MatchUp
edited by Lee Child
Simon & Schuster
Pub Jun 2017  

In case you missed it, as I did, the International Thriller Writers (ITW) published a clever and entertaining anthology of specially-written short stories in 2014, Faceoff.  The fresh approach derived from iconic characters of mystery / suspense / thriller series (think Harry Bosch, Jack Reacher, and Lincoln Rhyme) paired up to solve a new and mutual challenge.

Matchup is the second such anthology, and this time the pairings involve "the battle of the sexes" (think Diana Gabaldon and Steve Berry, Kathy Reichs and Lee Child).

Both collections are fun, clever, and evocative for readers of these renowned authors.

But both require a new approach to reading:  an anthology literacy, if you will, that changes how readers approach the book.

What's different about this book?
Short-story reading has always been something of a "choose your own" process where the reader can decide which, if any (or all) of the stories gets read.  These titles complicate things a little:  Choices have to be made according to which of the iconic characters you want to follow, and the best entertainment results when both authors, both iconic figures, are well-known to the reader.  The result in such cases is a delightful adventure of much-loved characters with the catalyst of an equally loved character offering a third-person perspective of that character.

If that sounds confusing, it's not.  It's a great ride!

One unexpected benefit is meeting NEW icons in the thriller setting - and deciding to perhaps pursue that author's series as well as the ones held dear.

What I'll do now that I've read it
It's a no-brainer: For every library patron that loves a particular thriller series, there is double or triple the potential that the patron will enjoy the pairings, and even expand the reading focus.

ITW, never an organization to do things by the book, has hit upon a genius plan to fund the group's work (it doesn't charge member dues) and to reward the authors' readers as well.  Both Faceoff and Matchup belong in the collection of libraries where mystery / suspense / thriller books are popular.  Or where they might become popular.

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Matchup is a collection of short thrillers, but with a twist. Each story pairs a male and female author and takes one of their most famous characters and matches them up in a brand new story.

Some of the most iconic characters come together to solve crimes in this anthology, and what makes it remarkable is that the characters span different decades or even species, yet the authors make it work. Joe Pickett and Lee Coburn start the collection with gunshots fired in a ranger's park. Footloose brings us a story of a foot fetish gone wrong. Jack Reacher and Temperance Brennan team up when one of them is falsely accused of murder. Past Prologue gives us an intriguing look at what could happen with time travel and artefacts being passed through the centuries. Liz Sansborough gets help from Rambo in solving a crime in a unique way. Short Story is certainly not that at all, being the longest in the collection, but cuts an interesting take on a scam gone wrong. Harper Connelly uses her mystical ability to speak to the bones of the dead to change sceptic Ty Hauck's mind. Deserves to be Dead follows a case of mistaken identity and abuse. Lucan Thorne and Lilliane Williams work together to make sure that humans are not able to prove the existence of supernatural creatures. Getaway is anything but a vacation, since secrets lurk in the woods. Bravo Shaw and Ali Reynolds close the collection and find themselves retrieving a religious relic while dodging those who would kill to claim it.

I really enjoyed this matchup of stories. Even though all of the stories are crime thrillers the authors came in from different angles and looked at crime in different ways. The partnerships among the authors created almost seamless transitions between the writing styles and nowhere was it blatantly obvious that it was a collaboration. I truly admire the way they were able to blend characters together that in some instances would never have been in the same time period let alone part of the world.

This is a highly recommended collection and many thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

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.

"Matchup" -- an anthology by multiple mystery writers and edited by Lee Child

What an amazing group of authors, such varied mystery novellas, and such wonderful stories written for the main characters of each author.

I truly enjoyed this anthology as much for its writing and authors, as for its variety and extremely engaging plot lines.

Rating: 4.5

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"Honor &" by Sandra Brown and C.J Box.

Absolutely loved the characters and the story line. These two authors did a great job of bringing their own main characters together in a wonderful and engaging way.

Rating: 4.5
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"Footloose" by Val Mcdermid and Peter James

An interesting story, but one which was somewhat confusing to follow and one that was not able to hold my attention.

Rating: 3.0
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"Faking A Murderer" by Lee Child and Kathy Reichs

What a phenomenal story!! Extremely well written, great use of each authors main character and an enthralling read.

Rating: 4.8
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"Past Prologue" by Diana Gabeldon and Steve Berry

What an interesting story and a great way to combine the time travel concept of Gabeldon and the present by Berry. Great characters and an engaging novella.

Rating: 4.0
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"Rambo On Their Minds" by Gayle Lynds and David Morrell

An engaging and interesting read. Wonderful uses of Rambo and of Gayles characters, as well. Truly enjoyed this novella as much for the characters and stories as its Rambo references.

Rating: 4.2
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"Short Story" by Karen Slaughter and Michael Koryta

What an enthralling story. I loved the characters, flaws and all. I loved how the authors brought them all together and the mystery within the story while dealing with the nefarious ones. Well written and a novella any mystery lover would enjoy.

Rating: 4.4
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"Dig Here" by Charlaine Harris and Andrew Gross

Such a unique idea for a storyline and what an inspiring way of using the author's different main characters. Greece carries such history of present and past and this engaging story truly brings them together. Another great read in this anthology and a great read on its own.

Rating: 4.6
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"Deserves to be Dead" by Lisa Jackson and John Sandford

Loved it!! What an engaging novella. I loved the way the authors used the two main characters and how they played off one another to take simple events and turn them into something big!!

Rating: 4.5
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"Midnight Flame" by Lara Adrian and Christopher Rice

While paranormal is not my favorite subgenre, these two authors created a novella which was engaging and interesting and one I enjoyed.

Rating: 4.0
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"Getaway" by Lisa Scottoline and Nelson Demille

Funny, mysterious, and very engaging. Scottoline and Demille did great justice to their main characters and the plot line...

Rating: 4.7
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"Taking the Veil" by J.A Jance and Eric Van Lustbader

Wow!! What a fun and engaging plot line with a very interesting use of the author's characters. I truly enjoyed this novella and found all aspects of it quite interesting. (Plus I loved all the different references to Arizona...)

Rating: 4.6
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What a great anthology of short stories featuring some wonderful collaborations of well known writers from several genres. The stories are all a perfect length and well written. You'll recognize some of their most famous characters. A perfect gift for all readers.

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.

Matchup is a collection of short stories, written in male/female pairs, by world class thriller novelists. Somehow they manage to write the stories together, each having their signature character team up with the other’s signature character. And it works. Boy, does it work!

The stories range from thriller, of course, all the way to oddly humorous with everything in between. Naturally, I enjoyed some more than others but they were all good; many excellent. For me, the best part about this format was discovering new authors. I’ve already lined up my next read – from a new (to me anyway) author who was paired with one of my all-time favorites.

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.