MatchUp / edited by Lee Child.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

In this incredible follow-up to the New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller FaceOff , twenty-two of the world's most popular thriller writers come together for an unforgettable anthology.

MatchUp takes the never-before-seen bestseller pairings of FaceOff and adds a delicious new twist: gender. Eleven of the world's best female thriller writers from Diana Gabaldon to Charlaine Harris are paired with eleven of the world's best male thriller writers, including John Sandford, C.J. Box, and Nelson DeMille. The stories are edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child and feature:

-Lee Coburn and Joe Pickett in "Honor & ..." by Sandra Brown and C.J. Box
-Tony Hill and Roy Grace in "Footloose" by Val McDermid and Peter James
-Temperance Brennan and Jack Reacher in "Faking a Murderer" by Kathy Reichs and Lee Child
-Jamie Fraser and Cotton Malone in "Past Prologue" by Diana Gabaldon and Steve Berry
-Liz Sansborough and Rambo in "Rambo on Their Minds" by Gayle Lynds and David Morrell
-Jeffrey Tolliver and Joe Pritchard in "Short Story" by Karin Slaughter and Michael Koryta
-Harper Connelly and Ty Hauck in "Dig Here" by Charlaine Harris and Andrew Gross
-Regan Pescoli and Virgil Flowers in "Deserves to be Dead" by Lisa Jackson and John Sandford
-Lucan Thorne and Lilliane in "Midnight Flame" by Lara Adrian and Christopher Rice
-Bennie Rosato and John Corey in "Getaway" by Lisa Scottoline and Nelson DeMille
-Ali Reynolds and Bravo Shaw in "Taking the Veil" by J.A. Jance and Eric Van Lustbader

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

MatchUp SANDRA BROWN AND C. J. BOX SANDRA BROWN BEGAN WRITING IN 1981. Before that she worked as a model and in television, including weathercasting and feature reporting on the nationally syndicated program PM Magazine. And though she's published over seventy novels, with over eighty million copies in print worldwide, she admits to one handicap. She's short story challenged. "It's just not something I've written a whole lot of," she says. Luckily, C. J. Box does not suffer from that affliction, which made him the perfect partner for Sandra. Chuck is a Wyoming native and has worked as a ranch hand, surveyor, fishing guide, and small-town newspaper reporter, and he's even owned an international tourism marketing firm. He has over twenty novels to his credit, and short stories are not unfamiliar. He also has a character, Joe Pickett, so the idea was to connect Sandra's Lee Coburn with Pickett. By a stroke of great luck, at the end of Sandra's 2011 novel Lethal, Coburn ended up in, of all places, Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Which is Joe Pickett country. Talk about fate. Everything just got easier after that. Together, Sandra and Chuck plotted the story. Then Chuck wrote the first draft and sent it to Sandra for an edit and rewrite. They went back and forth, until both were pleased with the outcome. Chuck's comment summed it all up. "Sandra was a dream to work with it." You're going to like this unexpected encounter between two of the most rugged protagonists out there today. Both harken back to another time, and the story's title poses an interesting question. Honor & . . . Excerpted from Matchup: The Battle of the Sexes Just Got Thrilling 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, Peter James, Michael Koryta, Diana Gabaldon, David Morrell, Karin Slaughter, Andrew Gross, Lara Adrian All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

The International Thriller Writers's new short story anthology has top authors this time pairing their male and female series characters. Reading about our favorite protagonists should be entertaining, assuming they play well together. (LJ 5/1/17) © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Each of the 11 collaborative tales in this stellar sequel to the International Thriller Writers' anthology FaceOff (2014) pairs a top-rank female thriller writer with a male counterpart. Sandra Brown's Lee Coburn and C.J. Box's Joe Pickett send testosterone levels soaring in "Honor &...". British authors Val McDermid (known for Det. Chief Insp. Carol Jordan) and Peter James (Det. Supt. Roy Grace) match witticisms as they seek a foot fetishist criminal in "Footloose." Child's Jack Reacher's past and Kathy Reich's forensic expert Dr. Temperance Brennan's present bring the two together in "Faking a Murderer." In "Midnight Flame," Lara Adrian's vampire Lucan Thorne and Christopher Rice's Lilliane meet in New Orleans in an adventure that threatens both their paranormal tribes. Other notable pairings include Diana Gabaldon (Jamie Fraser) and Steve Berry (Cotton Malone), Lisa Jackson (Regan Pescoli) and John Sandford (Virgil Flowers), and Gayle Lynds (Liz Sansborough) and David Morrell (Rambo). Child provides a brief, cogent intro to each selection. Highly recommended as entertainment, this anthology is a great place to start if you've not yet sampled some of these authors. Agent: Dan Conaway, Writers House. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Review

