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lipsticktoliterature's review
4.0
Good book. The majority of the stories were entertaining. There were a few that weren't my taste. Overall a nice surprise.
bibliobethreads's review against another edition
Good collection of short stories, some are better than others but have definitely found me some new authors that I am excited about reading!
jjv84's review
3.0
The start of this book was great but there stories got worse as the book continued. I am a fan of James Patterson and thought this book would inspire me to look at new authors but I wasn't really a fan of anything that would make me.really want to go out and try something new. I like the idea of a thriller collaboration but some stories really did make me want to put the book down and not pick it up again.
innae's review
adventurous
medium-paced
3.0
I usually like to comment on each story as I read them for anthologies, but I am two stories in, and have discovered, I am not a thriller (as defined by this anthology) reader so as most of the stories take place in already established worlds, I am not enjoying them as much as I would if I was familiar with the world.
Introduction by James Patterson
James Penney's New Identity by Lee Child - Jack Reacher tie in story
Operation Northwoods by James Grippando - Jack Swyteck story
Epitaph by J.A. Konrath awww, one I may seek out the main stories (Whiskey Sour). This tale started a side character in the series..and it was sad.
The Face in the Window by Heather Graham - a tale about characters from The Island
Empathy by James Siegel wow...really good story. Going to add some Siegel to my wishlist
Kowalski's in Love by James Rollins a Sigma Force, sort of
The Hunt for Dmitri by Gayle Lynds a Liz Sansborough story
Disfigured by Michael Palmer and Daniel Palmer a story by Michael Palmer and his son
The Abelard Sanction by David Morrell the Brotherhood saga gets tied up
Falling by Chris Mooney a nicely written story about Malcolm Fetcher
Success of a Mission by Dennis Lynds a bit dates for today's world, but the story is from 1968
The Portal by John Lescroart and M.J. Rose interesting little story that could find a happy place in a horror anthology
The Double Dealer by David Liss a good tale about Benjamin Weaver
Dirty Weather by Gregg Hurwitz a surprising tale during a blizzard
Spirit Walker by David Dun back story for Kier Wintripp
At the Drop of a Hat by Denise Hamilton (my notes skipped this one, and I don't recall it...so...)
The Other side of the Mirror by Eric Van Lustbader not my favorite writer, so I didn't end up finishing this one
Man Catch by Christopher Rice a rare short story from Rice
Goodnight, Sweet Mother by Alex Kava a nice introduction to Maggie
Sacrificial Lion by Grant Blackwood I got bored about 5 pages in, so I'm skipping this one
Interlude at Duane's by F. Paul Wilson an enjoyable tale about Jack
The Powder Monkey by Ted Bell the story reminds me of the old ghost stories, where one person tells the tale, usually at a bar or the like. Not unlike Chaucer's Canterbury tales.
Surviving Toronto by M. Diane Vogt a Karen Ann Brown story
Assassins by Christopher Reich a Nick Neumann story
The Athens Solution by Brad Thor a tale of Greek conspiracy
Diplomatic Constraints by Raelynn Hillhouse a Stella story
Kill Zone by Robert Liparulu a sniper's tale
The Devils' Due by Steve Berry A Cotton Malone prequel
The Tuesday Club by Katherine Neville too much intrigue, I am skipping this one
Gone Fishing by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child the only ones I've actually read prior to this collection. A creepy story with a cameo from Lt D'Agosta
Introduction by James Patterson
James Penney's New Identity by Lee Child - Jack Reacher tie in story
Operation Northwoods by James Grippando - Jack Swyteck story
Epitaph by J.A. Konrath awww, one I may seek out the main stories (Whiskey Sour). This tale started a side character in the series..and it was sad.
