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!!

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!

Thank you very much for sending me a copy of the Minotaur Sampler volume 11. I had a blast! Thanks to you I discovered that Alex Finley had his newest released scheduled this Spring. I requested a copy of the arc. I received it. I finished the book and I absolutely loved it. A well-deserved 5 star.

Thank you for always selecting high-quality stories.

I thoroughly enjoyed this sampler focusing mostly on thrillers/mysteries! I discovered a few new books to put on my TBR, especially If Something Happens to Me, The Nature of Disappearing, and Red River Road. I would recommend this to anyone interested in finding some upcoming thriller/mystery releases to read!

4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Reading a few chapters of each of these books makes me want to read them even more. I love having access to a sampler that can wet my appetite for upcoming books.

Love these Minotaur samplers! Volume 11 includes previews of upcoming releases by Anna Downes; Alex Finlay; Kimi Cunningham Grant; Catherine Mack; Delia Pitts; Sarah Stewart Taylor.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress #MinotaurBooks for the Minotaur Sampler, Volume 11. All opinions are my own.

I love these samplers! They are my favorite for learning about new books to look out for in the next few months!

The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 11 is always a great way to get a sneak peek at some titles before they publish.
I’m always excited when they release TMS.
Here we have SIX amazing upcoming releases publishing Spring/Summer 2024 from some pretty big authors!
Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies; The Nature of Disappearing, Trouble in Queenstown, If Something Happens to Me, Agony Hill and Red River Road.
I enjoyed diving into the first couple chapters. It definitely ramped up my excitement.

Thank You NetGalley and Minotaur Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I always look forward to these Samplers as I can usually tell within the first few sentences if I'm going to enjoy a book or not. There's some great titles here and I'm looking forward to being able to read the full book.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for this sampler ARC.