A review by shelleyrae
Vengeance by Lee Child

3.0

Exploring the theme of vengeance, this anthology is a very readable collection offering variety in character, setting and interpretation of the theme. While I read it easily in one setting, the format also allows the reader to dip in and out on a casual basis, most of the stories are less than ten pages in length so they are ideal to provide entertainment during a short commute or lunch break.

In his introduction editor Lee Child, who also contributes an original story, explains how he chose ten best selling authors including Karin Slaughter, Dennis Lehane, Alafair Burke and Michael Connelly, to complement the ten winning submissions of the Mystery Writers of America competition.

Of the 21 stories in Vengeance none really stood out for me but overall it is a solidly entertaining collection.
Unusually men of the cloth are a common protagonist in this collection, with In Persona Christi by Orest Stelmach, C.E. Lawrence's Silent Justice and Zoe Sharp's Lost and Found taking matters of justice into their own hands.
I enjoyed the story of Rukshana's revenge on her boss in The Hotline by Dreda Say Mitchell and cheered for Beth in The Final Ballot by Brendan DuBois.
Blood and Sunshine by Adam Meyer gave me chills as did the Unremarkable Heart by Karin Slaughter.
Michel Connelly's Harry Bosch makes an appearance in A Fine Mist of Blood, catching a vigilante lawyer who had escaped detection for almost a decade.

Though it is quite a bleak expose of human nature, fans of crime, mystery and suspense should enjoy Vengeance, as I did, for its concise storytelling and murderous twists.