I love these books that Minotaur publishes. Each volume contains novels from a select group of authors. So you can read a short novel to see if you like the way each author writes. These volumes have introduced me to many authors that I didn’t know. I have found many new authors to add to my book collection.

Thanks so much Minotaur for letting me read this volume of books.

This is a great way to get some samples of books. There were several that I would never have thought to try. Now I will have to look for them when they are released for publication. I like getting these samplers

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for once again offering this Minotaur Sampler. This is such a great way to get a quick look at a few upcoming books.

As always this was a great selection of thrillers and mysteries from several sub-genres. I loved three of them and plan on devoting time to read the entirety of Reykjavik, The Golden Gate and A Traitor in Whitehall. The three of them appeal to me the most, but it’s not to say the remaining three aren’t worthy offerings. Just not my favorites.

Again, offering these tidbits of great reads is well worth it in my eyes. It really wets my appetite for some upcoming reading pleasure.

I love these samplers! It's so great to be able to preview titles for the next few months! I can't wait to read a few of these!

Of all the Minotaur Samplers I have read, The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 9, I am sorry to say, was my least favorite. There are six selections, and there were only two that really whet my appetite for more, although I was on the fence with a couple others.

The first selection is Ragnar Jónasson’s Reykjavík: A Crime Story, which tempts me because I have read two previous works by this author. This work features a young officer named Kristján Kristjánsson who takes a boat to a small island to inquire about a missing maid. She was working for a highly esteemed Supreme Court judge and suddenly gave notice but never arrived at home. The judge and his wife are less than welcoming, so Kristján does a cursory search of the home and the island before catching the next boat back to the mainland. Years later, the girl has never surfaced; his superior officer had brushed off the case, but it haunts Kristján, who wishes he had searched the island more thoroughly. My instincts told me that the young officer was correct…

Second is a debut novel by Amy Chua, The Golden Gate, which is a historical thriller set in 1944. Homicide detective Al Sullivan is caught up in a case of a presidential candidate who is found murdered in a hotel room. The hotel has an unsavory history, as it’s the scene of another unpleasant event more than a decade earlier. This story shows promise, but the transitions in the time periods did not connect well for me. Perhaps in a longer sample it would flow better, but in a few short chapters, I found it difficult to engage.

Next up is an intriguing This one is Julia Kelly’s A Traitor in Whitehall. Set in 1940 England, this begins by featuring “The Parisian Orphan,” Evelyne Redfern,” a young woman whose mother died when she was young. She is estranged from her father and is working in a munitions plant doing her part for the war effort. One night, while out with her roommate, she bumps into an old acquaintance of her father, who insists that she report to him the following morning. Intrigued, she winds up being hired as a secretary – not just an ordinary secretary, however, but one who will be indirectly working for Winston Churchill. The blurb hints at secrets and danger. This promises to be a good one!

The following choice, however, struck a hollow note with me. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, a Regency era novel by Celeste Connally, was not my cup of tea. Lady Petra Forsyth has vowed never to marry after her fiancé died shortly before their wedding date. She prefers to wear her brother’s riding gear instead of her own, much to the dismay of those around her. Never mind that she smells like a horse! This just could not gain nor hold my interest.

Steve Urszenyi’s Perfect Shot: A Thriller is the first in a new series. For those who like action, lots of action, this one will be a must! Former Army sniper, Alexandra Martel, now an FBI Special Agent is the star player in this action thriller. The initial setting is Arnhem, the Netherlands. Our Special Ops professional is on assignment to recover stolen nuclear material. There is plenty of tension as the scene develops. Scratch that. High tension! Action ensues. Did I mention that there’s a lot of action? This is just the first few chapters, folks! Oh, there might be a hint of a bit of romance too. We’ll see.

