I received an e-ARC of this collection of short stories through NetGalley and Simon & Schuster. Thank you.

The connection point for all the authors in this anthology is that they are members of the International Thriller Writers group. In this collection each story is a collaboration between a male and a female writer. The stories also often result in having a female and a male protagonist. Some of the authors requested to work with a specific author, the others were paired with someone they knew but had not worked with before. Some were familiar with writing short stories, for some it was their first venture into that territory but they had been given the chance to work with an author who had short story experience. I already had two authors in the list of twenty-two which I consider favorites, I found five more I could add to my list for checking out their books. Seven out of twenty-two wasn't quite as many as I had hoped for.

One of the problems I encountered was that one of the main characters in each story seemed to dominate the story. I would have expected an author who had a character strong enough to carry an entire novel, or even a series of novels, to have as much of a strong influence in a short story. Maybe it was just my perception that so many of the stories had one weak and one stronger character. Most of the stories are contemporary in nature with private investigators and members of some aspect of law enforcement being the predominant reason for their involvement in solving the crime. There is one time travel story and one which has a paranormal element and I was surprised to find that these were two of my least favorite offerings even though I enjoy reading paranormal suspense.

There is good representation of the thriller short story presented here. I liked that I felt very comfortable putting the collection down after reading only several stories (which usually is a signal for trouble with liking the book for me) and then picking it back up to read one or two more without losing interest in the overall book. Each story is preceded by an introduction by Lee Child giving the background of how the two authors in a story were placed together and a brief detail of how they picked the basic idea of their story and what method they used in writing the collaboration. There are biographical sketches of each author in the back of the book. Ultimately this was a pleasant reading experience and I found some authors/main characters I want to explore further. That has to be regarded as a success for the project.

This is a collection of short stories. Each story is a collaboration between 2 authors, which is an interesting concept. The stories cover multiple genres so there is something for everyone here. There are too many stories to review each individually, but I will say most were good, some better than others. If you don't have time to sit down and read a full length book this is the perfect solution for you. It also gives you the perfect opportunity to try a new author. Thank you to net galley for an advanced copy.

I love these collections. Some days it’s so hard to find time to block out the rest of the world & disappear into a great book. With these shorties, you can spend 20 minutes in your favourite hiding spot & enjoy a complete story from some of the best known thriller writers.

Each is a collaboration between 2 authors & there are some interesting pairs here. There are 11 tales in all, representing a diverse range of sub genres…..contemporary, historical, paranormal, romance & pure crime. Everyone will have their personal favs so I won’t review them all. Instead, here are some random thoughts & my top 3 picks.

If you read thrillers at all you’re going to recognize these iconic characters who have become just as famous as their creators. Dr.Temperance Brennan, Cotton Malone, Reacher, Carol Jordan & Roy Grace are just a few. But I bet you didn’t expect to run across John Rambo (yes, THAT Rambo…). Even that F**kin’ Flowers puts down his fishing rod long enough to get in on the action. And for every reader who swoons when Jamie Fraser walks by, kilt a-swinging…...well, nuff said.

My picks were “Faking a Murderer” starring Dr. Temperance Brennan & Jack Reacher; “Deserves to be Dead” featuring Virgil Flowers & Regan Pescoli; and “Short Story” with Joe Pritchard & a young Jeffrey Tolliver.

As with all collections, some of the collaborations are more successful than others but the list of winners will vary from reader to reader. As much as I enjoy catching up with “old friends”, this is also a great way to try on a new-to-you author & maybe find another series to add to your groaning TBR pile.

MATCHUP:EDITED BY LEE CHILD takes the best of the best when it comes to mystery/thriller/suspense authors (male & female) and matches them together to come up with some really great short stories. Each writer has taken their time out of creating their individual series to create these short stories for us, the reader. I sailed thru this book because of my love of each of these stories. Long enough to develop the plots well but short enough to be in this book.

A must read for any mystery lover.

I recieved this book free from netgalley in exchange for an open and honest review.

With so many of my favorite authors, there was no way this book could be bad! Matching up authors and their main characters was a brilliant idea. My favorite had to be Cotton Malone and Jamie Fraser. Love both of the characters and seeing them together was wonderful!

Fun to read stories by some of favorite authors matched up with others. The various characters coming together put an interesting spin on the stories.

As with most anthologies, there are some good and some not so good selections. However, this collection was all good. The selection of authors as well as storylines kept me interested throughout. A collection that I would recommend to all.

A mashup of creative ways to die and catch a killer. All your favorite thriller and mystery artists in one short story anthology. It's as much fun to read about the author backgrounds and collaborations as the stories themselves.

I picked this up for one purpose which was to read the Diana Gabaldon short story. I have to say, as a story, it was interesting, but I was a bit disappointed that there Jamie Fraser wasn't the focus. In fact, he hardly appeared at all. Those who know the Outlander story will recognize what is happening and for that, it was interesting, but if you're looking for a Jamie Fraser fix, you'll likely be disappointed.

Although I haven't read a number of the authors featured let alone been introduced to their characters, this 'match up' teases glimpses of each iconic character in short story form. An excellent idea that whets your appetite for more. The pages turn at an alarming pace and after an interesting introduction by Lee Child, we dive straight in. Iconic and unforgettable female characters share pages with their male counterparts. Each story grips from the off and this is a worthy sequel to the mega successful Face Off. Standouts are Kathy Reichs and Lee Child as well as Lisa Jackson and John Sanford. A highly recommended read. Don't be surprised if after reading this collection you find yourself ordering each authors back catalogue.

I absolutely love these anthologies from my favorite authors. This one will not disappoint! I am not sure which one was the best collaboration. Too hard to choose

Full review to be published online in early June.

MATCHUP is a sequel of sorts to 'Faceoff' and is another anthology of short story collaborations pairing some well know authors across genres.This time it's eleven female authors and eleven male authors paired up with their series characters for a short story meet and solve. As with any anthology, some stories work better than others. Still, it’s very nice when well known characters meet up; and to read another author’s take on a beloved character. As with any two people, some get along well, and others rub on each others nerves.

Probably my favorites of the anthology are the stories by Lee Child, Charlaine Harris, Diana Gabaldon, Kathy Reichs, Sandra Brown, and John Sandford. There were a couple of stories that stood out for me – Regan Pescoli and Lucas Davenport in “Deserves to be Dead” by Lisa Jackson and John Sandford; and Temperance Brennan and Jack Reacher in “Faking a Murderer” by Kathy Reichs and Lee Child.

Most of the stories were very good, and all stories quite readable/enjoyable.