If you’ve been around for a while, you know that I love reading book series. But I know that for some people reading a series is an investment, especially when we have a lot of other responsibilities and obligations to juggle.
One of my favorite things is to provide recommendations of books that I’ve loved, and that I would absolutely read again. Here are five series, in five different genres, that I think are worth your time:
Kenzie and Gennaro by Dennis Lehane (mystery; 6 books): This completed series about two private investigators who team up to solve crimes resulted in at least one movie adaptation for Gone, Baby, Gone. I think Lehane is one of the more talented mystery writers that I’ve encountered, and I loved this gritty crime series set in Boston. The books in this series include:
- A Drink Before the War
- Darkness, Take My Hand
- Sacred
- Gone, Baby, Gone
- Prayers for Rain
- Moonlight Mile
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson (young adult; 5 books): This ongoing book series begins in a private school for teenagers who are brilliant and creative. The main character, Stevie, is a true crime buff who joins the school to solve a cold case that happened there decades in the past. Later books in the series take place outside of the Academy, but the atmosphere and side characters are always super fun. The books in this series include:
- Truly, Devious
- The Vanishing Stair
- The Hand on the Wall
- The Box in the Woods
- Nine Liars
Edge of Collapse by Kyla Stone (dystopian; 7 books): This completed dystopian series tells the story of the aftermath of an EMP attack that destroys the power grid across the United States. Following a collection of characters who eventually come together in the same small town, I found this series to be compulsive reading. The books in this series include:
- Edge of Collapse
- Edge of Madness
- Edge of Darkness
- Edge of Anarchy
- Edge of Defiance
- Edge of Survival
- Edge of Valor
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (fantasy; 2 books): This duology about a crew of thieves preparing for and executing a heist is a great introduction to the Grishaverse world that Bardugo has created (which also includes her Shadow and Bone Trilogy). The magic system is easy to understand and the group of characters who come together are easy to root for. I ready these two books in a weekend and also loved the audio version. The books in this series include:
- Six of Crows
- Crooked Kingdom
Lost and Found by Catherine Cowles (romance; 5 books): One of my favorite romance sub-genres is romantic suspense, where romance storylines are combined with mysteries. This completed series, set in a small town in Oregon, involves a set of siblings that are encountering crimes while also finding love. Three of the siblings are directly involved in law enforcement, so crimes are never too far away. I read the five books in this series almost back-to-back. The books in this series include:
- Whispers of You
- Echoes of You
- Glimmers of You
- Shadows of You
- Ashes of You
What books are you loving lately?
