𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐒𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐒.

Brought to you by St. Martin's Press and Minotaur books, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘳, 𝘝𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘦 7 is a literary smörgåsbord of six standalone tales in the thriller, mystery, and historical fiction genres. A truly remarkable read, this well-selected assemblage includes works by a troupe of bestselling authors, namely Peter Blauner, Stacy Willingham, Anastasia Hastings, Juan Gómez-Jurado, Alex Finlay, and Thomas Mullen.

Guaranteed to clutch its reader, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘳, 𝘝𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘦 7, is compiled of the onsets of each narrative featured and is led by the epic 𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘥, authored by Peter Blauner. Now, without further ado, I am ready to analyze the set. Dear reader? Shall we?

• 𝘗𝘐𝘊𝘛𝘜𝘙𝘌 𝘐𝘕 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘚𝘈𝘕𝘋 by Peter Blauner
Genre(s) Historical Fiction / Mystery Thriller
𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟒 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

G̶O̶D̶ 𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐇 𝐎𝐅 𝐖𝐀𝐑.

𝐀lex Hassan was a promising young man—once. His Egyptian-American parents only wanted the best for him. They worked hard and gave Alex the best life they could; Alex never needed anything. He and his younger sisters, Amy and Samantha, had all the trappings a child could want from their parents: love, devotion, attention, and a firm hand to guide him along the path of life. Alex and his parents endure in America regardless of the spirit of racism, which often targets them, resulting from their race and faith; nevertheless, the family can look past the cruel barbs when they perceive their good fortune: Alex's father is an executive at Chase, and his grandfather is a respected entrepreneur. They have done well in America. And to show their gratitude, the family flies Old Glory high on the front porch of their quaint American home.

Oh, if their friends back in Egypt can see them now.

Nay, America has been good to the Hassans—until now. On the day those two twin towers fell in New York City, America (the Beautiful) frowned her face into a scowl of ugly scorn. Forgetting her reputation for being the great Melting Pot, America became as bitter as vinegar, and her tongue protruded from her mouth like a double-edged sword, sharpened by the fire of her belly. With it, she spoke to slay her adopted Muslim children; they were no longer welcome among her own. The sharp tongue of a nation in suffering and mourning cut through many carotid arteries as it spoke to the Muslim immigrant from the abundance of its heart: 𝘎𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘵, 𝘖𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘢.

Alex Hassan, a chemistry and video production major, had worked hard, kept abreast of his studies, and finally gained acceptance to an Ivy League university: Cornell. It was only one more stitch in the patchwork of the American dream. And Alex was happy. However, that quickly changed after the FBI arrested and jailed his father for acts of terrorism. Of course, the elder Hassan was not a terrorist; he only had the 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 as an actual terrorist. The FBI apologized, and Alex Hassan's parents accepted the apology and forgave the offense. But Alex never did. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭. Especially not since his family lost nearly all they had because of it. Enough was enough.
Unlike his parents, Alex Hassan has a different spirit: a vengeful one that fosters the philosophy of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. And on the pages of this gnawing sample of 𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘥, Alex Hassan will make a decision—and no one, not even his reformed grandfather, film fan Ali Hassan, will be able to modify his conditioned mind. No matter how many emotional letters his grandfather writes to him, Alex doesn't care; he wants revenge. According to Alex Hassan, "The world is a battlefield. And we must all choose sides."

And so it happens. Abu Suror (formerly Alex Hassan) chooses a side: martyrdom. Indeed, Allah would approve. Alex Hassan has found his destiny. He will join the Muslim Brotherhood in the struggle for freedom.
His militant recruiters in Syria patiently wait to exact retribution: woe unto the enemy—𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢.

Is it possible to salvage a misguided soul adrift in a sea of revenge? The true struggle has only begun.

• 𝘈𝘓𝘓 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘋𝘈𝘕𝘎𝘌𝘙𝘖𝘜𝘚 𝘛𝘏𝘐𝘕𝘎𝘚 by Stacy Willingham
Genre(s): Psychological Thriller / Mystery
𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟓 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐊𝐄.

