Looking for a new book that will make your heart race? This free, second edition of The Minotaur Sampler compiles the beginnings of five can't-miss novels--either standalone or first in series--publishing Spring/Summer 2021 for easy sampling.

Standalone: Delta Dawn is a photographer for New York City’s elite. Mary Dixie Carter’s debut, The Photographer, is a slyly observed suspenseful story of envy and obsession, told in the mesmerizing, irresistible voice of a character who will make you doubt that see is ever believing.

Standalone: From Ragnar Jónasson, the award-winning author of the international bestselling Ari Thór series. A young woman seeks a new start in a secluded village where a small community is desperate to protect its secrets in The Girl Who Died.

First in Series: Meet award-winning author Joanna Schaffhausen’s new heroine, Detective Annalisa Vega, in Gone for Good. A cold case is heating up in Chicago, and with an ever-growing sense of déjà vu Annalisa must retrace the killer’s steps to her own childhood.

First in Series: From Edgar-nominated author Ashley Weaver comes a historical series debut: A Peculiar Combination. This charming mystery, set in England during World War II, is filled with spies, murder, romance, and wit. Electra McDonnell is a safe cracker, and her latest job doesn’t go at all according to plan.

First in Series: Finish with Brian Klingborg’s Thief of Souls. A brutal murder in a rural village in Northern China sends shockwaves all the way to Beijing but seemingly only Inspector Lu Fei, exiled to this tiny town, is interested in finding justice.