Last is Jess Armstrong’s The Curse of Penryth Hall, a Gothic mystery. The heroine is Ruby Vaugh, an American heiress, who lives with and works for an octogenarian in Exeter. Together they run a rare bookstore, and on occasion, he has her make trips to deliver books to a folk healer. One day he sends her to a place where she had promised herself that she would never go back to – Penryth Hall. It is the home of her best friend and her husband, whom Ruby does not like. I’ll admit that the term “Gothic” was a bit off-putting, but if this short sample is any indication, this book might be worth a read.

I received The Minotaur Sampler as an ARC in return for my honest review. All opinions are my own. My thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and the six authors.

3 stars overall

Love these samplers--a great opportunity to try new authors! I'm especially looking forward to reading the upcoming books from Ragnar Jonasson and Katrin Jakobsdottir!

I enjoyed sampling many of these upcoming novels.. I'm most interested in reading Reykjavik: A Crime Story, The Golden Gate, A Traitor inWhitehall and Perfect Shot. Thanks for the sampler! I've enjoyed quite a few Minotaur books in the past and look forward to reading more.

I love reading the Minotaur sampler each time it comes out to see what books are going to be available. Each book in this sampler sounds very interesting and have piqued my interest. I especially am interested in The Curse or Penryth Hall, a gothic mystery, Reykjavik, a thriller, and the Golden Gate. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this.

I'll admit, I usually read the Minotaur Samplers without doing much (any) research into the titles included. This Volume is almost entirely Historical fication/ mysteries. Which isn't a bad thing at all (I am always thinking I should read more historical as I tend to like the ones I do read) but was unexpected when I started this volume.

Overall, a good assortment; and I am interested in reading a few.

In order of appearance:

Reykjavik By Ragnar Jónasson & Katrín Jakobsdóttir
Available 09/05/2023
Iceland, 1950s; 60s; (seems like it'll get into the 1980s)
Case of a missing woman and the detective that is investigating her disappearance. She is presumed dead but he isn't so sure. I thought this had a good start. The man seems like he doesn't want to let the case go, and will keep investigating despite being told not to.

The Golden Gate by Amy Chua (Debut novel)
Available 09/19/2023
California, 1940s
This starts with a bang, literally, with a murder of a wealthy man in a prestigious hotel. The detective investigating seems like he could be an interesting character.

A Traitor in Whitehall by Julia Kelly
Available 10/03/2023
England, 1940s
We are introduced to Miss Redfearn and discover she is requested to 'observe' the PM's office (read: spy) after being offered a job as a secretary. I thought this one started out good with just enough aspects of mystery (being locked in a room with a dead body?).

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally
Available 11/14/2023
England, 1810s
This seems to be a story of English (as the title suggests) Lords & Ladies; there were a LOT of names thrown around in the first chapter and may have confused me a bit (admittedly I was skimming :-D lol). I didn't make it to the mystery aspect of this story. Might not be for me but those that like reading this era may find it enjoyable.

Perfect Shot by Steve Urszenyi
Available 11/14/2023
Special Agent Alex Martel seems super badass and awesome. Love reading about a strong female lead character. This looks like it'll be the first in a new series featuring this character. After these first few chapters I'm interested in reading this one. Action-packed beginning and characters I'm interested in reading more about!
***A big shoutout to the author -- there are several references to a Huey in the first chapters and not once did the author use the word "chopper" to refer to the helicopter. It irks me to NO END when this word is used to refer to a helicopter. As a Huey Pilot's wife I have never once in the years of being around pilots heard someone refer to the aircraft as a 'chopper' so I've always noticed when it is used in novels. The author used words like aircraft, helo & bird which are all commonly used among this pilot community. Probably not something most readers would even notice but it made me immensely happy!

The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong (Debut novel)
Available 12/05/2023
UK, 1920s
These characters (Ruby & Mr. Owen) seem fun and there is a mystery surrounding Ruby's past. When she meets Mr. Kivell it is both a funny and endearing moment.

Thank you Minotaur Books for offering the Samplers to start reading the first few chapters from several upcoming novels!

