A Worn Path - Series

Mary Kay Andrews's Southern Series

2010-01-23T10:42:00.000-08:00

Mary Kay Andrews has actually been writing mysteries for a long time. She began writing under her real name -- Kathy Hogan Trocheck -- back in 1992. She used the pseudonym Mary Kay Andrews when publishing this series set in Savannah, Georgia. Eloise "Weezie" Foley is an antique dealer who gets roped into solving mysteries with her best friend, southern belle BeBe Loudermilk in this (thus far) short series. Andrews creates rich characters against the backdrop of this city in the deep south, which is famous for eccentric characters and murder.

V. C. Andrews' Dollanganger Series

2010-01-20T17:27:00.004-08:00

This is a popular, if very twisted, young adult series. Andrews' wrote about a set of four siblings who are forced by their mother to live in an old attic during their childhood. Although this is written in a style suitable for young adults, the themes of incest, repression, isolation, and abuse make the series more adult- than child-friendly. I read the entire series some years ago, and while it seems odd to enjoy such a dark set of books, they were entertaining in a way I don't even quite understand myself.

Linda Barnes' Carlotta Carlyle Series

2009-11-19T16:10:00.000-08:00

Linda Barnes makes Boston come alive in her detective series about private investigator Carlotta Carlyle. Carlotta often has to resort to cab-driving to support herself. She is 6'1" and an ex-cop to boot. Carlotta is to Boston what V.I. Warshawsky is to Chicago -- an "in" for readers into the depths of the city, with all its flaws.

A Trouble Of Fools (1987)
The Snake Tattoo (1989)
Coyote (1990)
Steel Guitar (1991)
Snapshot (1993)
Hardware (1995)
Cold Case (1997)
Flashpoint (1999)
The Big Dig (2002)
Deep Pockets (2004)*
Heart Of The World (2006)*
Lie Down With The Devil (2008)*

*Not yet read

L. Frank Baum's Oz Series

2009-10-20T17:32:00.000-07:00

The great book and subsequent sequels and prequels which inspired the movie in 1939. I loved the movie, loved the books, and also some of the other film interpretations. Baum tells the story of the inhabitants of the great land of Oz in these books, most notably Dorothy Gale and her rag-tag group of friends.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)
The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904)
Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz (1905, comic strip depicting 27 stories)
Ozma of Oz (1907)
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz (1908)
The Road to Oz (1909)
The Emerald City of Oz (1910)
The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1913)
Little Wizard Stories of Oz (1913, collection of 6 short stories)
Tik-Tok of Oz (1914)
The Scarecrow of Oz (1915)
Rinkitink in Oz (1916)
The Lost Princess of Oz (1917)
The Tin Woodman of Oz (1918)
The Magic of Oz (1919, posthumously published)
Glinda of Oz (1920, posthumously published)

Chelsea Cain's Heart Series

2008-11-01T17:39:00.000-07:00

Chelsea Cain's female serial killer is decidely unlady-like and yet very feminine, all at the same time. Gretchen Lowell is the Hannibal to police detective Archie Sheridan's career. Known as The Beauty Killer, Lowell has been in jail for some time when this series opens. But she still has Archie Sheridan tied around her little finger. Chasing her and solving the murders she committed has become more than a full-time job for Sheridan. In these three novels, Cain shows just how true this is. Cain incorporates much of the setting of Portland, Oregon, into her novels.

Heartsick (2007)
Sweetheart (2008)
Evil At Heart (2009)

Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch Series

2008-09-15T17:38:00.000-07:00

I have written several posts on Michael Connelly, and several specifically about his protagonist, police detective Harry Bosch. Even a few about Mickey Haller, Connelly's sometimes weasel-like, but ultimately loveable lawyer. Connelly has written a set of novels that I consider one of the best mystery series ever written. What I especially like is that he intertwines everything he writes into Harry Bosch's world. Even when Harry is absent (like in Void Moon), the characters always pop back up in a later Bosch novel. Connelly got his start as a crime journalist, and his true crime stories flow into his novels seamlessly. For a taste of gritty detective work, tortured souls, and the darker side of Los Angeles, dive into Connelly's excellent series.

