April 7, 2014
A clever concept distinguishes this anthology sponsored by the International Thriller Writers. Each of the 11 stories pairs well-known series characters created by different authors, sometimes in adversarial but more often in collegial ways, and almost always effectively. Complementary heroes include John Lescroart’s Wyatt Hunt and T. Jefferson Parker’s Joe Trona, who share adventure in “Silent Hunt.” Others are far-from-obvious matches, like Jeffery Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme and John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport, who join forces in the longest entry, “Rhymes with Prey.” Steve Martini’s prosecutor Paul Madriani and Linda Fairstein’s defense attorney cross swords in “Surfing the Panther,” but end up wielding their weapons for the same cause. The strangest pairing is in “Gaslighted,” featuring R.L. Stine’s ventriloquist dummy, Slappy, and Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s FBI agent, Aloysius Pendergast. Other notable duos include Lee Child’s Jack Reacher with Joseph Finder’s Nick Heller in “Good and Valuable Consideration”; M.J. Rose’s Malachai Samuels and Lisa Gardner’s D.D. Warren in “The Laughing Buddha”; and Ian Rankin’s John Rebus with Peter James’s Roy Grace in “In the Nick of Time.” This idea is so good it demands a sequel, perhaps one that reaches beyond the U.S., the U.K., and Canada for contributors. Agent: Dan Conaway, Writers House.

July 28, 2014
This anthology, in which members of the International Thriller Writers society double up on 11 short mysteries featuring their famous protagonists in tandem, is both gimmicky and intriguing—and surprisingly testosterone-soaked. All but two of the tales feature male bonding. Dennis Boutsikaris’s tough, verging-on-cynical voice stands in for the lion’s share of the protagonists, including Jeffrey Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme and John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport, in the longest, and most entertaining, entry, “Rhymes with Prey.” Narrator Dylan Baker scores with two fantasy-mystery duets, adding Southern-tinged sarcasm to “Infernal Night,” in which F. Paul Wilson’s Repairman Jack and Heather Graham’s Michael Quinn meet in a New Orleans cemetery, then using a suspenseful whisper for “Gaslighted,” a nightmarish thriller with Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s Aloysius Pendergast and Slappy, R.L. Stine’s ventriloquist’s dummy—by far the anthology’s oddest coupling. Narrator January LaVoy easily handles the women protagonists; she adds a thick Boston accent to Det. D.D. Warren and a brittle, energetic pacing for a N.Y.C. prosecutor. A Simon & Schuster hardcover.

July 1, 2014
Dennis Lehane's Patrick Kenzie, Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch, Ian Rankin's John Rebus and Lee Child's Jack Reacher are among the popular sleuths who mix it up in this story anthology from the International Thriller Writers trade group.Editor Baldacci stages 11 collaborations between leading mystery writers. Some of the character pairings are logical: It's easy enough for Rebus to travel from Edinburgh to London to collaborate with Peter James' Roy Grace on an odd cold case-an ailing survivor of the 1960s gang wars between the Mods and Rockers wants to be tried for a murder he says he committed back then. But a humorous meeting between the eternally wandering Reacher and Joseph Finder's Boston investigator Nick Heller is sheer happenstance. They end up in a Beantown bar seated on opposite sides of a nervous Joe whose life has been threatened by Albanian mobsters. Being that many of these authors have rather similar styles, blending them is less of a challenge than one might think. Ultimately, the appeal of the stories depends on the liveliness of the writing. Among the winners is a pairing of Jeffery Deaver's forensic specialist Lincoln Rhyme (and partner Amelia Sachs) and John Sandford's profiler Lucas Davenport (and Lily Rothenburg) on a case involving a sadistic sex criminal. Another standout brings together lesser-known figures: Raymond Khoury's FBI man Sean Reilly and Linwood Barclay's building contractor Glen Garber (used only once before). The other duos are R.L. Stine (bringing a fictional wild card to the party with Slappy the Ventriloquist Dummy) and Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child; M.J. Rose and Lisa Gardner; Steve Martini and Linda Fairstein; Heather Graham and F. Paul Wilson; John Lescroart and T. Jefferson Parker; and Steve Berry and James Rollins.Promoting "face-offs" pitting one author against another makes no sense since the goal here is cohesion. That said, this anthology handles its concept well.

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May 1, 2014
Baldacci and the International Thriller Writers have cobbled together what can only be called a thriller reader's ultimate fantasy. How cool would it be if a pair of celebrated crime-fiction protagonists, the creations of different authors, teamed up together on a case, in a story jointly penned by the two writers? Even if it was just 1 pair, it would be pretty darn cool, but 11 pairs? Way cool. Start with the dream duo of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch and Dennis Lehane's Patrick Kenzie. Bosch is in Boston working a 15-year-old murder case when he spots another guy staking out the suspect's address; naturally, the other guy is Kenzie. Another stellar pairing finds John Sandford's Lucas Davenport, a world-class wiseass, joining forces with Jeffrey Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme, who doesn't suffer fools, gladly or otherwise. Other notable pairings include Lee Child's Jack Reacher teamed with Joseph Finder's Nick Heller, and Ian Rankin's John Rebus alongside Peter James' Roy Grace. Baldacci includes backstory for each entry and biographies of all the contributors. Great fun for thriller fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

Starred review from May 15, 2014

Since 2006, the International Thriller Writers (ITW) organization has published multiple anthologies (Thriller, edited by James Patterson; Love Is Murder, edited by Sandra Brown) and audiobooks to become self-supporting. This one-of-a-kind collection consists of 11 stories featuring 22 authors--all ITW members--who pair off to present their iconic characters together in the same tale, whether a mystery, a courtroom drama, or an edge-of-your-seat, fast-paced thriller, with rip-roaring success. Lee Child's Jack Reacher and Joseph Finder's Nick Heller tag-team an interception with disaster while watching baseball on TV in a bar. Dennis Lehane's Patrick Kenzie joins Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch on a cold case in Boston. In the story written by R.L. Stine, with Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, Slappy the ventriloquist dummy is pitted against Aloysius Pendergast in a disturbing psychological thriller. Steve Martini writes with Linda Fairstein to unite Paul Madriani and Alexandra Cooper in a drama about a stolen statue. VERDICT This concept for an anthology is unique, and readers familiar with the characters will jump right into these stories. For new readers, Baldacci includes an introduction to each story that quickly defines the main players. Highly recommended for all!--Susan Carr, Edwardsville P.L., IL

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