Review + Blog Tour: FACEOFF Anthology Edited by David Baldacci

FACEOFF

EDITED BY 

DAVID BALDACCI

For the first time ever 

the world’s greatest thriller characters meet head-to-head 

in 11 electrifying stories

Blurb:
Where else will you be able to read about Jeffery Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme meets John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport? Fans of Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone and James Rollins’ Gray Pierce have waited for years to see those characters together.  Then there’s Lee Child’s Jack Reacher meeting up with Joseph Finder’s Nick Heller in a bar in Boston. Steve Martini’s Paul Madriani becoming entangled with Linda Fairstein’s Alex Cooper. Plus, you can’t forget the ever-odd Aloysius Pendergast coming face to face with the scary world of R.L. Stine.  

In an unprecedented collaboration, twenty-three of the world’s bestselling and critically acclaimed thriller writers have paired their series characters in an eleven-story anthology curated by the International Thriller Writers (ITW). Edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci, FACEOFF (Simon & Schuster; June 3, 2014; $26.99) is a who’s who of not only the most beloved contemporary thriller writers, but also their iconic characters—putting them head-to-head with their most worthy opponents.

As worlds collide, the characters you think you know best are thrown into unpredictable situations and partnered with, pitted against, and, in some cases, romantically entangled with, characters you’d never suspect—and some that you would. With introductions to the stories that describes the writers, their characters, and a bit about the story’s creation, FACEOFF is truly a treasure trove for thriller fans. 

Review:

Ever wondered how your favorite literary characters would fair in a Celebrity Death Match with each other? I feel like this collection of short stories was exactly that. Twenty Three of the best thriller writers set out to create unique experiences with characters that all of their fans will know. Faceoff was something I never saw coming and I am terribly happy that I agreed to read this title because I came away with some delightful reads and a few shocks along the way.

From Michael Connelly's detective hero Harry Bosch coming to my own backyard Boston to run into Dennis Lehane's Patrick Kenzie to the King of all horror madness R.L. Stine creating a crazy story with Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston, these aren't stereotypical stories thrown together because they just read the same. Each story was unique and interesting, while still giving you that jolt of energy and surprise that most thriller junkies have come to expect from these masters of trade. It's very clear that these are masters of their trade form page one to the end.

That being said, I have to tell you that as someone who normally doesn't read a lot of this genre, I wasn't lost and confused. In fact most of these regular characters I really knew nothing about coming into this book and it never intimidated me. I could tell there were nuances about characters that I missing but I feel like a fan of an author would get it and like that incorporation, while another reader that has never read something by that same author isn't going to be scared off because they don't have prior knowledge of a character. That was the biggest part I was scared of when picking this book up and it was time wasted worrying because I didn't put it down for two days. This is exactly what I expect to find in a book with such a long list of credentials backing it up!- My Opinion- ***** 5 Stars!

Get it @ Amazon / Barnes and Noble

About ITW:

The International Thriller Writers is an honorary society of authors, both fiction and nonfiction, who write books broadly classified as “thrillers.” This would include (but isn’t limited to) such subjects as murder mystery, detective, suspense, horror, supernatural, action, espionage, true crime, war, adventure, and myriad similar subject areas. One of the main purposes of the organization is to provide a way for successful, bestselling authors to help debut and midlist authors advance their careers. In addition, ITW promotes literacy, gives money to worthy organizations, supports libraries, and advances the genre. For more information, visit: www.thrillerwriters.org.