This “highly recommended” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) collection edited by New York Times bestselling author Lee Child pairs the beloved characters of 22 internationally bestselling writers in “a must-read for fans of the thriller genre. Very rarely does this kind of star power assemble for one anthology, and each story delivers the goods” (TheRealBookSpy.com).

The incredible follow-up to FACEOFF features 22 of the world’s bestselling and critically acclaimed thriller writers pairing their series characters in an 11-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 11 of the world’s best female thriller writers from Diana Gabaldon to Kathy Reichs to Charlaine Harris are paired with 11 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’ Roy Grace
• Kathy Reichs’ Temperance Brennan vs. Lee Child’s Jack Reacher
• Diana Gabaldon’s Jamie Fraser vs. Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone
• Gayle Lynds’ Liz Sansborough vs. David Morrell’s Rambo
• Karin Slaughter’s Jeffrey Tolliver vs. Michael Koryta’s Joe Pritchard
• Charlaine Harris’ Harper Connelly vs. Andrew Gross’ 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

Audiobook available; read by Laura Benanti, Dennis Boutsikaris, Gerard Doyle, Linda Emond, January LaVoy, Robert Petkoff, Jay O. Sanders, CJ Wilson and Karen Ziemba