𝐒tarring Isabelle Drake, 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 sets the stage for a psychological production of true crime—produced and directed by a puzzling mystery: the kidnapping of a baby boy only one year ago.

The child is named Mason, and our leading lady, Isabelle Drake, plays his grieving mother. The night Mason Drake disappeared, the weather had been warm and rainy, a gentle breeze blowing in, refreshing the nursery. Isabelle and her husband, Ben, were asleep in the adjoining bedroom. And neither had heard the window to the nursery opening or an intruder entering: this is at least the story the Drakes told the authorities when they realized their only child, Mason, was gone.

In the year since the disappearance of Mason, Isabelle has not enjoyed a good night's sleep. Insomnia is now the master, and she is its slave. Coffee and eye drops try in vain to provide comfort, but their efforts are only so far-reaching. Isabelle Drake is now a human Luna Moth, a creature of nocturnality. How she stays afloat is anyone's guess, but she does, although desperately. The human body needs rest, but Isabelle can never sleep longer than the duration of a catnap. Most recently, she gave a keynote speech at TrueCrimeCon, an annual event for True Crime fanatics held on the West Coast. And even though the case of her missing child remains unsolved, Isabelle commits to attending every year to keep those interested parties up-to-date on any breaks in the investigation. Thus far, it is routine for Isabelle to merge in and out of character as she stands on stage, speaking and looking out at the perverse people who almost gleefully take pleasure in the misfortunes of others. It's always the same old speech—at which she has become a pro.

Her baby is missing, stolen from his crib in the middle of the night. And her husband has left her to carry the burden of losing their only child to abduction alone. Exhausted, Isabelle hasn't slept too many winks since then. Her body is breaking down, with her eyes succumbing first. The irreparably broken blood vessels exhibit a subconjunctival hemorrhage—resulting from a lack of sleep. And to say the least, it's getting worse.

Any mother would be prone to suffering emotional stress after such a trauma. And it's no different with Isabelle Drake. Or is it?

Something awful is troubling Isabelle. She works hard to keep her composure, but there is something about Isabelle. Is she hiding secrets? Does she know more than she's revealing? A woman such as herself, who has garnered the attention of millions in the aftermath of Mason's disappearance, is not keen to go unnoticed by the likes of off-shoot media outlets.
Take Waylon Spencer, for instance. Waylon Spencer is a true-crime podcaster who (just so) happens to be booked on the same flight as Isabelle (in the seat next to hers) on her way home—to Savannah, Georgia—after TrueCrimeCon. He starts a conversation with Isabelle, eventually offering her his business card and inviting her to appear as a guest on his show for an interview. Perhaps it is only a coincidence? Isabelle keeps to herself on the flight. But she holds onto his card, which may not have been a good idea because if Isabelle Drake knew the real reason Waylon Spencer wanted her to rehash that horrible night of the abduction on his podcast to millions of listeners, she would have discarded his business card and never saw him again. But when one is under a spell of delusion, the same is not thinking clearly.

Is Isabelle Drake not unlike all of the other mommies? That is what Waylon Spencer would like to know. And he doesn't intend to sleep on it.

• 𝘖𝘍 𝘔𝘈𝘕𝘕𝘌𝘙𝘚 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘔𝘜𝘙𝘋𝘌𝘙 by Anastasia Hastings
Genre(s): Historical Fiction / Mystery
𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟒 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝑯𝑬𝑹 𝐀𝐃𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐄—𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐈𝐄.

𝐈n the world of nonfiction, we have Dear Abby, Ann Landers, Claire Rayner, and E. Jean Carroll, to name a few. And in the world of fiction, there is Miss Hermione—the best of the best in the advice columnist business. Whatever the problem might be, Miss Hermione has a solution. And whatever the question is, know for a certainty that Miss Hermione will have an answer, as this is her claim to fame. Miss Hermione is the premiere agony aunt in the British Empire, advising all who inquire, no matter the time of day.

