MatchUp

By: Lee Child, Val McDermid, Charlaine Harris, John Sandford, Kathy Reichs, Eric Van Lustbader, Gayle Lynds, Nelson DeMille, Lisa Jackson, Sandra Brown, Christopher Rice, J.A. Jance, Lisa Scottoline, C. J. Box, Steve Berry

Narrated by: Lee Child, Jay O. Sanders, Linda Emond, Dennis Boutsikaris

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” (The Real Book 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

Matchup review

I really didn't like most of the stories ...they seemed to end abruptly. But thus book might be someone else's cup of tea.

Nice Mix of Stories!

I enjoyed all the stories. Some narrators were better than others, but none of them annoyed me. Some stories we're very short, which I found a little disappointing.

Favorite characters working together

I know the whole purpose is short stories but I’d love having longer stories where my favorite characters are working together

Spellbinding

I Originally purchased this because of the short story past prologue by Diana Gabaldon, but was totally enthralled by each and every short story. What a delightful premise. Having been an avid reader of many of the authors It was a delight to listen to all of the stories. I recommend this highly.

Engaging Shorts

I found Several favorites in this collection with drama, suspense and especially, footloose humor (hint).