The Black Echo (1992):Harry Bosch
The Black Ice (1993): Harry Bosch
The Concrete Blonde (1994):Harry Bosch
The Last Coyote (1995):Harry Bosch
The Poet (1996): Jack McEvoy & Rachel Walling
Trunk Music (1997):Harry Bosch
Blood Work (1998): Terry McCaleb
Angels Flight (1999):Harry Bosch
Void Moon (2000): Cassie Black
A Darkness More Than Night (2001): Harry Bosch, with Terry McCaleb & Jack McEvoy
City Of Bones (2002): Harry Bosch
Chasing the Dime (2002): Henry Pierce
Lost Light (2003): Harry Bosch
The Narrows (2004): Harry Bosch, with Rachel Walling & Terry McCaleb
The Closers (2005): Harry Bosch
The Lincoln Lawyer (2005): Mickey Haller
Echo Park (2006): Harry Bosch, with Rachel Walling
The Overlook (2007): Harry Bosch, with Rachel Walling
The Brass Verdict (2008): Harry Bosch, with Mickey Haller & Jack McEvoy
The Scarecrow (2009): Jack McEvoy & Rachel Walling
9 Dragons (2009): Harry Bosch

Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy the Caterer Series

2007-11-15T18:05:00.000-08:00

Diane Mott Davidson does justice both to Colorado and to the catering world in her mystery series starring Goldy Schulz. Goldy is a caterer in the town of Aspen Meadows, Colorado, and she also solves mysteries in her spare time. Often, the mysteries fall in her lap during catering jobs. Another great aspect of the novels is the inclusion of recipes mentioned. This series makes me happy because it combines two things I love -- mysteries & foodie writing!

Catering to Nobody (1992)
Dying for Chocolate (1993)
The Cereal Murders (1994)
The Last Suppers (1995)
Killer Pancake (1996)
The Main Corpse (1997)
The Grilling Season (1998)
Prime Cut (2000)
Tough Cookie (2001)
Sticks and Scones (2001)
Chopping Spree (2003)*
Double Shot (2005)*
Dark Tort (2006)*
Sweet Revenge (2007)*
Fatally Flaky (2009)*

*Not yet read

Janet Evanovich & Charlotte Hughes' Full Series

2006-11-15T09:10:00.000-08:00

Janet Evanovich is known for her Stephanie Plum series set in Trenton, New Jersey, but in this series she teams up with romance writer Charlotte Hughes to write about a cast of characters living in Beaumont, South Carolina. Jamie Swift is the owner of the newspaper there, but she has a silent partner in Maximillian Holt. Max turns out to be a sexy and notorious love interest for Jamie, and the two of them fall into mystery after mystery -- and for each other.

Full House (1989) (Originally as Steffie Hall, Re-released in expanded form in 2002)
Full Tilt (2003)
Full Speed (2003)
Full Blast (2004)
Full Bloom (2005)
Full Scoop (2006)*

*Not yet read

Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum Series

2006-11-01T09:46:00.000-08:00

Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter who lacks both skill in her chosen career field and luck. With her ragtag crew of friends, Stephanie scours the streets of Trenton, New Jersey, looking for criminals who've failed to appear in court and as much junk food as a person can eat. They succeed in great portions at the junk food part (fried chicken and doughnuts being their poison of choice), and sometimes manage to catch some bail skips, as well. Stephanie is joined by former hooker Lula, hunky (but kind of scary) mystery-man Ranger, sexy police detective Joe Morelli, and often her Grandma Mazur.

One for the Money (1994)
Two for the Dough (1996)
Three to Get Deadly (1997)
"The Last Peep" (A Stephanie Plum short story included in Mary Higgins Clark presents The Plot Thickens) (1997)*
Four to Score (1998)
High Five (1999)
Hot Six (2000)
Seven Up (2001)
Hard Eight (2002)
Visions of Sugar Plums (2003), Holiday novella
To the Nines (2003)
Ten Big Ones (2004)
Eleven on Top (2005)
Twelve Sharp (2006)
Plum Lovin' (2007), Holiday novella
Lean Mean Thirteen (2007)
Plum Lucky (2008), Holiday novella
Fearless Fourteen (2008)
Plum Spooky (2009), Holiday novel
Finger Lickin' Fifteen (2009)
Sizzlin' Sixteen* (to be released June 2010)

* Not yet read

Lisa Gardner's Rainie Conner/ Pierce Quincy Series

2004-11-15T17:38:00.000-08:00

Lisa Gardner is the author of many mysteries, but none so compelling as her series of books based loosely on the same characters. Pierce Quincy, an FBI agent, begins the series. He is joined by his daughter Kimberly (also an FBI agent later in the series) and sheriff's deputy Rainie Conner in later novels. Gardner writes suspenseful page-turners, books that haunt your dreams if you read them too close to bedtime. Gardner's books take her characters to a variety of settings, from a small town supposed to be a fictionalized version of Tillamook, Oregon, to the metropolis of Atlanta, Georgia.

