I've never been a huge thriller reader, but I have wanted to read more and this sampler was great in helping me to get a taste of what they're like and different author's styles! I'm definitely intrigued by some of them and will be looking to read them. These are just some of my quick thoughts on the samples here, they could be off since it's hard to judge a book in 5 or so chapters

Parents Weekend - the concept is so intriguing, I might check it out! The only thing is that there are a lot of characters and POVs - it might be a bit much to keep track of all of them

Marguerite by the Lake - I'm not that interested in the author's writing style to be honest and it seems like it'll move very slowly

So Happy Together - I'm not sure yet if I'll read this. The FMC who's POV it's in might be a little too much for me since she's clearly insane

The Bachelorette Party - I was pretty hooked on what happened to the Four! It seems like it's definitely a great read

Party of Liars - seems like a really interesting premise, but it's told in 5 different POVs, so I'll have to see how that dynamic works out

Forget Me Not - honestly this didn't grab me at all, I think it was the writing style

Book sampler of six stories releasing this year. I’m familiar with 3 authors in the book sampler. I requested the sampler for a preview of Stacy Willingham and Alex Finlay’s books. I’ve already read Mary Dixie Carter’s new release. I’m thrilled to discover new authors so that leaves me with 3 possible books to request. Reading samples of writers work is key in determining if you match your reading style with a writers voice. I’m not sure how to rate a sampler since I’ll only be reading 2 of the 6 books.

Parents weekend by Alex Finlay. Five chapters to preview. Decision made. Not interested. Can already tell trying to keep track of all the characters will be difficult for me.

Marguerite by the Lake by Mary Dixie Carter. Already read. Gave it 5 stars.

So Happy Together by Olivia Worley. The few chapters I read determined it’s not as compelling as I hoped.

The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten. The writing voice doesn’t line up with my reading style. It’s not pulling me in.

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox. I appreciate the time and effort to produce a good book. Unfortunately, for me this book didn’t check off all the necessary boxes.

Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham. Five preview chapters for what is going to be a fantastic read. It’s a yes from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am grateful for this sample and now I know what books to focus on. My favorites of the sample were Parents Weekend, Marguerite by the Lake and The Bachelorette Party. I am very excited to review these!!

Release: March 25, 2025
Publisher: St Martin Press

#theminotaursamplervolume15

Am I intrigued?
Parents weekend by Alex Finlay - yes
Marguerite by the Lake by Mary Dixie Carter - no
So happy together by Olivia Worley - yes
The Bachelorette party by Camilla Sten - yes
Party of liars by Kelsey Cox - yes
Forget me not by Stacy Willingham - yes

The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 15 is a thrilling collection of excerpts from upcoming crime, mystery, and psychological suspense novels. Each selection offers a glimpse into a high-stakes story, whether it’s a bachelorette party gone wrong, five families who are thrown into chaos when their children vanish during Parents Weekend, a renowned garden designer’s mysterious death that raises questions, a woman who is determined to rekindle things with her ex; no matter the cost, a Sweet 16 celebration that takes a tragic and deadly turn or a woman who returns to the location where her older sister disappeared years ago, ready to face the past and uncover the truth.
With a mix of fast-paced action, eerie atmospheres, and unreliable narrators, this sampler is a perfect way to discover new authors and decide which books to add to your must-read list.
This sampler was a solid introduction to several upcoming thrillers, offering a taste of different styles and storytelling approaches. Some excerpts pulled me in right away with strong openings and intriguing premises, while others took a little longer to build momentum. I appreciated the mix of established authors and fresh voices, which kept things interesting.
One standout for me was "forget me not" which had an immediate hook and a strong narrative voice. The pacing in some of the other selections varied—some felt gripping right away, while others leaned more into slow-burn tension. Either way, it was a great way to discover new books and decide which ones I want to pick up in full.
Overall, Minotaur Sampler Volume 15 delivered what I was hoping for: a quick but engaging preview of thrillers worth keeping an eye on.

This sampler is AMAZING! I loved all the books, the bad thing is that my TBR is longer now. All 6 of them got me hooked, the plot, the writing are on point. I took this sampler mostly for Alex Finlay and Stacy Willingham but was impressed by Kelsey Cox

Perfect for mystery and thriller lovers, this sampler gave me the opportunity to discover some new novels in these two genres that are coming out soon. I especially loved Parents Weekend and Forget Me Not and look forward to reading them!

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

WE LOVE A SAMPLER. Is anyone reading this? If you are, hello, here are my thoughts, in order of how much I want to read each of these books based on its sample chapters:

SO HAPPY TOGETHER by Olivia Worley was one of my first declines here on NetGalley, and I’m still salty about it. I wanted this preview to be bad or boring so I could let it go. Alas, it was not bad or boring. It was great, and I’m hooked.

PARENTS WEEKEND, Alex Finlay: I’m not really a thriller person (as you may have gathered from the above, I downloaded this sampler mostly out of spite), but this one hooked me too. My issue with thrillers tends to be one of two things: either I’m not into the writing (no shade, but it is not always a priority in this genre), or the twists are obvious from page 1. From these sample chapters, I can see that 1) the writing is very competent and 2) there are way too many characters for me to even begin to guess anything based on the first 5-6 chapters. Verdict: PARENTS WEEKEND passes both of my very scientific tests. At least for now. Sold.