As the tie-backs open pinch-pleated Victorian curtains to reveal her charmed life, the reader will learn firsthand that not all is as it appears in 1885 London—the era of Aunt Adelia, famously known as Miss Hermione.

The 40-year-old Adelia is as elegant as she is sassy. She believes in living it up: on a whim, Adelia can easily pack up and go (without a second thought), which is what the renowned agony aunt is doing when she summons her dear niece, Violet, into her home library to give the younger woman the news. Adelia is about to be whisked off on a pleasure trip—yet another exciting excursion courtesy of her paramour, Hamish MacGill. And it is her will for Violet to oversee the 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦 advice column while Adelia is away. Of course, Violet is caught out and dumbfounded: there is no way Violet can write an advice column. She just can't. And in no uncertain terms, she argues to convince her dismissive aunt of that. But Adelia will hear none of it. It is 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘺.

Ironically, until now, the true identity of Miss Hermione was a mystery: no one, except Adelia's loyal housekeeper, Bunty, and a few others, knows that she is the famous advice columnist: this, too, throws Violet for a loop. Notwithstanding, the hypocritical Adelia wins the match against Violet's objections, and Violet has no choice but to honor her legendary aunt's request. So there. It is said and done: Violet will write the advice column until further notice. Violet will now be Miss Hermione, a revered figure who has never been apt to practice what she preaches.

A hot cup of tea has a way of bringing out the sunshine and chasing away the clouds. At least it does for Violet, as only one cup, made for her by Bunty, serves as a little liquid courage. Violet is ready to become the substitute for Miss Hermione.
The first of many letters she must answer comes from a newlywed woman who has written to Miss Hermione before: she pleads with Miss Hermione to answer her inquiries about how she should carry herself as a new wife. Also, the writer of the letter has self-esteem issues and believes she must do whatever is necessary to please others. Never herself, only others, especially her husband. The woman signs her letter, 𝘈 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦. And in turn, Miss Hermione dubs her "Desperate but hopeful."
Unfortunately, the advice given to the desperate housewife did nothing to calm the choppy waters in her marriage. And when she sends the advice columnist a second letter, its spirit is even more anxious than the first: the woman informs Miss Hermione that the matter is far from settled and that the situation has grown grave.

The woman—whom we soon learn is named Ivy—goes on in her letter, telling Miss Hermione that she suspects someone is trying to kill her. Ivy admits she has a good idea who they are, those who want her dead, but she neglects to name them in her correspondence; however, her letter does include clippings and photos of those she suspects are plotting to kill her. The frightened woman has drawn circles around each one; the details are shocking. Violet confers with Bunty about whether or not Violet (posing as Miss Hermione) should publish the letter. Bunty doesn't fancy the idea and encourages Violet to dismiss the anxious woman's accusations as rubbish. But does Violet? Of course not. And we wouldn't have a suspenseful murder mystery, an arousing little whodunit, to keep the pages turning if she did, now would we, dear reader?
It's not until Violet visits Ivy that the substitute advice columnist realizes the rabbit hole, or grave, for that matter, goes deeper than she could have ever imagined.

Trust that the suspects in the heinous murder of Miss Ivy are the ones you will least expect.

• 𝘙𝘌𝘋 𝘘𝘜𝘌𝘌𝘕 by Juan Gómez-Jurado
Genre: Crime Thriller
𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟑 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐑𝐒. J̶E̶F̶F̶R̶I̶E̶S̶ 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐓𝐓.

𝐎n the pages of this sleazy crime thriller, Madrid, Spain, serves as the setting for a hard-boiled storyline of international intrigue.

