This is a great sampler of a lot of writers that I haven't read yet. I found a lot here to add to my TBR.

Great compilation and I really enjoyed some of these to the point I grabbed the book to read the end! Great mix of different genres and styles

I read these out of order, and realize I have a sampler from a book I already 'tasted'. But these will catch your fancy and I am going to look out for a few!

Thank you #NetGalley, St. Martin's Press & Minotaur Books for giving me the opportunity to read this!

The Minotaur Sampler 5: New Books to Make Your Heart Race includes chapter samples from eight new Minotaur books from spring and summer 2022. Released on 8th March 2020 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 291 pages and available as a free download in ebook format from most retailers.

These eight 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 being breaking social distancing rules, and can be done from the convenience of our own computer. The books all have release dates from May - Aug 2022, and it's nice to get a long sample to read and try out.

All of the books are very well written - thriller, suspense, and mystery. They are all either standalones (4) or series starters (4).

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

thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

this sampler was a great preview of upcoming books! I added quite a few to my TBR list, and can't wait for them to be available

These are the best. I had the pleaser of reading some of these and they were amazing. The samples always pick the best books

I express my thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book. Seven wonderful authors including Nora Murphy, Ragnar Jónasson, Katharine Schellman, Robert Byrne, Kelley Armstrong,Jennifer Hillier, Mark Pryor and Sandie Jones. From reading these wonderful chapters in these books m y TBR list grew by 8. This book contains the author's releases for the Spring/Summer 2022. You are bound to find your next read.

4 stars

love the samples as always. Keep them coming!

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Thank you NetGalley for the sampler. I honestly did not realize that these were only small sections of the books as opposed to the full stories so I did not finish reading them only because I prefer the full books. Giving 5 stars because this is a neat idea for someone who likes to read samples and the confusion as to what I was requesting was on my end.

I love a good thriller and these have a few of my favorite authors... i look forward to more samplers - with just enough juice to get you through a quick commute or waiting in a doctors office these are my favorite quick stories! Love that one or two favorite authors can introduce you to new ones within the same genre.

I always love these samplers! This one was no exception! The options were mostly ones that I would typically be interested in and I found myself wanting to read them all!

This review was also published on Goodreads.

I always enjoy reading these longer book samples, it's such a great introduction to new books and new authors. I had already read two of them, A Rip in Time and The Things We Do in the Dark, and highly recommend both of those books. I found several more that I would really love to read.

The Favor by Nora Murphy is about women in danger in their own homes. It made me uneasy just reading the sample. It is a standalone book.

Outside by Ragnar Jónasson is about a reunion of a four friends who unfortunately decide to go hiking and get lost in a blizzard. They take shelter in a wooden shack. Not everyone will survive... It is a standalone book.

Last Call at the Nightingale by Katharine Schellman is set in 1924 during Prohibition when liquor was illegal. It is a mystery - a young woman who works as a seamstress finds a dead body in the alley behind the speakeasy where she had gone to drink and dance. The writing is so vivid that I felt as if I were in that nightclub listening to that band and watching the dancing. It is the first book in a series.

The Gatekeeper is a thriller with a really interesting main character, Dez Limerick, a kind of homely, laidback fellow who is a musician and mercenary. Be prepared for explosions. It is the first book in a series.

A Rip Through Time is the first book in a new series by Kelley Armstrong, and it is excellent. It is about a modern day policewoman who literally falls back into the past, in Victorian England - when Jack the Ripper was active. The book does not gloss over the difficulties of a modern woman stranded in that time. I can hardly wait for the next book.

The Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier is one of the best books I've read this year. It is unforgettable - both terrifying and heartbreaking. A young girl with a terrible background grows up and escapes ... until something happens many years later that brings her to public attention. It is a standalone book.

Die Around Sundown by Mark Pryor is a murder mystery set in Paris during WWII when it was occupied by the Nazis. It is a very unpleasant occupation by people with grudges who are free to act on them. A French detective is given the (deliberately) impossible task of finding out who killed a German officer with only a list of suspects. He can't visit the crime scene and hasn't much to go on. It is the first book in a series

The Blame Game by Sandie James made me uneasy just reading the sample. The main character is a psychologist who works with domestic abuse victims, both men and women. She takes on a new client, a man, and shortly after some unusual things begin happening - like someone has been in her office. It is a standalone book.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press(Minotaur Books) for a review copy of this book. These are my own opinions.

