Once again my TBR is growing thanks to the Minotaur Sampler! All of the books chosen for the Fall 2021 sampler look really interesting, but I think the stand-outs for me personally look like they’ll be Hello, Transcriber and The Missing Hours, but I’m looking forward to reading all four of these.

I’m so grateful to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books (especially Sara!) and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this sampler.

Thank you to Minotaur, NetGalley and the authors, for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review!

<b>HELLO, TRANSCRIBER by Hannah Morrissey</b>

The cover of this one caught my attention, but not enough to check it out until I read the excerpt in this sampler. Wow, this definitely grabbed my attention!

Hazel has already started out to be a complicated character. A nightshift transcriber for the police department in the crime-infested town of Black Harbor and an aspiring writer. Not impressed with her husband, though. He’s odd and not very likeable, so far. This one feels like it could be original and worth the read.

Will be adding to my TBR list!

Available: 11/30/2021
Pages: 304

<b>THESE SILENT WOODS by Kimi Cunningham Grant</b>

This small sample grabbed my attention immediately. Cooper and Finch are living off the grid and relying on Cooper’s friend Jack to bring them supplies once a year. Cooper is Finch’s father and we’re given a brief explanation for their isolated lifestyle, but I’m dying to find out more!

The sample ends when Jack doesn’t show up one year. This one is definitely a TBR!!

Available: 10/26/21
Pages: 288

<b>THE MISSING HOURS by Julia Dahl</b>

The book starts off with Claudia trying to piece together the previous night. After a night of drinking, she wakes up in her bed, with no recollection of how she got there. Her face is battered and her phone is missing. Meanwhile, her sister—Edie—has been trying to reach her all night. She went into labor and Claudia was a big part of her birthing plan.

There was just enough in this sample for me to know I want to read the book, and luckily it’s in my TBR pile. The cover caught my attention and I had to request it!

Warning: Rape

Available: 9/14/21
Pages: 288

<b>ENOLA HOLMES AND THE BLACK BAROUCHE by Nancy Springer</b>

This is book #7 in a series and I haven’t read any of the previous books, but I thought I’d give it a try. I didn’t get too far before deciding this wasn’t for me. Maybe having some background details might have helped. The series is highly rated, so I must be missing something. This writing doesn’t catch my attention.

<b><i>This did not greatly concern us, for Mother had served her reproductive purpose and was, at her age, both useless and incorrigible. However, as something had to be done about Enola, we considered that it was perhaps not too late to salvage her. Ignoring her nonsensical protests, we made arrangements to place her in an excellent finishing school, hoping eventually to marry her off.</i></b>

Available: 8/31/21
Pages: 272

#HelloTranscriber #HannahMorrissey #TheseSilentWoods @kimicgrant #TheMissingHours @juliadahl #NetGalley @MinotaurBooks

Can’t wait to read “These Silent Woods” and “The Missing Hours.” The samples have me hooked. Really looking forward to learning Cooper’s backstory and finding out what happened to Claudia during her blackout.

I thought these books were highly digestible and quick paced. I love finding new authors that I enjoy and this game me a taste to know what is to come.

Just enough of these 4 books to put them all on my to-read list asap! Great compilation of authors and I know each book will be worthy of recommending!

I love when Minotaur makes these samplers! They never fail to entice me into several of the selections. This time we have another set of 4 small samples that I can’t wait to be published because I’m already curious/interested in these titles. I’m super curious about Hello Transcriber, Enola Holmes and the Missing Hours. Thank Minotaur for these fabulous samples

Another great sampler with exciting reads to look forward to! Thank you for the chance to read the sampler. The Missing Hours and Hello Transcriber sound especially intriguing.

I came for the sneak peek at Hello, Transcriber and I was not disappointed! This sampler has the beginnings of 4 books-Hello Transcriber, These Silent Woods, The Missing Hours, and Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche. A brief comment on them:
Hello Transcriber is written by a local Wisconsin writer and it was recommended to me by booktuber from the area. Although this grabbed my attention from the start, the first chapter was a bit choppy and confusing. You meet the protagonist, Hazel, who just got a job as a police transcriber in a dark, impoverished, and drug-ridden town. She has some complicated and deep feelings, that you're introduced to right off the bat. **Trigger warnings from the beginning! By the second and third chapters, the writing improved and is vivid and intriguing, the way you get to read police transcriptions as if you were there at the station. The topic of the opioid epidemic feels real and raw. Luckily I got approved for the whole book, so now I get to finish it out!
These Silent Woods takes place in the total wilderness of the Appalachians, I think. It read very atmospheric and isolationist-not my cup of tea. Characters so far are a dad and daughter, who forage for food, hunt, and get a visit from an old friend with supplies once a year. Dad did something long ago that keeps them in hiding. For some reason, this book just didn't keep my wanting to read more.
The Missing Hours sample flew by! So far, we've met Claudia and Edie, two sisters in New York. The first chapter opens with Claudia reeling from a night of college partying that she cannot remember-hence, the missing hours, maybe? She meets a guy from her dorm and I really don't know what to think of him yet. He's helpful and nice, but why...? Again, this one also has trigger warnings, so beware. I would love to keep reading and finish this one!
Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche is the 7th in a series, so I didn't spend much time with this one. The synopsis doesn't really sound like my thing either-a spin on Sherlock Holmes mysteries, but with his precocious younger sister, I think. Good for someone, not for me.

