Ashley Winstead

"Jessica Miller plans to triumphantly return to Duquette University for her ten year reunion festivities. She's the most successful out of her entire group of friends, and she's ready to flaunt her achievements...even though her "friend group," known on campus as the East House Seven, doesn't really exist anymore. Ten years ago, Heather, one of their own, was murdered, fracturing the once close knit group. And then another friend was accused of committing the vile act, shattering whatever friendly feelings remained. Jessica thinks she's coming back to campus to bask in a wave of glory. She and her friends have no idea that someone has set an elaborate trap to catch the real killer and close the cold case for good."--

A Novel

In My Dreams I Hold a Knife

From the author of the acclaimed In My Dreams I Hold a Knife comes a pitch-black thriller about a woman determined to destroy a powerful cult and avenge the deaths of the women taken in by it, no matter the cost.

While in college in upstate New York, Shay Evans and her best friends met a captivating man who seduced them with a web of lies about the way the world works, bringing them under his thrall. By senior year, Shay and her friend Laurel were the only ones who managed to escape. Now, eight years later, Shay's built a new life in a tony Texas suburb. But when she hears the horrifying news of Laurel's death—delivered, of all ways, by her favorite true-crime podcast crusader—she begins to suspect that the past she thought she buried is still very much alive, and the predators more dangerous than ever.

Recruiting the help of the podcast host, Shay goes back to the place she vowed never to return to in search of answers. As she follows the threads of her friend's life, she's pulled into a dark, seductive world, where wealth and privilege shield brutal philosophies that feel all too familiar. When Shay's obsession with uncovering the truth becomes so consuming she can no longer separate her desire for justice from darker desires newly reawakened, she must confront the depths of her own complicity and conditioning. But in a world built for men to rule it—both inside the cult and outside of it—is justice even possible, and if so, how far will Shay go to get it?

The Last Housewife

Fool Me Once is a laugh-out-loud, irreverent women's fiction novel, with a snarky heroine and a juicy enemies-to-lovers arc. Perfect for fans of Emily Henry's Beach Read and Fleabag. Lee Stone is a twenty-first-century woman: she kicks butt at her job as a communications director at a women-run electric car company (that's better than Tesla, thank you) and after work she is "Stoner," drinking guys under the table and never letting any of them get too comfortable in her bed... That's because Lee's learned one big lesson: never trust men. After four major heartbreaks set her straight, from her father cheating on her mom all the way to Ben Laderman in grad school--who wasn't actually cheating, but she could have sworn he was, so she reciprocated in kind. Then Ben shows up five years later, working as a policy expert for the most liberal governor in Texas history, just as Lee is trying to get a clean energy bill rolling. Things get complicated--and competitive as Lee and Ben are forced to work together. Tension builds just as old sparks reignite, fanning the flames for a romantic dustup the size of Texas.

Fool Me Once

Midnight Is the Darkest Hour

Boyfriend Candidate

“Charming, swoony, and utterly unputdownable. I LOVE this book!” —LYNN PAINTER, New York Times bestselling author of Better Than the Movies A laugh-out-loud rom-com about learning to embrace living outside your comfort zone. As a shy school librarian, Alexis Stone is comfortable keeping out of the spotlight. But when she’s dumped for being too meek—in bed!—she decides she needs to change. And what better way to kick-start her new more adventurous life than with her first one-night stand? Enter Logan, the gorgeous, foul-mouthed stranger she meets at a hotel bar. Audacious and filterless, Logan is Alexis’s opposite—and boy, do opposites attract! Just as she’s about to fulfill her hookup wish, the hotel catches fire in a freak lightning storm. In their rush to escape, Logan is discovered carrying her into the street, where people are waiting with cameras. Cameras Logan promptly—and shockingly—flees. Alexis is bewildered until suddenly pictures of her and Logan escaping the fire are all over the internet. Turns out Logan is none other than Logan Arthur, the hotshot candidate challenging the Texas governor’s seat. The salacious scandal is poised to sink his career—and jeopardize Alexis’s job—until a solution is proposed: he and Alexis could pretend to be in a relationship until election day…in two months. What could possibly go wrong?

The Boyfriend Candidate

From the bestselling author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and Midnight is the Darkest Hour comes a chilling, compulsive story of five amateur sleuths, whose hunt for an elusive killer catapults them into danger as the world watches.

