I absolutely love when these samplers are released! In this sampler, there are excerpts from 6 upcoming new releases. Of the 6, I am very excited to read 4 of them. 3 are repeat authors for me, 1 is a new author. The books that I cannot wait to get my hands on are: A Flicker in the Dark, The Night Shift, The Resting Place and The Shadow House!

This review was also published on Goodreads.

I enjoyed my sampler of these upcoming books. I was especially excited for The Night Shift and The Shadow House now I really can't wait to read these two when they are released.

I love the Minotaur Sampler, Volume 4 didn't disappoint! I can't wait to get my hands on these novels!

As the title includes - new books to make your heart race, this is enticing ! I always look forward to another edition and this one has psychological thrillers that I can't wait to read. Flicker in the Dark is of special interest to me... Thanks for these samples which really help me to decide which ones I want to read for the whole book!

Looks like some good thrillers coming up! Thank you for this little tease so I can see which books I would enjoy. Can't wait for them to come out.

Thank you for the Advanced Copy.

Most of the stories were too scary for me, though I know some people would love these stories.

Minotaur has some intriguing mysteries/suspense/thrillers coming up in early 2022. I sampled six of them here (thanks Minotaur and Netgalley) and added several to my TBR list.

A Flicker In The Dark by Stacey Willingham is a debut novel. This was perhaps my favorite of them all and I can't wait to read it when it comes out on January 11, 2022. Just as everything starts looking up for Dr. Davis Chloe - her love life, her career - a horrific incident from her childhood seems to come back to haunt her again. I loved the writing and the foreboding in the first several chapters!

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay had a slightly similar premise. Similar murders in Linden NJ on December 31, 1999 reoccur 15 years later. Many questions come up immediately - was the right murderer imprisoned? Then why is this happening again? I really enjoyed what I read so far. Its publishing day is March 1, 2022.

Under Lock and Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian had good writing but the setting and themes have not pulled me in. The magician, treehouse, bunny aspects haven't intrigued me enough, but I could be convinced to read some more when the book is published on March 22, 2022.

The Resting Place by Camilla Sten is a thriller set in Sweden, whose main character is a woman who has prosopagnosia or "face blindness"—the inability to recognize a familiar person’s face. This puts her at a major disadvantage when she may have seen her grandmother's killer but can probably not ever recognize the person again. I'm intrigued with what I read so far and plan to seek it out when it becomes available March 29, 2022.

The Shadow House by Anna Downes is set in Australia about a mother of two who may be running away from something. They move to an ecovillage called Pine Ridge, which looks beautiful. But there is a definite sense of foreboding. Coming April 5, 2022.

Pay Dirt Road by Samantha Jayne Allen is another debut novel, described by the publisher as "Friday Night Lights meets Sue Grafton". Annie McIntyre has returned to her hometown after graduating from college, but trying to figure out what to do next. Perhaps helping out at her grandfather's PI office is a good start. The first four chapters have only set up the story but nothing has happened yet, so it's difficult to say whether I'd want to continue. Publication date is April 19, 2022.

From this sampler, it does seem that there are some great mystery thrillers from unknown-to-me authors coming out from Minotaur. Check them out!

I'm a huge fan of St. Martin's Press/Minotaur books so I loved reading the samples of these upcoming titles. I'm really excited for The Shadow House, A Flicker in the Dark, The Night Shift and The Resting Place and will definitely be requesting copies. Thank you Minotaur and NetGalley for this e-arc sampler in exchange for an honest review.

The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 4, was my first sampler to read--what a great idea for the Minotaur to do. This gave me the opportunity to taste the writing styles of six authors. It's a great marketing tool, as well.

Volume 4 included authors; Stacy Willingham, Alex Finlay, Gigi Pandian, Camilla Sten, Anna Downes, and Samantha Jane Allen. The publisher did a great job selecting six great stories from these wonderful authors--they all were an interesting read but I had my favorites and look forward to downloading them.

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur, and authors to get a chance to read samples of your stories.

This was another interesting Minotaur Sampler that was great to read to get a taste of all the books coming out. This had sneak peeks at 6 thrillers and a couple of them sound pretty interesting to me and can't wait to check them out more after they come out. The two books I was more interested in from the sampler were Pay Dirt Road and The Resting Place. Really all the books have an aspect that I find interesting. I always enjoy reading the samplers to learn more about books coming out from Minotaur and being able to discover new books and authors. Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press - Minotaur Books for letting me have a chance to read and check out this sampler. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love a good thriller and ALL four teases sound so good! Each one left me wanting more chapters. I definitely put a preorder in for Alex Findlay but it was hard to chose which one!