Inspector Jon Gutiérrez lives with a bull's eye on his back. Not only is he a target because he's gay and lives with his mother, but Jon is also on suspension (without pay) from the force for several offenses that range from falsifying evidence to obstructing justice. Jon is perceived—by his captain and peers, among others—as a corrupt cop, although Jon insists nothing is further from the truth. There are things Jon's captain and fellow officers don't know about him, including 𝘸𝘩𝘺 he did what he did. But 𝘑𝘰𝘯 knows. Desiree Gómez, also known as either Desi or Sparky. She's the reason why. Desiree is a 19-year-old prostitute who Jon will go to great lengths to protect—even if that means destroying her pimp, the same pimp who beats her to a pulp without a conscience.

Jon risked his career and life to help the pitiful hooker who lacked gratitude. And to make matters worse, Jon's captain seems to be looking for any excuse to rid the department of him. Honestly, it's not because Jon did something no other cop has ever done; it's because Jon is gay.
If matters couldn't get any worse than they already are, Inspector Jon Gutiérrez is staring down four to six years in the Basauri prison for his "abominable" misdeeds. They're all out to get him: his sanctimonious captain, the homophobic district attorney, the prostitute Jon tried so hard to protect, the pimp Jon framed, and the angry inmates Jon had a hand in helping to imprison. Not surprisingly, Jon is now at a fork in the road: he may go to prison, and his 70-year-old mother may never see him again, should she perish before his release. The dark thoughts infesting his mind desire to break his spirit and perhaps nudge him to suicide, but Jon has too much faith in life to take the so-called coward's way out. He's contemplating his next move when a shyster called Mentor makes his entrance. For Jon, Mr. Mentor can (and will) wipe the entire slate clean and have all the charges dropped—but there's a catch: our leading lady, Detective Antonia Scott. Soon, Inspector Jon Gutiérrez will curse the day he meets her. Or he will bless it.

Now, one could ask, who is this mystery man called Mentor? And what power does he have to influence print and visual media? What influence does this man, Mentor, have over law enforcement? Why is Antonia Scott and her expertise in criminology so important to him? The shady figurehead wants to use the misfortunate Jon Gutiérrez, knowing he has a card to play against him: Jon will do as the man called Mentor asks, or Jon will go to prison. It's as simple as that.
In time, Jon delivers Antonia to the man called Mentor as instructed – but there is no way the organization for which Mentor works will allow Jon Gutiérrez to walk away so easily. Surely, Jon should have known better. But then again, naivete has never been a reliable subject to advise on wisdom or the principles thereof.

His delivering Antonia Scott to Mentor is just the beginning of the seemingly endless troubles about to befall Inspector Jon Gutiérrez. And he will need his wits fully intact to maneuver through a double-crossing labyrinth of treachery.

• 𝘞𝘏𝘈𝘛 𝘏𝘈𝘝𝘌 𝘞𝘌 𝘋𝘖𝘕𝘌 by Alex Finlay
Genre(s): Thriller / Mystery Thriller
𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟓 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘦,
𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘶𝘯, 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘶𝘯...

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐖𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍: 𝐉𝐄𝐍𝐍𝐀.

𝐉enna is a woman who has it all, at least on the surface. The lovely housewife is married to a much older man, a tax attorney named Simon. And they have two daughters from Simon's first marriage: Willow and Tallulah, nicknamed Lulu. Willow, the oldest, is not fond of her stepmother, Jenna, but Lulu, on the other hand, is a bit more hospitable. Jenna is giving it her all with Willow, but the girl won't budge: as far as Willow is concerned, Jenna will 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 replace her mother. Simon's first wife succumbed to cancer, and with time, he started living again—after meeting Jenna on Match.com.

A wealthy clan, the family lives outside of Washington, D.C., in a home teeming with opulence. Simon's friends and family conclude that Jenna only married Simon for his money, but unbeknownst to them, Jenna already has a vast sum of her own money—tucked away in a private little Swiss bank account. Jenna. She is good at keeping secrets from all of them.
Friendly but friendless and often lonely, Jenna is a great actress. She plays the hell out of her role as a doting suburban housewife—with a loving husband and two precious stepdaughters: this might be her new life, but Jenna's past has never gotten over her. It has searched high and low to find her place, and its efforts were not fruitless. After its resurrection from the dead, Jenna's past has come to pay her a call, rapping about old times and arousing an old lust – an old bloodlust.

