another nod to the 80s-era action movies I adore.
I learned about Matthew Betley a few months ago following @TheRealBookSpy on Twitter (check out Ryan Steck’s website at www.therealbookspy.com). I’m glad I did.
“Overwatch” was published in 2016. His second book, “Oath of Honor,” was released in 2017. His third Logan West thriller, “Field of Valor,” is set to bow on May 22. You can learn more about the author and his books at www.matthewbetley.com.
Betley even tweeted at me about his books when I was deciding if I should read them:
At one point in “Overwatch,” Logan West says, “Justice has to be served, and I intend to see that it is.”
If you enjoy hard-charging action novels with characters willing to give life-and-limb for truth, justice, and the American way, you’ll find much to like in Matthew Betley’s debut novel.
It is a genre I am quite fond of, and look forward to adding Logan West to the stable of heroes I read.
Previous post: The Lost Review: "Is 'La La Land' All That?"
No comments:
Post a Comment