I love these samplers. They are such a great way to funny exciting new reads. In this group, the one a most caught my attention was Act Like Lady, Think Like a Lord.

I don't typically read samplers, but there were a couple upcoming releasing that caught my attention, and I figured checking out this sampler prior to requesting would help me decide what I would enjoy, and this sample did help!

Another good selection of Minotaur books. There is one that stands out above all others: Amy Chua's The Golden Gate. The peologue is eerie, spooky. It immediately reeled me in, and I so want to read it to find out what happened to that politician found dead in this haunted hotel. I want to know who the kids in the beginning are, and how the interview knits into all of it. I requested the book on Net Galley. Keeping my fingers I will be approve for an advanced copy :-)

The sampler introduces six books that will be published in the fall. There are two stand alone and four first-in-series books. I am always happy to see this sampler to find books that I will know I will enjoy reading. I like being able to read the different titles to up me choose which ones I want to read. I must admit that I usually want to read all six books. They are thrillers and suspenseful. Don’t miss out on this sampler!

I love this sampler! This is my first time encountering this option and I love it. This is a great way to take a peek at a variety of upcoming releases and get a sense of whether I’d like to read them- not to mention exposure to books I might have otherwise missed out on.

The books sampled here are as follows:
Reykjavík: A Crime Story, by Ragnar Jonasson & Katrín Jakobsdottir
The Golden Gate, by Amy Chua
A Traitor in Whitehall, by Julia Kelly
Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, by Celeste Connally
Perfect Shot, by Steve Urszenyi
The Curse of Penryth Hall, by Jess Armstrong

I found a few new books to get excited about from this sampler.

Thank you to the featured authors, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for providing this ARC sampler for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

I almost always find a book or two that I want to read in every Minotaur Sampler. The sample chapters give me an opportunity to taste Minotaur's upcoming books. In Volume 9, The GoldenGate by Amy Chua is definitely a book I want to read.
Thank you, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Net Galley for the free copy of this Sampler.

The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 9 is a wonderful little start to some great reads by some amazing authors.
Six upcoming titles by Jess Armstrong; Amy Chua; Celeste Connally; Julia Kelly; Ragnar Jónasson; Katrín Jakobsdóttir and Steve Urszenyi.
Two are standalone novels and four are a first in series which is really exciting to me.
A great variety of Historical Fiction/Mystery & Thrillers to choose from.

Standalone: Reykjavík: A Crime Story (an exciting and chilling thriller)
The Golden Gate (an enthralling historical thriller debut)
First in series: A Traitor in Whitehall (a puzzling start to the Parisian Orphan series)
Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord (a gleaming Regency-era cozy series)
Perfect Shot (a exciting sniper series)
The Curse of Penryth Hall (a phenomenal gothic mystery)

All publishing Fall 2023 and just in time for that perfect fall reading we all love!
I’m excited to read each one of these books.
Each sampler had the first 3-5 chapters and gives you just enough to want more.
I can’t wait!

Minotaur Books,
Thank you for providing these six samples I wished more publishers did this!

I just love these samplers. They give me a list of books to keep an eye on and help me plan what I'm interested in reading. I find them particularly useful because they give you more than just the blurb you find on the back of the book.

What can I say other than St. Martins Press has some great selections coming this fall and I cannot wait. Each of the books in this sampler are perfect for the thriller fans out there. The chosen authors are on top of their game and have an amazing story telling ability. These selections will available this fall.

Minotaur is one of my favorite imprints so I always get excited when their samplers come out. This one is for book publishing in the fall. These samplers introduce me to new authors that I may never have known about without it! Once book that I will definitely be on the look for is The Golden Gate. Can't wait to read this one!

Minotaur is one of my favorite imprints and this collection is fantastic! These samplers are such a great way to help me choose my next read! I especially look forward to reading the books by Amy Chua and Ragnar Jónasson.