I always look forward to the Minotaur samplers because I get to have a sneak peak at the titles coming up and decide if they should go on my TBR. This time around I was really impressed by 4 of the books featured and will definitely finish all of these as soon as possible!

I mainly read crime fiction & thrillers but I also like to mix it up with some cosy crime or dark comedy novels too. Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the perfect choice to add to my list for a lighter, funny mystery.

The Nature of Disappearing seems like a really interesting suspense novel with a bit of a wilderness twist. I was hooked by the first few chapters of this one.

I'm a huge fan of Alex Finlay - If Something Happens to Me looks like it's going to be another massive hit and I requested this one in full straight away. Full review coming soon!

Red River Road - I do love a bit of Outback Noir so this book is definitely going on my list - loved the descriptions of Australia.

I LOVE a good sampler!
They are such a great way to get a sneak peak at upcoming releases from publishers. Most of these books were on my radar already and it was helpful to get a taste of them. It is also a great was to get to know new authors. I can't wait to read the real books now. Many thanks to Minotaur and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I am thankful to have been gifted this sampler! Most of these books were already on my radar, but it was nice to get to read a bit to see which I thought would work well for me. Giving this 5 stars because I have to give a star rating and because, well, book samplers are wonderful.

I LOVE SAMPLERS. They are such a fantastic way to get a sneak peak at upcoming releases from publishers. I love being able to read a bit into some of the biggest releases of the season. They're also fun ways to try an authors work, or know what books I want to priortize for my reviewer platforms. Helps weed out and lets me hand select the books I might want to do featured reviews for, or reading vlogs/ special videos.

My Highlights:
Every Time I Go on Vaction, Someone Dies - Intro that pulls you in immediatly, and makes you like the main character. Interesting premise to hear about an author being stuck writing something but has passions for other things. I thought the dialog of having to kill someone was funny once you realize she is discussing a book character.
I aready knew the Alex Finlay book would be on my radar but I zoomed through the sample and will immeidatly be starting my ARC after this. You are introduced to two POV's in the sampler and you are intrigued to hear more about each of their stories.
The Nature of Disappearing - I'm a sucker for anything vanlife, even if it is a menacing plot. I loved that instantly you are put in the main characters head and a lot of emotions are given to you.

I cannot wait to read these books. Reading the samples tortured me. I did just finish If something happy to me. It was a definite 5 ⭐️ thank you NetGalley for the advanced samples.

Once again, the Minotaur Sampler does not disappoint. And, once again, I have more books on my TBR list! After reading samples from six books that will be published, all of them piqued my interest and all have been added to my TBR list.

My thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, and the authors for the opportunity to get a glimpse into six much-anticipated upcoming releases via THE MINOTAUR SAMPLER!

This is my first time requesting samplers from Minotaur and I'm so glad I did. It not only alerted me to intriguing books being released soon, but also gave me a chance to read a bit of each so I could better decide what I might want to request next! As a result, I found a couple of titles I now have on my ARC list, including THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING and IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME. Another great reason to request this sampler set--it might introduce you to new authors you otherwise may not have discovered!

Five enthusiastic stars!!

I really enjoyed all of these books and it made me add all of them to my TBR. I was able to find one book that I would not usually grab but it was more interesting than I would have expected.

The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 11 includes chapter excerpts from six new Minotaur books. Released on 26th March 2024 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 217 pages and available (possibly for a limited time) as a free download in ebook format.

These six books from Minotaur are all top shelf fiction. For anyone (and let's face it, that's almost all of us) who has ever wandered around and browsed in a book store or library to read a few pages of random books and see if we are drawn in, this sampler provides the same experience without leaving the comfort of your computer chair. The books all have upcoming release dates, and it's nice to get a sneak peek before release. The collection includes 3 standalones, and three series debuts.

All of the books are very well written - thriller, suspense, and mystery. It's an excellent way to plan / pad the upcoming spring and summer reading list for mystery/thriller readers.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Thank you NetGalley for these wonderful samplers! As usual, several are now on my list that I probably would not have picked for myself - If Something Happens to Me and Red River Road are right up my alley, and I can’t wait to read them! I love how these samplers are set up too!

This was a great guide an introduction to some of the upcoming thrillers and crime mysteries. It's both a curse and blessing to have the first few chapters of these great reads, because Readers can get some insight into the format of the text and the style of the writer. I saw at least two titles that I'll definitely be purchasing! Looking forward to these Minotaur titles!

As always I love to read samples of upcoming thrillers from Minotaur! The stories they choose have really intriguing beginnings and usually pull me right in!

In order they appear (and I guess they put these in publication order as well):

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack
Pubs: Apr 30, 2024
This one was actually kind of funny to me? The main character seems like she attracts chaos and I relate to that so it was a joy to read. Also the whole scene in the confessional was just the best. I am SO interested to find out why she wants to kill off her main character. If not an ARC, I'll certainly be grabbing this from the library.