4 Stars
love the samplers!! Didn't like these as much as the last two but still would love to keep getting more.

Thank you Minotaur books and NetGalley for this enjoyable selection of thrillers. This book lets you sample the first chapters of 4 different titles. Hello Transcriber, is atmospherically creepy and will keep you on the edge of your seat.These Silent Woods pulls you into the story about a father and daughter living in the remote Appalachian mountains with no electricity, no family, and no connections to the outside world. The Missing Hours is a story of privilege, violence and revenge. Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche is a about the much younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes.
All four books are well written and will keep you reading to see what happens!

This is a great way to check out upcoming books and test them out before diving in to the whole book. I am interested in following up with the Enola Holmes books.

I loved this introduction to four books.

1. Hello, Transcriber - I was completely invested by the time the preview ended. There are several characters introduced, the subject matter is dark, yet it is unclear by the end of the chapter whether there are more protagonists (more than one story to follow) or dual timelines. This definitely piqued my interest. I wanted more......
2. These Silent Woods - A father is raising his daughter in the woods, while in hiding. His wife is dead and he appears to be a veteran suffering for PTSD. He also appears to have committed some crime. He has a creepy neighbor (or perhaps he perceives the neighbor as creepy and dangerous from his PTSD perspective). By the end of the preview, I was eager to know what fate holds for this disturbed father and his innocent daughter.
3. The Missing Hours - I had to stop reading and couldn't make it through the preview of this book. I found the beginning disturbing, to say the least. If Roofies, rape, and violence against women prevail throughout the book, it is not for me, and where a college coed does not appear to be disturbed by apparently having been the victim of the RRV, the book is definitely not for me. There must be one heck of backstory to explain her apathy after suffering what appears to have been a brutal, sexual attack, suffered while under the influence.
4. Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche - I've actually already read and ARC of this Ebook and I LOVED it! (reviewed separately).

Thank you NetGalley for Minotaur Sampler Volume three…. I enjoyed the previews.

Books like this are a great way to find, and possibly get hooked on, a new-to-you author. Not a whole lot of commitment is required as only the first part of each is included. Out of four books, there should be a least one that appeals enough to look for the published novel. As there was no 'jump to' link, the reader will have to guess (search for) where the next book begins.

Nice previews of some books that look like good summer reading! And it includes some names new to me.

I love these mini sampler previews, I love getting a sense of reviews I want to do in the future, arcs I want to request as I feel I would be a good reader for them, and simply seeing what is coming up from publishers. I really connected with Julia Dahl's material in this sampler in particular, I am looking forward to reading the full book and appreciate that this sampler helped me be excited about her book. I loved that these books featured strong women of different ages, backgrounds, and careers as well, that really stands out to me as a reader and reviewer. I love the young Enola Holmes and what she can present/represent to young girls, I thought Hazel in Hello Transcriber was fascinating (and that book had a strong, clear dark vibe which I appreciated as I got a sense of the writer's goals and style), Finch in These Silent Woods clearly has a dark past/present and I am intrigued by where this plot will take the reader, and as noted I really appreciated Claudia as a protagonist in The Missing Hours, I sense a strong beginning and a plot that I will really enjoy diving into,

The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 3 is a preview for four upcoming books to be published in the fall of 2021. I really enjoy ebooks that have interactive components, which this preview does. The book includes excerpts from four mystery writers: Hannah Morrissey, Julia Dahl, Nancy Springer, and Kimi Grant. I chose to read this ARC mainly because I love Nancy Springer's Enola Holmes series and wanted to see what the new book will be like. After finishing the preview, I've put all four books onto my TBR list, which means this preview was very well executed and a great piece of marketing for these authors.

I always look forward to the Minotaur Sampler. It gives me a taste of the great reads to come! This did not disappoint and now I have some novels to look forward to.

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = more!!!

Wow--what a phenomenal introduction to 4 upcoming novels! As a die-hard Sherlock fan (books + TV = Jeremy Brett ok???) come-Enola fan, I literally jumped at the chance to read the new Enola Holmes book. While I have read/seen all iterations of Sherlock Holmes, I somehow missed Enola! Of course, my kid did not! I saw the movie on Netflix and am now backtracking to the books. This is totally opposite of how I usually do things, so I may as well go through the book backwards too.