It's the most famous crime in modern history. But only she knows the true story.

After the unexpected death of her father, college student Jane Sharp longs for a distraction from her grief. She becomes obsessed with true crime, befriending armchair detectives who teach her how to hunt killers from afar. In this morbid internet underground, Jane finds friendship, purpose, and even glory...

So when news of the shocking deaths of three college girls in Delphine, Idaho takes the world by storm, and sleuths everywhere race to solve the crimes, Jane and her friends are determined to beat them. But the case turns out to be stranger than anyone expected. Details don't add up, the police are cagey, and there seems to be more media hype and internet theorizing than actual evidence. When Jane and her sleuths take a step closer, they find that every answer only begs more questions. Something's not adding up, and they begin to suspect their killer may be smarter and more prolific than any they've faced before. Placing themselves in the center of the story starts to feel more and more like walking into a trap...

Told one year after the astounding events that concluded the case and left the world reeling, when Jane has finally decided to break her silence about what really happened, she tells the true story of the Delphine Massacres. And what she has to confess will shock even the most seasoned true crime fans...

This Book Will Bury Me

For fans of Verity and A Flicker in the Dark,Midnight Is the Darkest Hour is a twisted tale of murder, obsessive love and the beastly urges that lie dormant within us all . . . even the God-fearing folk of Bottom Springs, Louisiana. In her small hometown, librarian Ruth Cornier has always felt like an outsider, even as her beloved father rains fire-and-brimstone warnings from the pulpit at Holy Fire Baptist. Unfortunately for Ruth, the only things the townspeople fear more than God and the devil are the myths that haunt the area. Like the story of the Low Man, a vampiric figure said to steal into sinners' bedrooms on moonless nights to kill them. When a skull is found deep in the swamp next to mysterious carved symbols, Bottom Springs is thrown into an uproar. And now Ruth realizes that only she and Everett, an old friend with a dark past, have the power to comb the secret underbelly of the town in search of true evil. A dark and powerful novel, the kind fans have come to expect from Ashley Winstead, Midnight Is the Darkest Hour is an examination of the ways in which we've come to expect love, religion and storytelling to save us; the lengths we have to go in order to take back power; and the monstrous work of being a woman in this world. "Where The Crawdads Sing meets Twilight meets Thelma and Louise in this brilliantly realized, totally original thriller. Absolutely sensational―I couldn't put it down." --Clare Mackintosh, New York Times-bestselling author

From the critically acclaimed author of In My Dreams I Hold A Knife and The Last Housewife comes Midnight is the Darkest Hour, a gothic Southern thriller about a killer haunting a small Louisiana town, where two outcasts - the preacher's daughter and the boy from the wrong side of the tracks - hold the key to uncovering the truth.For fans of Verity and A Flicker in the Dark, Midnight is the Darkest Hour is a twisted tale of murder, obsessive love, and the beastly urges that lie dormant within us all. . . even the God-fearing folk of Bottom Springs, Louisiana. In her small hometown, librarian Ruth Cornier has always felt like an outsider, even as her beloved father rains fire-and-brimstone warnings from the pulpit at Holy Fire Baptist. Unfortunately for Ruth, the only things the townspeople fear more than the God and the Devil are the myths that haunt the area, like the story of the Low Man, a vampiric figure said to steal into sinners' bedrooms and kill them on moonless nights. When a skull is found deep in the swamp next to mysterious carved symbols, Bottom Springs is thrown into uproar - and Ruth realizes only she and Everett, an old friend with a dark past, have the power to comb the town's secret underbelly in search of true evil.A dark and powerful novel like fans have come to expect from Ashley Winstead, Midnight is the Darkest Hour is an examination of the ways we've come to expect love, religion, and stories to save us, the lengths we have to go to in order to take back power, and the monstrous work of being a girl in this world.Where The Crawdads Sing meets Twilight meets Thelma and Louise in this brilliantly realized, totally original thriller. Absolutely sensational - I couldn't put it down." - Clare Mackintosh, New York Times bestselling author