For Jenna has never had to atone for her sins – until now.

𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑? 𝐘𝐎𝐔’𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑.

𝐒ex, drugs—too many, in fact—and rock & roll have done severe damage to not only the liver but also the soul of the man named Donnie Danger. Once a powerhouse in music, selling out arenas and whatnot, the band for which Donnie served as the frontman, Tracer's Bullet, is now reduced to playing cruise ships to pay the bills.

Donnie Danger, the band's iconic guitarist, was only sober for three months before an evil agent, posing as an adoring fan, arrived to be a thorn in his flesh: the time was a perfect opportunity as Donnie recently learned that his best friend, Ben, was found murdered. Donnie Danger fell off the wagon soon after, and things changed, as Tom Kipling, the band's new frontman, is none too pleased, and all of Donnie's bandmates, except Pixie, despise him. They hate him, but they need him because Donnie, one of only two original band members, is the primary reason the band of has-beens stays booked in the first place.
Donnie is trying to keep his head above water, but it's a challenge: his best friend is dead, and Tom Kipling—who writes all of the band's songs—wants Donnie out. Says Tom Kipling: "It's him or me." And with that, Donnie knows it's over. But what is he going to do now? He needs the band like he needs a life preserver. Speaking of which, a life preserver would come in handy, as Donnie will soon realize. Another "adoring fan" approaches Donnie Danger on the quiet deck of the ship as he stares out at the vast darkness, drinking to forget his problems. Donnie assumes she wants an autograph—across her cleavage, which is customary. But the stranger doesn't want his John Hancock. She wants Donnie Danger to jump off the ship deck into the deep, cold ocean below. When he laughs it off and takes her for a joke, she brandishes a loaded gun and counts to five before shoving him overboard.

Donnie Danger, an aging rock god, has never had to atone for his sins – until now.

𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐎?

𝐍ico is the executive producer of the reality TV series, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴. The title is fitting enough for a program centered around its cast members venturing into many of the world's coal mines.
Roger (call him "Maverick," or else) is Nico's star. And before he found "fame" on 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴, Roger was an obscure member of the general public—as were others of his like, meaning so-called "reality TV stars."

Nico detests Roger, but the annoying idiot is his "star" and main moneymaker. Yes, because of the massive success of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴, Nico is bathing in money. And he can overlook every diva-like ego so long as the cash keeps streaming in. Nico is the king of all executive producers in the reality TV industry. Andy Cohen, who? Nico is untouchable—or so Nico would like to believe.
Nico has a great deal to contend with, as does Davis. Davis is the mean-spirited network executive who covets Nico's job. The man is like a pounding migraine in Nico's temporal lobe, but it's nothing the executive producer can't handle. If truth be told, Nico has endured worse: lone sharks, bookies, that sort. Perhaps Nico's meeting with Roger—down in the mine—may produce some drama he can use for the show. You know, ratings and all that.

The fact that there can never be enough drama in reality TV is the 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 reason Nico accepted Roger's invitation to meet underground in the mine. Under any other circumstance, Nico would have dismissed the demanding man-child. So when the rickety elevator lowers its passenger into the coal mine, Nico stands there, waiting. However, there is only one problem: the passenger who exits the elevator is not Roger; it's someone else. And that person has come but for one reason: to kill Nico. The mission? Blow him to bits.

Nico, the famous reality TV executive producer, has never had to atone for his sins – until now.

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐔𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇.

Although it's been years since former friends—and Savior House group home residents—Jenna, Donnie, and Nico went their separate ways, the trio have history, ugly history. Our three starring leads have moved on, left that history behind, and forgotten it. But there is one who hasn't. This one remembers what they did. And for their wicked feats, they must be held accountable. Destruction must befall them. On their journey to the realm of the dead, they must suffer to their last breath.

