Faceoff, Edited by David Baldacci

The premise of this crime anthology is enticing.  Twenty-two of the top crime writers currently working are paired with a colleague.  The pair writes a short story that uses their detective characters working as a team to solve a mystery.  The pairs are: 

Dennis Lehane and Michael Connelly
Ian Rankin and Peter James
R.L. Stine and Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child
M.J. Rose and Lisa Gardner
Steve Martini and Linda Fairstein
Jeffery Deaver and John Sandford
Heather Graham and F. Paul Wilson
Raymond Khoury and Linwood Barclay
John Lescroart and T. Jefferson Parker
Steve Barry and James Rollins
Lee Child and Joseph Finder

My personal favorite was the story by Jeffery Deaver and John Sandford that combines their two iconic detectives, Lincoln Rhyme, the paralyzed forensic specialist with Lucas Davenport, rich cop that is still hooked into being a street cop.  Along with their partners, Amelia and Lilly, the pair works to solve a serial killer murder in New York City that features a sculptor involved in S&M torture killings.  Although there is no love lost between the pair, by the end of the case there is respect. 

Mystery readers will enjoy the original stories as well as the concept of pairing their favorite detectives into new and unusual teams.  There are all kinds of crime; street crime, terrorism, paranormal, historical and just plain murder cases.  Some of the authors were already good friends while others are working together for the first time.  The result is a fun anthology that will keep readers entertained to the last page.  This book is recommended for mystery lovers.

For those who enjoy the book, or just those interested in the authors, a great opportunity is coming up.  All twenty-two authors will be attending Thrillerfest this year, the mystery conference held in New York City.  This years convention will be July 8-12 at the Grand Hyatt and affords readers a rare chance to meet many of the top names in detective fiction.