This “highly recommended” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) collection edited by New York Times bestselling author Lee Child pairs the beloved characters of twenty-two internationally bestselling writers in “a must-read for fans of the thriller genre. Very rarely does this kind of star power assemble for one anthology, and each story delivers the goods” (The Real Book Spy). The incredible … Spy).
The incredible follow-up to FaceOff features twenty-two of the world’s bestselling and critically acclaimed thriller writers pairing their series characters in an eleven-story anthology curated by the International Thriller Writers (ITW). MatchUp takes the never-before-seen bestseller pairings of FaceOff and adds a delicious new twist: gender. “Think Dancing With the Stars, but with mysteries” (Booklist) as eleven of the world’s best female thriller writers from Diana Gabaldon to Kathy Reichs to Charlaine Harris are paired with eleven of the world’s best male thriller writers, including John Sandford, C.J. Box, and Nelson DeMille, among others. “This box holds a chocolate or two that will be to everyone’s liking” (Kirkus Reviews).
In these innovative stories, their beloved protagonists, Lee Coburn, Joe Pickett, and Jack Reacher–just to name a few–team up to unnerve and satisfy thriller fans worldwide. All of the contributors are ITW members, and the project is edited by ITW member and #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child. The lineup includes:
Sandra Brown’s Lee Coburn vs. C. J. Box’s Joe Pickett
Val McDermid’s Tony Hill vs. Peter James’s Roy Grace
Kathy Reichs’s Temperance Brennan vs. Lee Child’s Jack Reacher
Diana Gabaldon’s Jamie Fraser vs. Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone
Gayle Lynds’s Liz Sansborough vs. David Morrell’s Rambo
Karin Slaughter’s Jeffrey Tolliver vs. Michael Koryta’s Joe Pritchard
Charlaine Harris’s Harper Connelly vs. Andrew Gross’s Ty Hauck
Lisa Jackson’s Regan Pescoli vs. John Sandford’s Virgil Flower
Lara Adrian’s Lucan Thorne vs. Christopher Rice’s Lilliane
Lisa Scottoline’s Bennie Rosato vs. Nelson DeMille’s John Corey
J.A. Jance’s Ali Reynolds vs. Eric Van Lustbader’s Bravo Shaw
more
Like to relax and enjoy these stories
I was introduced to wonderful new authors.
Chose this book because I’m a Diana Gabaldon fan. All the stories were great fast reads, and it was fun to see how the two authors of each story combined their characters and writing styles.
If you’re a fan of short stories, this is a good collection put out by the International Thriller Writers. Writers were paired up to write each of the stories. Some unusual pairings and unexpected results.
this is the second of this series i’ve read and the stories are really interesting…they combine 2 characters and 2 authors writing together…very interesting stories and opportunities to find new authors and their heros…
good read
Most of the book was AWESOME!! I wasnt familiar with a few of the authors so reading them in an anthology was great. I did skip a story or 2 that I didnt find interesting however I still gave this book a 5 because the book was GREAT!!
Great short stories by great writers are always a pleasure. Pairing familiar characters from your favorite authors in the same short story….WOW!
Cannot imagine how hard this collection must have been to create, but grateful for the effort. HIGHLY Recommended
This was a great matchup of different characters from different writers . I really enjoyed reading them together and the way the authors worked together. Most of the characters got along well or at least they did after a while. Now I am going to have to lookup the authors I don’t already read.
This is a great mystery/thriller anthology. These short stories are definitely unique, since they are written by paired up authors. Some you not even expect to be writing together. Many of the 22 authors were familiar to me, but I also have a few new ones that I’m anxious to check out. I’d also read Faceoff when it was released, which is why I picked up Matchup to read. Very well done. Might there be another anthology in the works?
Typical and enjoyable Lee Child. Can’t get enough of Jack Reacher.
Most of the short stories were clevely done and enjoyable. The thing I enjoyed most was being introduced to autors I’ve never read before. Hopefully, I’ve found some new authors whose works I believe I will enjoy.
Fun to see these famous characters interact with each other.
Great way to be introduced to new authors, characters
Love Diane Gabaldon and how find a new author in Steve Berry. Love their calibration – love this story!
I loved the idea of pairing up authors that have not worked together before for many diverse stories.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
This is a collection of short stories, each written by a duo of popular mystery/thriller/crime authors (John Sandford, Kathy Reichs, Nelson DeMille, Lisa Scottoline and J. A. Jance are the ones I’ve previously read, to name a few.) I missed the first collection, FaceOff, and will need to add that to my reading list. In this collection, the twist is that the authors are paired by opposite gender. The result is an entertaining collection of tales, each very different from the others. The authors have taken one of their characters, each strong on their own, and skillfully woven a story featuring both characters. The duos did a great job of blending their writing styles and their characters so neither was dominant over the other. Skillful storytelling!
Sometimes short stories are unsatisfying, but this collection was engaging. This is an enjoyable book to read when you only have snatches of time to devote. Take it to the beach!
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I enjoyed a few of these stories very much, though I only read this anthology because of Lara Adrian’s involvement. I freely admit that suspense and thrillers are not my cup of tea, but I enjoyed the book well enough.
The only story I was interested in was Prologue which I thoroughly enjoyed.
The stories are quite good; but if you haven’t read books by each author, you miss the fun of matching 2 characters in the story.