• 𝘉𝘓𝘐𝘕𝘋 𝘚𝘗𝘖𝘛𝘚 by Thomas Mullen
Genre(s): Crime Thriller / Mystery / Science Fiction
𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟐 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓.

𝐖hat happens when every human on Earth dreams the same nightmare at once? On the pages of this sci-fi crime thriller, authored by Thomas Mullen, the terror of it becomes real when a mysterious plague strikes the globe and blinds every man, woman, and child with one life to live.

It's been seven years since the inexplicable virus crippled the world and caused macular degeneration. Scientists created a name for it: The Blinding. No one was immune; every human alive contracted it. The direct symptom was impaired vision. Everyone soon lost their sight, and the world they all once knew plunged into darkness. There were many theories about how the virus germinated and the ground zero of its origin. Was it a bioweapon let loose by China? Could it have been the Russians? Was it climate change? Or a parasite? Something in the water? No one knew. The virus came like an hour of trial upon the entire world. And since The Blinding, many have had their faith tested—for seven long years.

Enter Officer Mark Owens, our leading man and a detective in Major Crimes. As this narrative opens to display the world on its pages, Officer Owens, along with his partners, Officers Jimmy Peterson and Safiya Khouri, is on a stakeout. The nightclub, 𝘚𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴, is more than a place to go dancing; it also serves as a shell company for drug deals and gun runners, not to mention prostitution. PTSD be damned. The show must go on. And a good night's rest still must eschew the wicked.
Equipped with new technology, people can live and perform their daily duties as they once did before the virus claimed their sight: Vidders are small metal discs implanted on everyone's right temple. This device relays GPS, radar, and every diversification of visual data to the occipital lobe's visual cortex, compensating humans for their permanent blindness. In the case of law-enforcement officers, Vidders go one step further, allowing them to see through walls with thermal imaging: this can work not only in their favor but also against them. Officer Mark Owens learned this the hard way. It nearly cost the veteran cop his life when the leader of the criminal organization Owens and his department were working as a task force to bust became suspicious of the detective's advantage. And in the commotion of the raid, Owens, with a damaged Vidder, nearly shot Jimmy Peterson to death – as Peterson was being used as a human shield by a man named Slade, the unit's prime suspect.

In the end, though, they both survived. They always do. But their luck—at catching criminals and keeping the streets safe from all forms of criminal activity—is about to run out.

Are Owens and Peterson the good guys? Or are they a double team of trigger-happy corrupt cops abusing the integrity of the badge in a world without sight?

𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩?

• 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟔 𝐨𝐟 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘳, 𝘝𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘦 7. 𝐌𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬:

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐙𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐒.

I must say that 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘳, 𝘝𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘦 7, was quite interesting. The six tales collected here had individually unique personalities that ranged from choleric to melancholic, ill-tempered to courageous, and adventurous to energetic. And maneuvering from one plot to another, and then another—all in one book—reminded me of the first time I read 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵 by Stephen King. The only difference, as far as the comparison goes, is that 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵 is a collection of nineteen books. And when you have that many characters following different plots, one must maintain focus. And that I did.

As the titles in this compilation are only samples, I based my ratings on prose, plot, character, and pace. And of them all, 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘞𝘦 𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘦—authored by Alex Finlay—was perhaps my favorite sample, followed by 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 by Stacy Willingham, both of which I rated five stars. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘞𝘦 𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘦, I was on the edge of my cozy reading seat, so immersed in the plot that when I reached the end of the sample, I cursed—out loud. Indeed, I do foresee viewing this title in its entirety.
𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 also had a rapid pace and a riveting storyline that grabbed my interest and held it from start to finish. And I look forward to completing it as well.

The two titles I rated four stars are 𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘥 by Peter Blauner and 𝘖𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 by Anastasia Hastings. These are both great books that show promise as complete works. The two narratives are well-written and pleasurable—to an extent. And while I would recommend them to any reader interested in epic tales or historical fiction, this duo of snippets was a little too slow for my taste.