Minotaur really has a slew of irresistible novels coming out this coming season. They first three are my favorites in the sampler.

“A Flicker In The Dark” , by Stacey Williamham is a debut novel. I have already read this novel and gave it 5*. It’s a great thriller with an unreliable narrator and a psychopath or two. I highly recommend this one. Feel free to read my review for more of my feelings about this one!!

“The Night Shift”, by Alex Finlay was an automatic request for me. I absolutely love this author’s writing and “Every Last Fear” was one of my top reads last year. The murder settings of a Blockbuster video and an ice cream shop, set in a small town sounds unique. I have already been approved for this one, so I read just a snippet of this novel.

“Under Skeleton Lock and Key” by Gigi Pandian is the first of what looks like a very unique series. The Secret Staircase Construction company specializes in creating unique spaces in homes with hidden staircases, sliding doors and any number of unique nooks and crannies, perfect for readers, or those who have something to hide!! I’ve requested this one.

“The Shadow House” by Anne Downes is the story of a mother who is running from something, she is looking for a place of safety for herself and her children. She finds Pine Ridge which looks like it will be the perfect refuge. The inhabitants are welcoming and the setting of the surrounding mountains is beautiful. But there are secrets hidden here and Alex isn’t sure whether they will be safe here. This one has a creepy, “something bad is coming” vibe. I’ve requested this one!!

“The Resting Place” is a standalone novel which is stated to be mystery/horror. Since I’m a wimp and don’t like horror, I didn’t read this part of the sampler!!

“Pay Dirt Road” by Samantha Jayne Allen. This is another debut novel. The main protagonist, Annie McIntyre has recently graduated from college and is home for the summer. She doesn’t know what her next move will be but she is waitressing to make money while she contemplates the future. Her supposedly retired grandfather manages to get her involved in the family PI business when a fellow waitress goes missing. This is very well written but sounded a bit too much like something I’ve read before. I’ll probably pass on this one.

It’s always fun to get a taste of what is coming from Minotaur, this is going to be a great Fall/Winter of reading!

I received an ARC of this sampler from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 4 is a collection of 6 fast paced thrillers. Each book capturing your attention and leaving you wanting more.

I enjoy sampler readers. It allows the reader to discover new authors and stories without having to purchase the entire book. Samplers save readers a ton of time in deciding whether a story is for them or not. I love how this is a blend of standalone stories and firsts in a series. I really enjoyed A Flicker in the Dark, The Resting Place, and The Night Shift. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the best collection of samplers to date. I'm excited about each of the books and even requested a few after reading the sample. Each of the stories is so unique, so I listed my thoughts individually:

A Flicker in the Dark pulls you right in. The descriptions are beautifully poetic. The story is compelling. And Karin Slaughter's blurb on the cover intrigues me as I love surprising twists. I can't wait to read the whole book.

The Night Shift - I love the prologue setting. I remember the tension surrounding that New Year so well, so to start a thriller with that tension starts the book out on a high note. Just this tiny sample sent chills down my spine more than once.

Under Lock and Skeleton Key - I love the cover, that the main character is a stage magician, and the overall premise. It is just so fun but at the same time thrilling, and this sample demonstrates all of that.

The Resting Place uses prosopagnosia to build tension, which is both intriguing and scary. I read another book recently that had the disorder as a plot device, and it was excellent. It gives me hope that this one will be as well.

The Shadow House has a creepy cover. The setting is very intriguing- an ecovillage in Australia and is written in an atmospheric way that completely envelops the reader. I've never heard of ecovillages before. The descriptions help pull you in by setting a very realistic scene that most people can relate to.

The cover of Pay Dirt Road is different than any I've seen before, and I like it. It intrigues me before I even know what the story is about. I also like that the blurb brings in Sue Grafton's series as a comparison. I enjoyed her books very much, so it gets me in the mood to enjoy this one as well. The first-person narration helps make Annie a relatable character from the first page, and the descriptions paint the scene in a way that I could experience it with all of my senses.

There is genuinely a book or two (or more if you love thrillers) here for every reader of the genre. This is an excellent sampler.

I am so grateful for this sample! I can not wait to read these books once they are available., These sneak peaks left me ready to pick these books up! If they are half as good as the previews, I am already excited for them. Thank you Netgalley for this opportunity,

Wow! What a great way to sample books before buying! Thank you Minotaur Books for these six samples. I will say the one I am most excited about is The Night Shift, I really enjoyed the authors last book, Every Last Fear, so I am definitely excited about this one!