The Perfect Husband (1998) When a police officer turns evil, his wife seeks help from anyone she can reach, including FBI agent Pierce Quincy. This is Quincy's debut in a book, and Gardner's first novel.
The Third Victim (2001) Sheriff's Deputy Rainie Conner investigates a school shooting with the help of Quincy, marking Rainie's first appearance in a book.
The Next Accident (2001) Someone is killing Quincy's loved ones. In this book, he hires ex-cop turned private investigator Rainie to find out who and to stop them.
The Killing Hour (2003) Quincy's daughter Kimberly is in training to become an FBI agent when bodies begin turning up. They are credited to a man called the eco-killer, and soon Rainie and Quincy join her to find this latest murderer.
Gone (2006) Rainie disappears, and her estranged husband Quincy begins the hunt for her. Quincy is joined by his daughter Kimberly.
Say Goodbye (2008) FBI agent Kimberly Quincy is five months pregnant, and on the trail of a serial killer who preys on young girls and kills them using an unusual weapon -- poisonous spiders.

Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone Series

2004-03-15T15:26:00.000-08:00

Sue Grafton's gritty female private eye Kinsey Millhone lives and works in Santa Teresa (a fictional version of Santa Barbara), California. Grafton's series has spanned more than two decades in publication time, but in fictional time only four or five years have passed since the novels began. Kinsey is hardened and a loner most of the time; her family is all but gone until she discovers some long-lost relatives late in the series. Grafton's "Alphabet Series" is one of the longest-standing and most-read mystery series around.

Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse Series

2003-11-15T10:01:00.000-08:00

Also called the Southern Vampire Series, Charlaine Harris's series featuring Sookie Stackhouse has recently become more popular than ever due to the production of the HBO television series True Blood. Sookie, a waitress in small town Bon Temps, Louisiana, is a telepath dealing with a world that becomes ever-more strange. First vampires announce their presence to the world. As the world adjusts to this news and Sookie meets her first vampire, other supernatural beings begin coming out of the woodwork. More grown-up than most other vampire series, Harris also lends a bit of humor and romance to this series.

Dead Until Dark (2001)
Living Dead in Dallas (2002)
Club Dead (2003)
Dead to the World (2004)
"Fairy Dust" in Powers of Detection (2004)
"Dancers in the Dark" a novella in Night's Edge (Harlequin Enterprises) (2004), a Sookie-universe story without the character of Sookie Stackhouse*
"One Word Answer" in Bite (2005)
Dead as a Doornail (2005)
Definitely Dead (2006)
"Tacky" in My Big, Fat Supernatural Wedding (2006), a Sookie-universe story without the character of Sookie Stackhouse*
All Together Dead (2007)
"Dracula Night" in Many Bloody Returns (2007)
From Dead to Worse (2008)
"Gift Wrap" in Wolfsbane and Mistletoe (2008)
"Lucky" in Unusual Suspects (2008)
Dead and Gone (2009)
"Bacon" in Strange Brew (2009), a Sookie-universe story without the character of Sookie Stackhouse*
"The Britlingens Go To Hell" in Must Love Hellhounds (2009), a Sookie-universe story without the character of Sookie Stackhouse*
A Touch of Dead (2009), a compilation of all the Sookie short stories
Dead in the Family (will be released in May 2010)*

*Not yet read

Charlotte Hughes' Kate Holly Series

2003-02-15T17:22:00.000-08:00

Hughes has written many books on her own, but her claim to fame is as a co-author with Janet Evanovich for the "Full" series starring small-town newspaper owner Jamie Swift and rich guy Max Holt (Full House, Full Tilt, and four more). This is Hughes' newest series written by herself, and it is absolutely hilarious. Think in the same vein as Evanovich's funny Jersey girl Stephanie Plum, but with an entirely new set of characters and set in Georgia. Kate Holly is a psychologist with issues of her own (OCD, for one). She and her assistant Mona, her crazy mother and aunt, her firefighter ex-husband , and a bad boy psychiatrist Thad who she once dated and can't get away from, all join forces to get themselves out of comic situations and away from patients who should be institutionalized.

What Looks Like Crazy (2008)
Nutcase (2009)
High Anxiety (2009)*

*Currently reading

Faye Kellerman's Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus Series

2000-09-15T17:38:00.000-07:00

Faye Kellerman writes interesting novels about Jewish homemaker Rina Lazarus and her unlikely Southern Baptist-turned-Orthodox Jewish husband Peter Decker. Decker is a police dectective in Los Angeles, California, and he meets Rina while investigating a case early on in the series at a yeshiva. The two main characters are likeable and their relationship is a close one, even through their extreme differences. Kellerman presents the world of Orthodox Judaism in an unlikely format -- the mystery novel -- but it works. Later in the series, Decker's daughter from a previous marriage, Cindy, becomes a dectective, as well, joins forces with her father, and eventually becomes the main protagonist in some books.