𝘙𝘦𝘥 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 by Juan Gómez-Jurado comprises the only narrative I rated three stars. Unfortunately, the anecdote was not impressive enough to bowl me over, although I would still recommend it to my fellow readers. If you love international crime thrillers with a feisty heroine at the helm, this one might be your perfect cup of Earl Grey.

Thomas Mullen's 𝘉𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘴 could have been much better. The sci-fi thriller earned two stars on my rating scale by a hair's breadth. The excerpt was nothing short of slow-moving, inducing extreme fatigue. And I couldn't wait for its four chapters to end. Mullen's writing here appears lazy and practically amateurish. And too many broken sentences give the impression of a rush job. In addition, too many characters run into each other without much of a good rapport. And if these four chapters indicate what the entire novel will read like, I have no interest in ever completing it. Notwithstanding, I wouldn't go so far as not to recommend it to fans of the sci-fi thriller genre—as everyone has a preference. And as the old expression goes, 'To each his own.'
As I have not read his other work besides 𝘉𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘴, I cannot judge the quality of Thomas Mullen's bibliography as a collective. He just failed to wow me here.

With that, dear reader, I would recommend 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘳, 𝘝𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘦 7, to those who fancy a little variety—despite its minor cons, which its pros outweighed, mind you. It is an engaging anthology that will set the mood perfectly on a rainy day. And I am sure you will enjoy it. Thank you, Minotaur! And happy reading, all.


𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖𝐄𝐑’𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄: It is a pleasure to thank St. Martin's Press / Minotaur Books / Macmillan—and NetGalley—for the gift of an advanced review copy (ARC) of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘳, 𝘝𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘦 7.

Analysis of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘳, 𝘝𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘦 7—co-authored by Peter Blauner, Stacy Willingham, Anastasia Hastings, Juan Gómez-Jurado, Alex Finlay, and Thomas Mullen—is courtesy of Literary Criticism by Cat Ellington for The Arts©.

©𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐏𝐞𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐤 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐛𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐭 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐭 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝.

Minotaur Samplers are always a good way to get to learn about new book releases. My favorites in this edition were What Have You Done by Alex Finlay and All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur!

A good selection of chapter previews from mystery books of 2023. As soon as the waitlist at my library has gone down for Picture in the Sand, I will be picking up a copy asap!

Thanks so much for the sampler - Minotaur has a fantastic stable of authors. I get lots of recommendations for future reads from these samplers.

Love them samplers to see what is coming out next! I love getting to read samples and decide which books will be the most exciting to check out!

The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 7, offers a great selection of thriller stories that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. One standout author in this sampler is Stacy Willingham, whose cinematic writing style makes for a truly immersive reading experience. Her contribution is a highlight among the collection's gripping tales. While there is some variation in quality among the different stories, overall, the sampler provides a strong showcase of suspenseful and thrilling writing. If you're a fan of the genre, The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 7, is definitely worth checking out.

These sampler books are a great way to decide what you like and what you can pass on before you waste money and time on a book you will wind up not enjoying.

I love seeing the different books coming out and reading the samples! Thank you for offering these titles. I will be looking out for a couple of them in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for accepting my request to read and review this sampler.

Of note: I had previously read Picture in the Sand & All the Dangerous Things. I put in a request to read on NetGalley and my public library for Of Manners & Murders.

Picture in the Sand: I think it's a writing style, its dry and simple, and I just cannot get into the story. There is communication between a grandson and grandfather that drove me batty. The genre classification, the beautiful cover, and the blurb regarding storytelling appealed to me. Unfortunately, this was a miss. Maybe it was written for you.

All the Dangerous Things: I liked the main character, felt sorry for her, cried and laughed with her. The story is told through her voice. I wish I could convey without spoiling all the scenes I thought were smart, and the things I didn't see coming. Loved this.

