Book Review: 'Matchup' Pairs Bestselling Mystery Authors in a Short Story Anthology Worth Reading

Book Review: Matchup Pairs Bestselling Authors in a Short Story Anthology Worth Reading

As a fan of the mystery and thriller genres, I was excited to receive a copy of Matchup to review. It proved to be an exciting read.

Edited by writer Lee Child, this book is a follow-up to the New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller FaceOff. It features 22 of the genres’ best writers pairing off to write short stories featuring some of their best known characters.

The twist? The list features 11 female authors including Diana Gabaldon, Kathy Reichs, Lisa Scottoline, and Charlaine Harris, paired with 11 male authors including Nelson DeMille, John Sanford, Christopher Rice, and Child, himself.

Some of my favorite stories were pairings of Temperance Brennan and Jack Reacher (Reichs and Child), Regan Pescoli and Virgil Flowers (Lisa Jackson and Sanford), and the paranormal teaming of Lucan Thorne and Lilliane (Lara Adrian and Christopher Rice).

I also appreciated that each story was introduced by a short explanation of how the writers paired up and wrote the story, and how they chose which characters to use.

I didn’t love every story, but there were enough that I did to make this book a must-read. It even introduced me to a few authors that I plan to check out further.

Matchup is a new release available in hardcover and ebook formats.

Disclaimer: I received a ebook copy of Matchup for review purposes from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other way. My opinion is honest, and as always, my own.

Disclaimer: This post uses Amazon affiliate links. It doesn’t add anything to your cost, but helps pay for this site to operate, should you choose to purchase something. Thanks!

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I'm Michelle Snow, the writer and creator of Zengrrl. I write about travel, entertainment, women's issues, health, body positivity, and more, both for this blog and freelance. I have also authored/co-authored four guidebooks on Orlando and Florida. If you aren't already following me, the links are below, as well as on the top right of this page. Thanks!