I read The Lost Village by Camilla Sten, and I was not impressed, but I always like to give a second chance before writing it off as just not for me.

A Flicker In The Dark has the perfect eerie cover which is what first drew me to the book. Debut authors always excite me because if they can crush it with a debut, I'm all in for whatever they write next.

Under Lock and Skelton Key started off good, and I'm excited to see what it goes next especially since it is the first book in the series debut!

The Shadow House - remote settings always give me the creeps, and this is a new to me author I'm excited to continue with.

Pay Dirt Road - Friday Night Lights meets Mare of Easttown. This is the sentence in the synopsis that pulled me in and I can't wait to read more.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this fourth edition sampler of six novels due to be published in the winter of 2022. Some are standalone novels; others are first in a series. All are well done, but naturally, some intrigued me more than others. Here’s a quick review of each, taken in order of appearance. I received this sampler as an ARC in return for my honest, unbiased review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

First, A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham, gets off to a great start in these introductory chapters. When Chloe Davis was 12, something terrible happened in her town and in her life. Twenty years later she’s a psychologist in Baton Rouge and is engaged to be married. She’s a flawed character with anxiety issues and likely chemical dependency problems as well. This is a debut work of fiction that grabbed me enough to make me want to read more.

Next is The Night Shift by Alex Finlay. I wasn’t crazy about the writing style, but I found the story line to be quite intriguing. The author piles layer upon layer of connections in his plot, beginning with the attack of four teenage employees of a Blockbuster Video store on New Year’s Eve in 1999. One girl somehow manages to survive. A decade and a half later, a similar attack occurs in the very same town. Again, one – only one – makes it out alive. There are other “coincidences” as well. I was sad to see this teaser end as it has the potential to be a winner.

The third story is Under Lock and Key by Gigi Pandian, featuring a young female magician named Tempest. She is trying to weather a career storm. She has moved back home and has been offered a job with her family, whose business involves building secret passages and the like. Her mother disappeared mysteriously a number of years before; Tempest has always assumed that she committed suicide by drowning. What’s the real story? After being offered a job that does not meet her needs or abilities, Tempest comes to believe that perhaps she is needed in the family business after all. This story piqued my interest, but I wasn’t entirely enthralled with it. It’s not quite my cup of tea, and it’s not too hard for me to pass up.

The Resting Place by Camilla Sten, translated by Alexandra Fleming, is the fourth in this collection. Eleanor, “don’t call me ‘Victoria,’” has prosopagnosia, which is commonly called face blindness. It is a medical condition resulting in the inability to recognize faces. When she arrives at her grandmother’s home for dinner, she finds her grandmother Vivianne lying on the floor, covered in blood. Sometime after Vivianne’s death, Eleanor, her boyfriend Sebastian, and her aunt meet at a property where her grandmother and aunt grew up, where her grandfather suddenly died. Who killed Vivianne? What happened to her husband many years before? I did not connect to Eleanor at all, and the story did not draw me in. 3 stars so far, not enough to make me want to continue.

Equally uninteresting to me was the next one, Shadow House , by Anna Downe. Alex has moved to a unique, remote community with her 14-year-old son Ollie and infant daughter. Ollie has a big-time teenage attitude and is resentful about the move. Alex has secrets, and so does their new neighborhood, apparently. The difficult mother-son relationship is unpleasant, but well written. Neither character seems too likable early on. I was not really engaged with this story either, at least not enough to want to read the entire novel.

Did I hit paydirt with the last entry? Close! Pay Dirt Road by Samantha Jayne Allen is set in a Texas oil town where Annie is a 22-year-old waitress. Annie is worried when another waitress goes missing after a rowdy party. After learning of her co-worker’s disappearance, she’s offered a job by Mary-Pat, an investigator who worked with her grandpa Leroy and her dad, who were both lawmen. She thinks it will be a clerical job, but with her grandfather involved, could it turn out to be more? I was drawn to Annie, her cousin Nikki, and their “down home” lifestyle. This could prove to be a really good story, and I’m definitely interested in reading more.

Overall rating 4.3 rounded to 4

Loved each segment. Look forward to reading every book from start to finish.

What a great way to get to know the flavor of the book. More than wets one’s appetite.

It's hard to give an actual review for a sampler, but I will say that this grouping of books is very intriguing. I am especially eager to continue reading the novels here by Finlay, Sten, and Downes.

Thank you for allowing me to pursue these excerpts. Looks like an exciting line up!

The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 4, each book gives you just enough tease to make you want to read the rest of the book! It’s a sure fire way to make me get the books I’m most interested in to read all the way through.