Of Manners and Murders -- A Dear Miss Hermione Mystery: The first in a new cozy series -- I want the rest of the story. Miss Hermione is the late 1800s Ann Landers. The first few pages were setting up the time period. The story kicks in and I found myself invested. This reads like a smart cozy. (This sample was the first two chapters.)

Red Queen: Miss. The book starts well and I am being drawn in by an intriguing character. Then the filthy language starts, continues and keeps going. The author and I have standards, and mine are higher than his. Will not continue.

What Have We Done: Miss. Another author who drew me in. I was so engrossed, a gust of wind blew my curtain and startled me. While it never entered my brain to swear, the author decided I would read anything and started dropping F bombs.

Blind Spots: Miss. Unbelievable. Again, the language.

Note: I have without NetGalley more books on my Kindle that I have selected than I could read in my lifetime. By the grace of technology and science, I can choose after a chapter or two not to continue with a book. My PaperWhite weighs very little and goes where I do. Yes, I carry 900-1000 books. Physically, I have approximately 200-300, even I am surprised by the number. Gifts, sales, and giveaway wins are in my house. I don't have to be uncomfortable reading. I don't pick up hood or ghetto books. I stay away from Mafia types. I expect trashy language in those.

Two of the three in this sampler were just filling word counts. I can't imagine pitching or being proud of the work. I enjoy NetGalley, the request to review is approved on both sides. The last three I do not approve.

Another amazing sampler from minotaur. I absolutely love seeing these and what they have for future releases. This gives you just the right amount of content to decide if you really want to support the author and content provided!

Love this sampler! I always find something that I want to read that otherwise I would not have normally chosen. Now looking forward to Of Manners and Murder!

I won’t be giving a complex review cause I thought that this ARC was a book but it wasn’t lol, it was literally a sypnosis of a collection of book. A but disappointed that I didn’t get the books for real. Anywaysss, hope I’ll love them when they get released!

This was another great collection of books! I have already read Stacy Willingham’s book, but I’m now really excited to read “The Red Queen” because of the connection to Bilbao (where I am now reading it) and the new Alex Finlay book!

This review was also published on Goodreads.

I didn’t get to read this sampler and it was removed from my dashboard for some reason. However I did get the newest Alex finlay and I can’t wait to read that!!

I love this sampler! I don't really know how to describe it but it's amazing to have so many great voices in one place. I also was SUPER excited about the Alex Finlay book and it did not disappoint! Would highly recommend!!

I had two favorites in this sampler; the ones by Stacy Willingham and then Alex Finlay’s. I just received All the Dangerous Things in my
BOTM December box so will be diving into it soon. The sample here had me hooked. Then with What Have We Done….it’s about teens at a group home who have a reunion of sorts. I can tell I’ll be on the edge of my seat/bed lol with this one! Can’t wait!

This is my first time receiving an arc of a sample package. I loved the idea of getting the chance to explore different authors stories. Previously I had never read anything by these authors, but after getting to sample some of these stories I look forward to continue reading more.

These samplers are a great way to find new authors. Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read these introductory chapters from a wide variety of authors. Thomas Mullen’s Blind Spots; Stacy Willingham’s All the Dangerous Things; Juan Gomez-Jurado’s Red Queen; Anastasia Hastings’ Of Manners and Murder; and Peter Blauner’s Picture in the Sand left me intrigued to read further.

Looking for a new book to read can be difficult. I have found that reading a sampler book put together by a publisher has helped me discover a new author or a book by an author that I read once and didn’t know that the author has written a new book. This sampler gives six amazing book samples to read! I fortunately found myself wanting to read the books that they samples of. Maybe it’s unfortunate, as I have a pile of books by my chair ready to be read. I love to read so I will still be reading these books listed in this sampler.

The only thing I found very interesting was the sample of the book by Anastasia Hastings entitled Of Manners and Murder. The other books were just not my preference. I did not like The Red Queen which has gotten great reviews. The writing seemed juvenile to me but maybe it was just the translation.