FORGET ME NOT, Stacy Willingham: I’ve haven’t read any of Stacy Willingham’s books, but I’ve heard of her and was curious. Her writing struck me right away as much more lyrical than I’m used to in thrillers. As you may have gathered, I’m more than a little judgmental about the genre as a whole, but this sample surprised and humbled me. For that alone, I will absolutely read this one.

THE BACHELORETTE PARTY by Camilla Sten reminded me that there’s a third reason I don’t often choose thrillers: they scare me. The opening scene is straight out of a slasher film, and I almost jumped out of my skin (but I am, once again and unfortunately, hooked).

PARTY OF LIARS, Kelsey Cox: This one is buzzy and I’m expecting to see it in book subscription boxes when it releases. I was already familiar with this book’s premise, so I didn’t necessarily need to sample it to gauge my interest. Instead, I flipped through with an eye toward its writing style. Like many thrillers (and even a lot of contemporary fiction these days), this one seems to end each chapter with a hook or some kind of twist to keep you turning pages. I find that style to come across as manufactured and tend to prefer more organic storytelling, so I will probably skip this one.

MARGUERITE BY THE LAKE by Mary Dixie Carter did not grab me, and honestly, I’m relieved. For a minute there I thought I was about to become a thriller superfan.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for offering this sampler!

I loved being able to sample each book, but now I am adding them all to my TBR list! I can’t wait for them to be released!

Obsessed with every single one of these and will be purchasing! I had already read Parents Weekend and loved it. Party of Liars and Forget Me Not will now be moving to the top of my TBR list! Love this concept of getting a sample of the writing before fully diving into each novel.

Thank you so much for these fantastic samples! I am most excited about the Stacy Willingham book; I love her writing. I've already read Alex Findlay's, and it was a great thriller.

I love these Minotaur Samplers! They are the best way to find new to me authors and build up my TBR.

I already had Stacy Willingham's "Forget Me Not" on my TBR and loved getting to read the first few chapters. It was a solid start and I can't wait to read more.

New to me was Kelsey Cox's "Party of Liars". A story about ex's, the new wife, and a nanny who is convinced the house is evil - YES PLEASE! The beginning was just the perfect sample to make the reader want to continue!

Thank you to NetGalley & Minotaur for the advanced digital copy, all opinions are my own.

Oh, I just love these samplers! I was already looking forward to The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten, Kelsey Cox's Party of Liars and Stacy Willingham's Forget Me Not. Those excerpts just made me more excited! I actually just finished Parent's Weekend by Alex Finlay so I can vouch for that one being a don't-miss read! Olivia Worley's So Happy Together and Mary Dixie Carter's Marguerite by the Lake were not on my radar, but they are now. Thank you again, #NetGalley and the above-mentioned authors for this sampler!

Loved being able to read snippets if upcoming books. I loved all that samples that were included. Three of my must read authors were included.

Thank you so much for these fantastic samples! I am very intrigued by a few of these especially and I can't wait to dive into these full length titles!

Great Minotaur Sampler this round. All of them thrillers!! And I love a thriller. I am most excited for the Stacy Willingham book. I already have Alex Findlay and Kelsey Cox on my to-read list. I always love reading Minotaur Samplers, and I enjoy getting a chance to read a sneak peek of books. Some books maybe I wouldn’t normally look at.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for a copy of this sampler.

As someone who absolutely lives for thrillers and suspenseful reads, *The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 15* was basically my version of a sneak peek at a thrilling cinematic universe in book form. This volume offers excerpts from upcoming crime, mystery, and psychological thriller novels by some seriously talented authors: Kelsey Cox, Olivia Worley, Camilla Sten, Mary Dixie Carter, Alex Finlay, and Stacy Willingham. If you’re like me and love the rush of getting hooked on a new story before anyone else, this sampler is a total treat. Each excerpt felt like a little appetizer, teasing just enough to make me desperate for the full course. The mix of established and emerging authors was great, and each story brought something fresh to the table. That being said, some excerpts stood out more than others, but that’s always the case with collections like this.

While samplers can sometimes feel frustrating (because I need *more*!), this one did exactly what it was supposed to do: it got me hyped for these upcoming releases. Each excerpt had its own unique strengths, and I appreciated the variety of storytelling styles included. If you’re a fan of crime fiction, psychological thrillers, or mysteries with strong, engaging writing, this is definitely worth checking out.

That being said, I did feel like a couple of excerpts were a little too short to fully sink into the story, but that’s just the nature of samplers. Some grabbed me more than others, but overall, this volume was packed with potential bestsellers.

Would I recommend it? 100% yes, especially if you love thrillers and want a sneak peek at what’s coming next. Just be prepared to immediately add a few more books to your TBR list, because trust me, you’re going to want the full versions ASAP.

Another fabulous collection of books to consider. These samplers really help finalize my reading decisions. Thank you.

I have 3 of these titles waiting on my shelf to read. But I like that I can read a sample of the other 3 to see if I want to request and read. I have a widget for one of them that I am still deciding on accepting, so being able to read a sample is helpful in deciding. I always look forward to these samplers.


Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for this sampler.

Love these samplers! What a great way to get a taste of upcoming new releases.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #MintaurBooks for a free copy of #TheMinotaurSamplerVolume15. All opinions are my own.

Amazing Sampler, I can't wait to read those 6 books. the sampler was just the right tease before they come out.