After the success of the International Thriller Writers' first short story anthology, -FaceOff, the organization continues the series. Twenty-two best-selling authors are grouped into 11 male/female pairings, with each team crafting a work that stars both writers' well-known protagonists. Some of the combinations are more effective than others, such as a tale in which Child's Jack Reacher helps vindicate Kathy Reichs's Temperance Brennan in "Faking a Murderer." But some are a stretch. In "Past Prologue," Steve Berry's Cotton Malone falls through the stones of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander world to meet Jamie Fraser 10 years after the Scottish rebellion. Child introduces each piece with a description of the team's writing process. The authors have varying levels of experience with the short story format, and some had never collaborated with another writer before. The familiar characters will entice thriller fans, who may also meet new characters and authors. VERDICT Purchase where adult series thrillers are popular-this is a remarkably strong and exciting collection.-Sarah Hill, Lake Land College, Mattoon, IL © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Think Dancing with the Stars, but with mysteries. In this 11-entry compilation, each story is by a duo of famous authors and features their most beloved characters. Thus, in one of the creepier stories, Val McDermid's Tony Hill and Peter James' Roy Grace find themselves working out the details behind a pair of feet and a footless body in Faking a Murderer; in another, Kathy Reichs' Temperance Brennan is accused of murder, and Lee Child's Jack Reacher steps in. Most of the stories are police procedurals with some action elements, depending on the author; the odd tales out are a time-traveling historical mystery and a supernatural story, which, in perhaps a something to please everyone effort, will make the collection a little less appealing to its core audience of procedural fans. Still, these authors enjoy a huge following in libraries, and patrons will scramble to read the collection, which offers some delicious pairings. No need to stretch for RA ideas here; the authors' previous works will send this one flying off the shelf.--Verma, Henrietta Copyright 2017 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

Even readers who don't love short stories will find this anthology, starring some of the world's best-known thriller writers and most-loved characters, appealing and varied.Edited by Jack Reacher's creator, this book pairs male and female writers and asks them to come up with stories showcasing characters from both of their literary worlds. The latest in a series of anthologies that supports the organization International Thriller Writers (FaceOff, 2014, etc.), this book taps into the talents of some of the best in the genre. Lisa Jackson's Regan Pescoli teams up with John Sanford's immortal Virgil Flowers while Kathy Reichs and her Temperance Brennan combine forces with Reacher: this anthology is a treasure trove of likely and unlikely matches that somehow hit all the right notes. Although each reader will have personal preferences, the Karin Slaughter-Michael Koryta entry with a young Jeffrey Tolliver crossing paths with the team of Joe Pritchard and Lincoln Perry in a 1993 case takes home the gold with its witty asides, solid plot, and imaginative approach. As with most anthologies, some stories are more memorable than others, but there's not a "meh" tale in the bunch. Editor Child pulls back the curtain by prefacing each story with a short introduction explaining how the writers paired off and what their writing process entailed. This glimpse of the creative process reveals not only how the authors approached their tasks, but how some (such as Gayle Lynds and David Morrell) found inventive solutions that allowed them to combine characters who, under most circumstances, couldn't appear in the same tale. Other pairs add an unexpected touch of time travel (Diana Gabaldon and Steve Berry) as well as some paranormal activity (Lara Adrian and Christopher Rice) to the mix. This box holds a chocolate or two that will be to everyone's liking. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.