Your Favorite Fiction Series

A crowd-sourced list of recommendations

I was surprised at the outpouring of comments on last week's post about serial fiction. Many of you recommended authors and series that are new to me. My to-be-read list nearly doubled in length, and I have already dipped into some of your recommendations.

Since you obviously share my affection for a good fiction series, I thought it might be useful to summarize the recommendations here. After all, the best way to find a new book is through the recommendation of a friend, right?

Let's dig in…

Your Recommendations

Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax series – recommended by four readers

This 14-book series began with The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, published in 1966. I listened to this book over the weekend, and I understand why this series is so popular!

Emily Pollifax is a 63-year-old widow in New Brunswick, New Jersey who is feeling vaguely dissatisfied with her life. Her doctor asks if there is anything she always wanted to do, but never had the time or the freedom to pursue before. Mrs. Pollifax recalls a long-ignored desire to be a spy.

She takes a train to Washington, DC, and presents herself at CIA headquarters to volunteer her services. Through a completely unlikely series of events, she is given a covert courier assignment. Of course, things don't go quite as planned.

I loved this very funny story about a woman of a certain age discovering herself anew. Through hardships and challenges, Mrs. Pollifax surprises herself with strength and resourcefulness. I also found it refreshing to read a book set in the time before the internet, when travelers sent postcards to friends at home, and cell phones were unheard of.

I borrowed the audiobook for free from Hoopla, via my public library. The reader, Barbara Rosenblat, is excellent. I've already added the second in the series to my queue.

Sulari Gentill's Rowland Sinclair WWII Mysteries

This 10-book series begins with A Few Right Thinking Men, originally published in 2011. I downloaded the audiobook for free with my Audible subscription, but I haven't listened to it yet.

Rowland Sinclair is a gentleman artist living in Sydney in 1931. When his beloved uncle is murdered, Rowland sets out to do what the police cannot: find the killer!

Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti series

This 33-book series begins with Death at La Fenice: A Novel of Suspense, first published in 1992.

Commissario Guido Brunetti is the vice-commissioner of police in Venice. The novel begins with the discovery of the body of a world-famous conductor in his dressing room at La Fenice, Venice's historic opera house. Coffee has spilled on the front of his crisp white shirt, and the tell-tale whiff of bitter almond is in the air—cyanide poisoning. Guido is under intense pressure to find the culprit.

I found Death at La Fenice on Hoopla, and I'm about three-quarters of the way through. The author is a master of conveying a sense of place. She describes the twisting streets and narrow canals so vividly; I find myself reaching for my phone to look up the locations on Google Maps. I can tell I'll be spending lots of happy quality time with Guido Brunetti in the months to come.

Susan Wittig Albert's China Bayles Mysteries

This 29-book series begins with Thyme of Death, first published in 1992.

China Bayles is a successful Houston lawyer who realizes she wants more from life than she'll find on the fast track. She relocates to the small town of Pecan Springs to open an herb shop.

China is shocked when her good friend turns up dead, apparently of suicide. China is convinced it was really murder and sets out to prove it with the help of her boyfriend, a former cop turned professor.

Lee Child's Jack Reacher series

This 28-book series begins with Killing Floor, first published in 1997.

Jack Reacher is a retired Army MP who wanders the country with nothing but the clothes on his back and a toothbrush in his pocket, traveling by bus and hitchhiking. Wherever he goes, he finds trouble, usually in the form of bad guys victimizing the defenseless. Reacher has his own moral code, and he is not above using violence to right wrongs.

I was devoted to the Reacher series for many years, and own books 1–24 in paperback. But starting with The Sentinel (# 25), Lee Child began sharing writing credit with his brother Andrew Child. I think the quality of the writing has suffered, and I no longer follow the series.

If video is more to your taste, skip the 2012 film starring Tom Cruise (it's terrible). The Netflix series, however, is faithful to the books and very well cast.

Lindsey Davis's Marcus Didius Falco series

This 20-book series begins with The Silver Pigs, first published in 1989.

Marcus Didius Falco is a private investigator in 1^st century Rome. The silver pigs in the title are stolen silver ingots, which lead Falco into a dark, dangerous, and murderous world.

I haven't started this series yet, but I found The Silver Pigs for free with my Audible subscription and have added it to my queue. I'm intrigued by the idea of setting a private eye in ancient Rome.

Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway Mysteries

This 15-book series begins with The Crossing Places, first published in 2009.

Ruth Galloway is a young forensic archeologist teaching at a second-rate university near Norfolk, England. When Detective Chief Inspector Nelson asks her to examine the bones of a young child found on a desolate beach, Ruth is drawn in to a series of murders connected to an Iron Age excavation site near her home.

I didn't find the audiobook of The Crossing Places to borrow for free, so I jumped in with book #5 in the series, A Dying Fall. I very much enjoyed this book and will go ahead and spend Audible credits to catch up with the beginning of the series.

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This list should keep those of us who love mystery fiction busy for a while!

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Book titles are linked to Bookshop.org, a non-profit that supports independent book stores. These are affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

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Knitting Update

I've been knitting like a madwoman, trying to wrap up some projects in advance of my knee replacement surgery next week. I finished a colorwork sweater over the weekend and shipped off the pattern and sample today. I started a new commissioned pullover design while the colorwork sweater was drying after its bath, so I've got some relatively easy knitting to do while I'm recovering.

I have a brand-new Yarn Face-Off post lined up to send next week. If you're here for the yarn and knitting, keep an eye on your inbox!

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Continue the conversation: Add your fiction series recommendations in the comments. I was surprised that so many of the recommended series are mystery/police/murder themed. No Harry Potter fans? Any other genres you’d like to recommend? Leave a comment.