What an awesome collection of suspense novels by some of the very best suspense authors.  There is something for everyone in this set.  I highly recommend to lovers of suspense books.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Lee Child (editor), and Simon & Schuster for providing me with a copy of this book, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

When asked to take the editorial lead in the latest International Thriller Writers (ITW) anthology, Lee Child jumped at the opportunity. What might be daunting for some--herding twenty-two well-known authors together like feral cats--turned out to be a great pleasure for Child and, in the end, the reader. This compilation pits writers into teams of two to concoct a wonderful series of short stories. Each author was asked to bring their 'A' game and a favourite protagonist, in hopes that having to share the page (and the locale of each story), which ended up being a little more difficult than simply parachuting characters together. Child's other hurdle was to place a male and female author together, a 'matchup' of epic proportions, to see how they could work together. The end result saw readers treated to the 'what if' of forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan working alongside ever-travelling Jack Reacher; bibliophile Cotton Malone living history and the standing stones through which Claire Randall met her beloved in Scotland; and Philly lawyer, Bennie Rosato, crossing paths with the King of Sarcastic Comments, John Corey. Where else would you find a Minnesota cop who wants to fish in the middle of a major crime bust at a cabin in Montana, or a woman who speaks to the dead through their buried bones outside of Alexandria? Child is able not only to find the ideal matches for this anthology, but also sends the reader into a tailspin as they are presented with a number of never before thought-out possible storylines. Child is masterful, though a great deal of praise must go to all who took the time and effort to pen eleven wonderful stories. Surely something of a summer gift for the reader to enjoy poolside.

I have always enjoyed collections such as these, especially when the ITW gang comes out to play. There are so many out there and since the genre is so wide, one is never entirely sure what to expect. Child presents these stories in no particularly themed order, but the end result turns out to be something that is high octane from start to finish. While I tend to gravitate to the crime and legal thrillers, there are many that push outside of my comfort zone, though I cannot find a single story that did not captivate me, even when the narrative flirted with the paranormal. I have a large 'to be read' list, but reading these stories has left me wondering if I ought to check out some new authors and their characters, as they intrigued me, even during the brief encounter of a short story. Pitting sub-genres against one another and character professions that were sure to clash, these authors ironed out the difficulties and left the reader with a polished product, perfectly balanced and ready for easy literary consumption. While I could have read these stories for hundreds of more pages, I realise that there is a limit to the number of submissions and authors used, though I am eager to see what is next for the ITW in the years to come.

Kudos, Mr. Child, et al. for such a great anthology. I am hooked to these collections and love the cross-section of story writer that emerges from these classic matchups. Please keep sharpening your skills for the next editorial call out that is sure to arise.

What an absolutely wonderful read!

Matchup is a thriller anthology edited by Lee Child, one of my personal favorites, where 23 of the best of the best thriller writers today have matched up to write a short story. 

The fun thing is it’s 11 female and 11 male authors who've teamed up to write a brand new story with their most iconic characters. Wow, does this make for some thrilling crime solving and excellent story telling!

Some of the authors and their characters were already my favorites but there were other authors I had never read, so this was a great introduction to their work—I will definitely be adding some of their works to my to-read pile!

I especially loved the seamless way the stories unfolded. All the authors worked so well together that if I had not known the short stories were collaborations, I could easily have assumed one author wrote each story. 

“Faking a Murderer” by Lee Child and Kathy Reichs probably my favorite! I love both Jack Reacher and Temperance Brennan, so it was great to see the two characters work together to solve a murder. “Past Prologue” by Diana Gabaldon and Steve Berry was another great read, especially with the time travel element introduced through Gabaldon’s character Jamie Fraser combined with Berry’s Cotton Malone although I would have loved to have more Jamie Fraser in the story. I’m a huge fan of Lisa Scottoline’s character Bennie Rosato, but I had never read anything by Nelson DeMille. After reading their short story "Getaway”, I’m a fan of both Demille and his character John Corey; it was a great, fast-paced, engaging mystery! 

There are others that I can list that I loved: “Short Story” by Karin Slaughter and Michael Koryta, which was another new experience since I’d never read anything by Kortyta but am a huge Slaughter fan; “Dig Here” by Charlaine Harris and Andrew Gross, both authors I’m huge fans of; “Deserves to be Dead” by Lisa Jackson and John Sandford, again two of my favorite authors.

This is a perfect anthology for any thriller fan since you can spend about 20 minutes on one story and get lost in a thrilling adventure! Many stories in the anthology are excellent, none are bad, and all are highly enjoyable and masterfully written! 

Definitely 5 Stars of great fun!

I want to thank NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and the authors for providing me with an advanced copy of MatchUp to read in exchange for my fair and honest review.

MatchUp by Lee Child
MatchUp
by Lee Child (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Charlaine Harris (Goodreads Author), John Sandford, Kathy Reichs (Goodreads Author), Eric Van Lustbader, Gayle Lynds (Goodreads Author), Nelson DeMille (Goodreads Author), Lisa Jackson (Goodreads Author) , more…
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Lou Jacobs's review
May 08, 2017  ·  edit

it was amazing
bookshelves: currently-reading, matchup

What a marvelous anthology of Original stories .... 11 female and 11 male authors are paired together along with their respective iconic characters .... all writers represent the most accomplished of their genre - the Thriller. What results is a chance to pair-up some of the genre's most beloved protagonists .... and in 20 to 40 minutes of reading an enjoyable adventure is unfolded.
Naturally, as with all collections, some stories are "home runs" and others go for "single & doubles" ... but, most are for "extra bases". Where else can you have your beloved characters encounter other iconic characters! .... Dr Temperance Brennan is aided by Jack Reacher .... Liz Sansborough is benefited with the Myth of "RAMBO" .... Bennie Rosato is teamed up with John Corey .... and Lucan Thorne encounted "Lilliane" ... AMAZING!!
This also provides readers with NEW characters and authors to discover .... I received an e-ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review .... What a FUN READ !!! ....

Just like Face Off from 2015, Match Up pairs thriller writers and their characters in a series of short stories.  I really enjoyed the interaction of some of my favorite characters with each other and the creative way the authors wove them into their stories.  Just like with Face Off I discovered a couple of new authors to read. Highly recommended, especially for fans of the featured authors.

This book is an absolute treasure chest filled with gems! I have never read a book of short stories that was so much fun to read and so skillfully written. The teaming of some of the most accomplished thriller writers is a winning combination. This year they paired male and female writers to jointly write the stories. Every story is excellent! Anyone who loves thrillers will certainly love this book. Highly recommended!

Thanks to the authors and to Simon & Schuster through NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

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.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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.

Jack Reacher and Temperance Brennan in one story! There is nothing else that needs an be said.  The only way ego make this any better it's too make it longer!

"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.

Great book! I loved the first book, FACE OFF, and this one was almost just as good. What made this one so great was the story RAMBO ON THEIR MINDS by Gayle Lynds and David Morrell which teams up Rambo and Liz Sansborough and the story FAKING A MURDERER by Lee Child and Kathy Reichs featuring Jack Reacher and Temperance Brennan.

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.