If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay
Pubs: May 28, 2024
If Alex Finlay has zero fans left I'm dead. The man can do no wrong. HOW this managed to pull me in so completely I do not know. In his usual style, he introduces characters in such different places and phases of life that you think there isn't a way they can be connected. The mystery surrounding Ali's disappearance seems so good. I CANNOT wait to get my grubby little hands on this one!!! (hint, hint, wink, wink to my pals at Minotaur lol)

The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant
Pubs: Jun 18, 2024
Emlyn is such a mysterious character at first glance. She's living in the wilderness (but attached to society, not like out in the boonies, disconnected, lol) in a trailer and has left behind a life we know nothing about upfront. A 'friend' goes missing while van life travelling. We also know, from the blurb and from his sudden appearance in the story, that something happened with Tyler in Emlyn's past. The cover of this one is BEAUTIFUL! And I did get pulled in by the first few chapters. An addition to my TBR for sure.

Trouble in Queenstown by Delia Pitts
Pubs: Jul 16, 2024
Immediately puts on TBR.... Vandy so quickly caught and kept my attention. She's a badass and takes no shit. The scene in her office reception with what's-his-face was so incredibly wonderful to read, I'm looking forward to reading more of her story and grabbing this one.

Agony Hill by Sarah Stewart Taylor
Pubs: Aug 6, 2024
This is set in the 1960s and I usually forget how much I like historical fiction until I dive into one. In this sample we get to know (briefly, it is only a few chapters after all) several different characters and I'm excited to find out how they will come together through the story, especially Warren and his neighbor, Alice. The small town vibes were there even from the first few chapters which makes me excited to read about the farmer and his family as well as the several police agencies that are coming together in this. If I can't get an ARC of this one it'll go on my "to find on libby" list for sure!

Red River Road by Anna Downes
Pubs: Aug 27, 2024
This one GRABBED me! The descriptions of the Australian landscape sound so beautiful. The multiple character POVs in the first few chapters are what pulls me in so strongly to this one. We know, eventually, the story lines will merge but these were so completely different characters it sounds like it'll be quite the story. Def going on the TBR!

As always, the Minotaur Sampler is a great way to learn about new (to me) authors! I'm especially excited to read Red River Road--even with a short excerpt, I felt immersed in the story and landscape. I was fortunate enough to read an ARC of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies and also really enjoyed that one.

I so appreciate that NetGalley has samplers like this one because it helps me decide what to request on NetGalley and from the library!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVE these samplers as it affords the opportunity to see what is coming out soon and to try new authors! I have yet to finish one of these that I do not immediately add multiple books on my TBR list.

In this installment, I particularly loved:

The Nature of Disappearing where a woman working as a fishing guide teams up with her ex boyfriend to find their mutual friend. The author really wet my appetite with the scenic descriptions and the solid character development.

If Something Happens to Me definitely lived up to its description of twisty!

Agony Hill is a historical fiction novel that stars a new detective series in the 1960s.

Red River Road is plucked from the headlines with the #van life mystery where a woman tries to find and figure out what happened to her sister.

Highly recommend!

It’s great to have these samplers as a tool for acquisition. Thanks Netgalley

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I really like these samplers to find some short examples of new books coming out. Several of these were quite interesting to me and are now on my TBR list.

I always love when these samplers become available. 5 out of the 6 authors were new to me. The plots of all the books sounded fantastic, and being able to read a sample is very helpful when choosing to request an e-arc. I actually just requested the Anna Downes thriller (fingers crossed) and started reading her debut today, because it sounded so intriguing!

Samplerbooks are a brilliant concept!
Offering snippets of new novels is a game-changer for readers who quickly gauge their interest. I am one of those readers, I appreciate being able to test the waters, so to speak, before committing to a book.
It’s a fantastic way to discover new authors and genres.
I’ve already delved into one of the books and can’t wait for more.
Here’s hoping they continue this wonderful format!

Thankyou to the authors and St Martin’s Press imprint Minotaur Books, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this sampler.
Charlene 📚🌸🤗 @lastnownext

I always love the Minotaur sampler and am so glad I remembered to snag it this time around. Thank you for putting this out, Minotaur team!

Everytime I Go On Vacation Someone Dies - On my radar for a few months, but not sure I’m digging the format with tons of asides in footnotes. I like the way it builds the MCs voice in a way the narrative itself doesn’t, but it’s annoying to flip back and forth between the main text and the footnote (which is what happens on a kindle).

If Something Happens to Me - I was aware of this book but not planning to read since I haven’t read this author before. However, the synopsis has me intrigued and the sample was unputdownable… so I’m gonna read this one.

The Nature of Disappearing- not on my radar at all, interested by premise

Trouble in Queenstown - not on my radar, slightly interested by synopsis

Agony Hill - Again, not on my radar. The synopsis sounded dark and I probably would have passed on it except that the sample was so engaging and beautifully written that I’m going to have to get this one too.

Red River Road - On my radar and highly anticipated - I love a good atmospheric antipodean thriller and can’t wait to read the full thing!