"Deeply drawn characters and masterful storytelling come together to create an addictive and riveting psychological thriller. Put this one at the very top of your 2021 reading list." --Liv Constantine, internationally bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish Six friends. One college reunion. One unsolved murder. Ten years after graduation, Jessica Miller has been invited back to her university for a reunion and she is obsessed with dazzling everyone with her beauty and success. This time when they see her, it has to be perfect because she is perfect. Not the girl she was when she left campus, back when Heather Shelby's murder fractured everything, including the tight bond linking the six friends she'd been closest to since freshman year. But there's more at stake than the delicious envy of her peers--not everyone is ready to move on. Not everyone can let Heather's murder go unsolved. In fact, someone has orchestrated the whole weekend to trap the real killer. As the weekend unfolds and they get closer to the truth, the group finds there was more than murder hidden amongst them on campus. Told in racing dual timelines, with a dark campus setting and a darker look at friendship, love, obsession and ambition, In My Dreams I Hold a Knife is an addictive, propulsive thriller you won't be able to put down.

"From the author of the acclaimed In My Dreams I Hold a Knife comes a pitch-black thriller about a woman determined to destroy a powerful cult and avenge the deaths of the women taken in by it, no matter the cost. While in college in upstate New York, Shay Evans and her best friends met a captivating man who seduced them with a web of lies about the way the world works, bringing them under his thrall. By senior year, Shay and her friend Laurel were the only ones who managed to escape. Now, eight years later, Shay's built a new life in a tony Texas suburb. But when she hears the horrifying news of Laurel's death--delivered, of all ways, by her favorite true-crime podcast crusader--she begins to suspect that the past she thought she buried is still very much alive, and the predators more dangerous than ever. Recruiting the help of the podcast host, Shay goes back to the place she vowed never to return to in search of answers. As she follows the threads of her friend's life, she's pulled into a dark, seductive world, where wealth and privilege shield brutal philosophies that feel all too familiar. When Shay's obsession with uncovering the truth becomes so consuming she can no longer separate her desire for justice from darker desires newly reawakened, she must confront the depths of her own complicity and conditioning. But in a world built for men to rule it--both inside the cult and outside of it--is justice even possible, and if so, how far will Shay go to get it?"--

“A simmering slow burn bursting with banter… This is a romance for anyone who’s ever felt too messy to be loved.” —ROSIE DANAN, author of The Roommate In this fierce and funny battle of the exes, Ashley Winstead's Fool Me Once explores the chaos of wanting something you used to have. Lee Stone is a twenty-first-century woman: she kicks butt at her job as a communications director at a women-run electric car company (that’s better than Tesla, thank you), and after work she is “Stoner,” drinking guys under the table and never letting any of them get too comfortable in her bed… That’s because Lee’s learned one big lesson: never trust love. Four major heartbreaks set her straight, from her father cheating on her mom all the way to Ben Laderman in grad school—who wasn’t actually cheating, but she could have sworn he was, so she reciprocated in kind. Then Ben shows up five years later, working as a policy expert for the most liberal governor in Texas history, just as Lee is trying to get a clean energy bill rolling. Things get complicated—and competitive—as Lee and Ben are forced to work together. Tension builds just as old sparks reignite, fanning the flames for a romantic dustup the size of Texas.

During their senior year of college, Shay Evans and her best friend Laurel escaped from a violent, magnetic man and his equally violent views about women and society. Eight years later, Shay has built a new life for herself. But the horrifying news of Laurel's death shatters her world and makes her suspect that the people from her past are back and more dangerous than ever. Recruiting the help of a true-crime podcast host, Shay is determined to find out the truth. When clues lead her to a secret cult devoted to male superiority, she discovers what happened to her eight years ago was only the beginning. When Shay's search for answers turns into an obsession, forcing her to confront her own complicity and conditioning, she'll have to make a life-changing decision: how much would she give up to take down the men who've ruled her life?

Allison Brennan

Camilla Sten

Kelsey Cox

Jack Friday

Looking for a new book that will make your heart race? The twenty-first edition of The Minotaur Sampler compiles the beginnings of 5 can't-miss novels publishing Spring/Summer 2026 for free and easy sampling. The Break-Up Retreat by Camilla Sten is an eerie thriller where an undercover journalist goes to expose an exclusive clinic that claims to help women recover from heartbreak. Except some of those women are never heard from again. In Allison Brennan’s pulse-pounding Whisper Creek, a family works against a terrible storm to protect their farm, but as they help their neighbors, they discover there are more threats lurking nearby. Jack Friday’s Killer Vibes is a hilarious novel about the “laziest private investigator” in Texas who’s forced back into work after his uncle dies, and upon receiving his inheritance, it looks like the death wasn’t an accident. Hot Girl Murder Club by Ashley Winstead is a buzzy thriller about a mid-list pop star who turns into the world’s most famous (alleged) murderer after a string of murders sweeps across L.A and all signs point to her. Ashley Cox’s Pretty Dead Things follows the Lone Star Pageant and all it’s secrets when old resentments and new confrontations reach their boiling point in this rich and addictive suspense novel.