I always greatly enjoy the Minotaur samplers! It's a great way to get hyped up about recent and upcoming releases.
My personal favorites in this edition eould have to be Die Around Sundown and A Rip Through Time, just judging by the previews. I will review those titles separately once I have finished reading those books in their entirety, but the sneak peak has me curious!

If you’re looking for a free sampler of delicious bits of calorie-free goodness, allow me to introduce to you THE MINOTAUR SAMPLER, VOLUME 5.

Let me forewarn you, the need to know how these stories end is highly addictive, though user-friendly to your waistline, your pocketbook—not so much, and I’m more than okay with that! ;)

My favorite flavors, though shocking to no one, are ALL Eight Books…

THE FAVOR – by Nora Murphy – Yes, Please! (Released May 31, 2022)

‘Leaving would be dangerous. Staying could be worse.’

Let me just say, Dead Readers, the first page is the tantalizing bait, whilst the narrative that follows with its Grip-Lit vibe sets the hook quite nicely, in my opinion.

OUTSIDE – by Ragnar Jónasson – (Released June 28, 2022)

‘Four Friends. One Night. Not Everyone Will Survive.’ – Yes, Please!

‘He put down his backpack in the corner and drew a deep breath. It was chilly in here but a little warmer than it had been outside, the four walls offering a respite from the violence and screaming of the wind, and Daníel felt as if he could finally get enough oxygen in his lungs and relax a little …’

‘It was then that Gunnlaugur let out a yell.’

LAST CALL AT THE NIGHTINGALE – by Katharine Schellman – (Released June 7, 2022)

New York – 1924 – Speakeasy named Nightingale – Murder Mystery—Yes, Please!

‘The long, drawn-out wail of a trumpet could hide almost anything. Even the sound of murder.’

THE GATEKEEPER – by James Byrne – Need! I Love Dez! – (Released June 7, 2022)

A RIP THROUGH TIME – by Kelley Armstrong – A rip in time indeed—I can’t want to read this one!

THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK – by Jennifer Hillier – NEED! – (Released July 19, 2022)

DIE AROUND SUNDOWN – by Mark Pryor (Released Today - August 16, 2022) – Love the main character,
Inspector Henri Lefort!

THE BLAME GAME – by Sandie Jones – I need to know how this ends! My Heart! (Released Today - August 16, 2022)

Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur Press (St. Martin’s Press) for providing me with an eGalley of THE MINOTAUR SAMPLER, VOLUME 5 at the request of an honest review.

This sampler was a lot of fun to read. Steamy and fantastical. I live bed that they were short novellas and it made for a nice easy read! Great palette cleanser after some heavy books I've been reading

My favorite part of the sampler was Jennifer Hillier - Things We Do In the Dark. It was such a fast read and I have enjoyed every single book I've read of hers. I ended up buying the Kindle version of the book. However, I also read The Favor by Nora Murphy and given an ARC copy and that was another great page turner.

I love these!!!! My TBR list grows longer and longer each time I get one of these and read it. I should stop reading them. But, I can’t, lol

Great samplers! Cannot wait to read Jennifer Hillier’s new book! Excited to pick up a few more of the other ones. All seem very interesting!

I don't read that many thriller/suspense books, so I love getting the chance to preview these to see if I want to read them. I'm particularly intrigued by Last Call at the Nightingale and A Rip Through Time, they look really interesting! Thank you for putting together this sampler!

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I really like getting to read samplers because you get to kind of "try on" a bunch of different books to see if you like them before you have to commit to reading and reviewing the whole book. Some of the books in this collection I wouldn't have requested anyways because they weren't appealing to me personally but it was still interesting to read the first few chapters of them - except for a couple of them I really just didn't like. The ones I did really like though were the first two - The Favor by Nora Murphy and Outside by Ragnar Jonasson. I was thinking I might request one or both of those to read and review or maybe suggest one of them for my book club. There was another one too that I really thought was an interesting book - A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong - I'm just not sure if it'll resolve itself in a way that I will enjoy. Overall a lot of the books in this sampler were very interesting though and I liked the sampler overall!