The Council, Matthew Betley
The Council, Matthew Betley
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The Council

Author: Matthew Betley

Narrator: George Newbern

Unabridged: 8 hr 27 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/27/2026

Synopsis

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 the world, Owen Pierce is just another handsome, successful Miami lawyer. But to the secret American organization known as the Council, he’s one of the most dangerous assassins in the world.When Owen lost everything, it was the Council that gave him purpose. He became their most dangerous weapon, the man they send to eliminate high-value, hard-to-reach criminals who escaped the judicial system.But 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 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 operatives to their 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.

About Matthew Betley

Matthew Betley is the acclaimed author of the Logan West Thrillers and The Neighborhood. A former Marine officer of ten years, he trained as a scout sniper platoon commander, an infantry officer, and a ground intelligence officer. His experiences include deployments to Djibouti after September 11 and Fallujah and Iraq prior to the Surge. A New Jersey native who considers Cincinnati home but now resides on the East Coast, he graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, with a BA in psychology and minors in political science and sociology.

About George Newbern

George Newbern is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and a television and film actor best known for his roles as Brian MacKenzie in Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride Part II, as well as Danny in Friends. As a voice actor, he is notable for his role as Superman on the Cartoon Newtork series Static Shock, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited. He has guest starred on many television series, including Scandal, The Mentalist, Private Practice, CSI: Miami, and Numb3rs. He holds a BA in theater arts from Northwestern University.

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Quotes

“With The Council, Matthew Betley puts the pedal to the metal on page one and never lets up. His trademark action is fresh, furious, and feels grounded in reality. Just as real are former Green Beret Owen Pierce and his team—raw, riven with grief, and ferocious—as they confront the powerful organization that will go to vicious lengths to achieve its goals. Packed with twists and turns, The Council is Betley’s most accomplished novel yet.” Meg Gardiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Shadowheart

“In The Council, Matthew Betley brings years of experience as a scout sniper platoon commander and ground intel officer in the Marines to bear, painting action scenes with military precision and ground-truth know-how. From a riveting opening assassination to the fight-to-the-death denouement, you’ll be flipping pages like mad, trying to stay on the heels of former Green Beret Owen Pierce as he navigates a deadly secret org and a sadist known as the Custodian. This one’s got it all—nonstop action, twists and turns, grit, and gun grease for miles.” Gregg Hurwitz, New York Times bestselling author

“The Council is a beast. Action master Matthew Betley does not disappoint, crafting a relentless, globe-trotting, twisty thriller of betrayal that puts to test in slam-bang fashion the moral cost of doing what’s right for the ‘greater good.’” Chris Hauty, bestselling author of Dead Ringer

“Broken heroes, duplicitous power brokers, and psychopathic killers collide in a hurricane of combat and carnage, making The Council an engaging, enraging, and entertaining, character-driven tale containing everything a thriller fan could want in a book.”  The Best Thriller Books

“Not only is the book extremely well written, the story is perfectly executed. Owen Pierce is a wonderful character, too…Like the book itself, he feels fresh, as though we are reading something we haven’t seen before.” Booklist

“Readers looking for high-stakes, action-packed thrillers will not want to miss this one.” The Real Book Spy

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