New Books to Make Your Heart Race

The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 21

Perfect for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six and In Five Years—a beautiful, powerful, and transportive new novel about a music executive desperately trying to bring a rock band back from the brink, from bestselling author Ashley Winstead.

This is a love story, but not the one you’re expecting.

When record executive Theo meets the Future Saints, they’re bombing at a dive bar in their hometown. Since the tragic death of their manager, the band has been in a downward spiral and Theo has been dispatched to coax a new—and successful—album out of them, or else let them go.

Immediately, Theo is struck by Hannah, the group’s impetuous lead singer, who’s gone off script by debuting a whole new sound, replacing their California pop with gut-wrenching rock. When this new music goes viral, striking an unexpected chord with fans, Theo puts his career on the line to give the Saints one last shot at success with a new tour, new record, and new start.

But Hannah’s grief has larger consequences for the group, and her increasingly destructive antics become a distraction as she and her sister Ginny—her lifelong partner in crime—undermine Theo at every turn. Hannah isn’t ready to move on or prepared for the fame she’s been chasing, and the weight of her problems jeopardize the band, her growing closeness with Theo, and, worst of all, her relationship with her sister—all while the world watches closely. The Future Saints’s big break is here—if only they can survive it.

A novel about sisterhood, friendship, and the ghosts that haunt us, The Future Saints is “a mesmerizing look at grief, love, and the music industry that's so raw and emotional, you’ll want to play it on repeat.” (Laura Hankin, author of One-Star Romance).

The Future Saints

'A simmering slow burn bursting with banter... This is a romance for anyone who's ever felt too messy to be loved.' ROSIE DANAN, author of The Roommate In this fierce and funny battle of the exes, Ashley Winstead's Fool Me Once explores the chaos of wanting something you used to have. Lee Stone is a twenty-first-century woman: she kicks butt at her job as a communications director at a women-run electric car company (that's better than Tesla, thank you), and after work she is 'Stoner', drinking guys under the table and never letting any of them get too comfortable in her bed... That's because Lee's learned one big lesson: never trust love. Four major heartbreaks set her straight, particularly grad-school boyfriend Ben Laderman – who wasn't actually cheating, but she could have sworn he was, so she reciprocated in kind. Then Ben shows up five years later as a policy expert for the Texas governor, just as Lee is trying to get a clean-energy bill rolling. Tension builds as old sparks reignite when they're forced to work together, fanning the flames for a romantic dustup the size of Texas. Don't miss The Boyfriend Candidate, Ashley Winstead's next laugh-out-loud rom-com about learning to embrace living outside your comfort zone! 'A hilariously sharp-tongued romance with an unforgettable, unapologetic heroine.' RACHEL LYNN SOLOMON 'A love story for every truly hot mess... A romance with bite, wit, and heart.' KIRKUS 'Fool Me Once delivers a wild, sexy ride from start to finish!' TRISH DOLLER 'Fresh, funny, and chaotically wonderful... Winstead weaves an undeniably sexy tale of will-they/won't-they.' KATE BROMLEY 'Sparks fly and laughs abound.' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

A simmering, sizzling second-chance romcom from TikTok sensation Ashley Winstead

'Will haunt your dreams and change the way you view the world.' Julie Clark A secret cult. An unsolved murder. How far would you go to discover the truth? While at college in upstate New York, Shay Evans and her friends met a man who seduced them with lies about the world and brought them under his thrall. By senior year, Shay and her friend Laurel were the only ones who managed to escape. Eight years later, Shay has built a new life. But when she hears the horrifying news of Laurel's death, she realises the past she thought she buried is still very much alive. Shay goes back to the place to which she vowed never to return. As she follows the threads of Laurel's life, she's pulled once again into a dark, seductive world, where wealth and privilege shield brutal philosophies that feel all too familiar. And this time, there may be no turning back... 'I barely breathed through most of this engrossing story, so consider yourself warned.' Good Housekeeping

Ashley Winstead

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