So, the Enola Holmes story starts with a little background, written by Sherlock himself, and provides us with a summarized history and origin story of Enola. So, this can be a stand-alone book. We read as Enola slowly brings her extremely intelligent brothers, who are also extremely backward in their views of women, into a correct understanding of her intelligence and capabilities. Level up! Now, we are ready to begin the main mystery for this novel. Sherlock is in a funk. Fans know this is a cycle that occurs especially after finishing the closing of a stimulating case and there is a lull, where nothing peaks his interest. In steps Enola to "help" him. He is resisting--attempting to throw her out... she is digging in. A case shows up at the door. He refuses. She accepts. Reader, we know... right then and there... this is going to be good! I can't wait to read the rest!!!!

Alright, continuing in my backwards journey... there really is no other way at this point.. I come to the story "The Missing Hours". Well, what an intro! Well, as we begin to read... what an intro. Something dark has happened to Claudia, who appears to have it all. Next scene, she's missing the birth of her niece and her sister, Edie, is worried sick. We get to look behind the scenes, and yeah... it's bad. Claudia has no recollection of what's happened to her, but her body tells a sad story. I won't be reading the full story on this one. I have a dear friend who went through something similar, and I can't relive it. Ladies... it shouldn't happen but it does. Those trusted friends...those innocent-looking drinks during a night out... I couldn't stop reading the intro, but it sent me to some really dark places I can't go. Very well written.

ok so on to book 2... Cooper... Finch... Jake... Scotland. All of these folks in the woods. So, Cooper is Finch's dad, and has done "something" not so good to be able to be there with her. She grows up and Jake comes each year with supplies. They are obviously in hiding. Scotland is the creepy, somehow-he-knows-what-Cooper-did neighbor who just shows up and definitely creeps us out. Anyway, Jake brings a year's supplies each year, once a year, but has warned in cryptic language... that he may have a terminal illness that would potentially prevent him from coming suddenly.So, this is the year. He doesn't show up. We know at this point... things are not good for Jake. Things are not good for Cooper and Finch. Probably, things are great for the weirdo Scotland. I have no idea where this tale is going, but am hooked.

last entry in this volume... story 1. Hello, Transcriber. From the graphics, I am all in from the cover. This story features a female hero... I am doubling down. Hazel is a police transcriber, and so hears all the dirt.


Hannah Morrissey’s captivating mystery suspense debut, Hello, Transcriber, features a female police transcriber who goes beyond the limits to solve a harrowing case. Every night, while the street lamps shed the only light on Wisconsin's most crime-ridden city, police transcriber Hazel Greenlee listens as detectives divulge Black Harbor's gruesome secrets. Can you imagine hearing all of the details of gruesome crimes committed and NOT being able to share those with anyone? That strict confidentiality... wow. So, that's her job. How long do you process all of this info before you want to go from spectator to active investigator? There are all kind of problems just around that corner. This one is going to be good.

I really do enjoy these Minotaur Samplers! It is a great opportunity to check out some new, upcoming books that I may not have otherwise picked up. In this volume, I most enjoyed The Missing Hours by Julia Dahl. I cannot wait to read it in its entirety! Hello, Transcriber by Hannah Morrissey was also intriguing. I'd be willing to read that one as well, though I didn't care for the main character's husband. These Silent Woods and Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche weren't really my cup of tea.

I've found that these samplers have had some surprisingly great books in them in the past and I think that this volume does too!

Thank you to St Martin's Press, NetGalley and the respective authors for an advanced snippet of these books!

This review was also posted on Goodreads.

The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 3 is a new multi chapter preview of four upcoming books publishing fall 2021. The sampler was released 25th May by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint. It's 100 pages and is available (possibly for a limited time) as a free download in ebook format. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

The book includes excerpts from: Hannah Morrissey's Hello, Transcriber, Kimi Cunningham Grant’s These Silent Woods, Julia Dahl’s The Missing Hours, and Nancy Springer's Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche. The publication dates range from Aug through Nov 2021. These are all top shelf mysteries with the full. All of these are top quality fiction from well known authors with the promising addition of debut author Hanna Morrissey. Of the four books, I was unsurprised to find that I intend to acquire and read all four of them, and moderately surprised to find that I'm anticipating the debut from Ms. Morrissey the most.

I do really enjoy the extra resources and enhancements the larger publishing houses are able to employ to support their upcoming publications. I also appreciate that most library systems can provide quite a lot of extra support and guidance to their patrons and groups via these "sneak peeks" and promotional materials.. These previews would be appropriate for online/remote discussion groups, book clubs, individual readers looking for good "buzz" books to build up the TBR lists. Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.