The Face in the Window by Heather Graham - a tale about characters from The Island
Empathy by James Siegel wow...really good story. Going to add some Siegel to my wishlist
Kowalski's in Love by James Rollins a Sigma Force, sort of
The Hunt for Dmitri by Gayle Lynds a Liz Sansborough story
Disfigured by Michael Palmer and Daniel Palmer a story by Michael Palmer and his son
The Abelard Sanction by David Morrell the Brotherhood saga gets tied up
Falling by Chris Mooney a nicely written story about Malcolm Fetcher
Success of a Mission by Dennis Lynds a bit dates for today's world, but the story is from 1968
The Portal by John Lescroart and M.J. Rose interesting little story that could find a happy place in a horror anthology
The Double Dealer by David Liss a good tale about Benjamin Weaver
Dirty Weather by Gregg Hurwitz a surprising tale during a blizzard
Spirit Walker by David Dun back story for Kier Wintripp
At the Drop of a Hat by Denise Hamilton (my notes skipped this one, and I don't recall it...so...)
The Other side of the Mirror by Eric Van Lustbader not my favorite writer, so I didn't end up finishing this one
Man Catch by Christopher Rice a rare short story from Rice
Goodnight, Sweet Mother by Alex Kava a nice introduction to Maggie
Sacrificial Lion by Grant Blackwood I got bored about 5 pages in, so I'm skipping this one
Interlude at Duane's by F. Paul Wilson an enjoyable tale about Jack
The Powder Monkey by Ted Bell the story reminds me of the old ghost stories, where one person tells the tale, usually at a bar or the like. Not unlike Chaucer's Canterbury tales.
Surviving Toronto by M. Diane Vogt a Karen Ann Brown story
Assassins by Christopher Reich a Nick Neumann story
The Athens Solution by Brad Thor a tale of Greek conspiracy
Diplomatic Constraints by Raelynn Hillhouse a Stella story
Kill Zone by Robert Liparulu a sniper's tale
The Devils' Due by Steve Berry A Cotton Malone prequel
The Tuesday Club by Katherine Neville too much intrigue, I am skipping this one
Gone Fishing by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child the only ones I've actually read prior to this collection. A creepy story with a cameo from Lt D'Agosta
tbr_the_unconquered's review
2.0
There are times when no matter how hard you press down on the accelerator, the vehicle does not seem to go any faster. The needle appears to stay stationary and you feel frustration welling up inside you. Until I finished this book, I had bucketed these feelings to the time spent on a vehicle. There is a sense of stasis that this book imparts which is hard to break free of. While occasionally there are stories which help you breathe free, most of the reading experience is like swimming in amber. Every story is a good 20 pages and by the time you make sense of the characters, the story is over. It speaks volumes about craft as much as it does about a lack of interesting stories.
This anthology of short stories serves more as a follow-up to major novels that the contributing authors have written during their careers. You have backstories, minor characters from earlier novels that the author wants to explore and develop a tad more, a short incident in the life of an erstwhile major character etc. This essentially means that there very few standalone stories here. What I also felt as a reader was that most of the authors are well versed in the art of writing a longer story or a novel and what works in the novel form might not always work in the short story territory. This leaves the reader with stories that reach neither here nor there and sometimes are a chore to get through.
With the exception of a few good ones, the rest are pretty much in the meh ! territory.
Not really recommended unless you are a fan of the authors and want to get more of them.
This anthology of short stories serves more as a follow-up to major novels that the contributing authors have written during their careers. You have backstories, minor characters from earlier novels that the author wants to explore and develop a tad more, a short incident in the life of an erstwhile major character etc. This essentially means that there very few standalone stories here. What I also felt as a reader was that most of the authors are well versed in the art of writing a longer story or a novel and what works in the novel form might not always work in the short story territory. This leaves the reader with stories that reach neither here nor there and sometimes are a chore to get through.
With the exception of a few good ones, the rest are pretty much in the meh ! territory.
Not really recommended unless you are a fan of the authors and want to get more of them.
kassymac's review
1.0
I thought a book about thrillers! I love thrillers. Well, not this book. I rarely give a one star review, but the stories are not interesting. I think you really need more of a background on the authors in the book to really get a good feeling on it. I found the interesting ones still to be boring. I had to force myself to finish them. Some I started and just could not finish at all.
sarah1984's review
3.0
Anotger book of short stories! I was able to manage more than usual, nearly halfway through, before i got bored. A couple of vaguely memorable stories, but definitely nothing to encourage me to keep reading, or hang onto it. Going in the donation box.