73. Watchlist based on an idea by Jeffery Deaver

I read about this book somewhere and thought it sounded really cool. But I got a little nervous once I got Watchlist home from the library -- I always get excited about stuff like this and then I don't like it (case in point: Portland Noir). So I put off reading it for awhile but once I started it, I couldn't put it down!

From the International Thriller Writers, comes Watchlist: two powerful novellas featuring the same thrilling cast of characters in one major suspenseful package. The Chopin Manuscript and The Copper Bracelet are collaborations of some of the world's greatest thriller writers, including Lee Child, Joseph Finder, Lisa Scottoline, and Jeffery Deaver, who conceived the characters and set the plots in motion. The other authors each wrote a chapter and Deaver then completed what he started, bringing both novellas to their startling conclusions. 

In the first novella, The Chopin Manuscript, former war crimes investigator Harold Middleton possesses a previously unknown score by Frederic Chopin. But he is unaware that, locked within its handwritten notes, lies a secret that now threatens the lives of thousands of Americans. As he races from Poland to America to uncover the mystery of the manuscript, Middleton will be accused of murder, pursued by federal agents, and targeted by assassins. But the greatest threat will come from a shadowy figure from his past: the man known only as Faust.

Harold Middleton returns in The Copper Bracelet -- the explosive sequel to The Chopin Manuscript -- as he's drawn into an international terror plot that threatens to send India and Pakistan into full-scale nuclear war. Careening from Nice to London and Moscow to Kashmir to prevent nuclear disaster, Middleton is unaware that his prey has changed and that the act of terror is far more diabolical than he knows. Will he discover the identity of the Scorpion in time to halt an event that will pit the United States, China, and Russia against each other at the brink of World War III?

Summary taken from watchlistbook.com. It took a really long time to type. I wish Colin were here to type for me.

I really enjoyed reading Watchlist. It exceeded all of my expectations. The mysteries each had a solid, thorough backstory and well-developed characters. Switching authors kept the pace way up, and made for a fun read. The only disappointment I felt was a result of the typos I found. More than once, the quotes that indicate who is speaking were misplaced, making for some confusion. Also, I noted a who's instead of whose and a premier instead of premiere. I know that typos happen, but come on. I would think that a book of chapters by alternating authors would require a single, talented editor. (And I think that I would be right!) All in all, it didn't affect my enjoyment of the book. And I noted the names of several authors, so I can check out their other work. If you like suspense and mystery, this book is definitely worth checking out!