The Ritual Bath (1986)
Sacred and Profane (1987)
Milk and Honey (1990)
Day of Atonement (1991)
False Prophet (1992)
Grievous Sin (1993)
Sanctuary (1994)
Justice (1995)
Prayers for the Dead (1996)
Serpent's Tooth (1997)
Jupiter's Bones (1999)
Stalker (2000)
The Forgotten (2001)
Stone Kiss (2002)
Street Dreams (2003)*
The Burnt House (2007)*
The Mercedes Coffin (2008)*

*Not yet read

Gregory Maguire's Wicked Series

1998-11-15T17:39:00.000-08:00

Gregory Maguire is the author of many books, but none so famous as his Wicked series, which is based on L. Frank Baum's Oz books. In this series, he focuses on minor characters from Baum's Oz world and writes their personal stories. The first novel, Wicked, is based on the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wonderful World of Oz and tells her story as though she were the wronged party. The second novel follows the life of Liir, Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West)'s son. In the third installment, Maguire pens life as told by the Cowardly Lion -- known as Brrr in these books. Wicked was also made into a Broadway play of the same name.

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995)
Son of a Witch (2005)*
A Lion Among Men (2008)*

*Not yet read

G. A. McKevett's Savannah Reid Series

1998-08-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

Savannah Reid is an ex-police officer turned private investigator, and she is also a transplant from the backwoods of Georgia to southern California. While -- according to her -- she used to be a size seven, she is now a voluptuous size 14. Weight and eating delicious foods factor into the storyline, but McKevett also crafts delightful mysteries. These books are not too dark, but just right for a mystery with a coziness factor. Savannah spends her days with her old police partner Dirk, her naive young apprentice Tammy, and her gay gentleman friends John and Ryan. Together they form the Moonlight Magnolia Detective Agency which operates in the fictional town of San Carmelita.

*Not yet read
**Currently reading

Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski Series

1995-12-01T09:29:00.000-08:00

Set in a bleak Chicago, Illinois, Sara Paretsky's private investigator V.I. Warshawski is tough because she has to be. Warshawski fights crime for her high-powered clients, but also often has to cross into the underworld of Chicago society. Paretsky isn't afraid to allow Warshawski to get banged up from time to time. Warshawski lives in a world where bad guys live on every street corner, a lesson she learned at an early age from her childhood spent in Chicago's Southside.

Indemnity Only (1982)
Deadlock (1984)
Killing Orders (1985)
Bitter Medicine (1987)
Blood Shot (1988)
Burn Marks (1990)
Guardian Angel (1992)
Tunnel Vision (1994)
Hard Time (1999)
Total Recall (2001)
Blacklist (2003)
Fire Sale (2005)
Hardball (2009)

Anita Shreve's New Hampshire Beach House Series

1992-08-15T17:33:00.000-07:00

Rather than writing a true series based on the same characters, Anita Shreve does things slightly differently. She continuously features the same setting, down to the house structure, in several of her novels. Shreve's work is poetic, and spans more than a hundred years of the house's history. And a rich history it has, as a large structure which was once a convent. The house is on the beach on the shores of New Hampshire, and in it Shreve's characters live a thousand lives and die a thousand deaths.

The Weight of Water (1997): While not actually set at the beach house, this novel is set on the Isles of Shoals, just off the New Hampshire beach coast.
The Pilot's Wife (1998): Although the first written, this is actually the third in chronological order of Shreve's novels set at the beach house in New Hampshire.
Fortune's Rocks (1999): Set in 1889, this novel serves as the first chronological novel set at the beach house. In the novel, it is the summer estate of a fictional Boston Brahmin family (the Biddefords) and the main character is daughter Olympia.
The Last Time They Met (2001): While not set in New Hampshire at all, one of the novel's main characters -- poet Thomas -- is the husband of Jean, the main character in The Weight of Water. Thomas is also a character in Water.
Sea Glass (2002): This is chronologically the second novel set in the beach house, as it tells the story of couple Sexton and Honora Beecher during the Great Depression.
Body Surfing (2007): This is the fourth novel set in the beach house, both by publication date and by chronology. The Edwards family uses it as a summer home.

Adriana Trigiani's Big Stone Gap Series

1991-06-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

Adriana Trigiani writes one of my favorite series of all time: the Big Stone Gap books. Starring protagonist Ave Maria Mulligan, Trigiani does small town Big Stone Gap, Virginia, right in this series that spans several decades. Ave Maria has grown up there, and it seems may always be there -- alone, taking care of her father. But there are more adventures out there for Ave Maria, and Trigiani takes her for a ride from Virginia to Italy in this heartwarming set of novels.

Kathy Hogan Trocheck's Callahan Garrity Series

1991-05-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

Trocheck began her writing career with this series set in the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia. Callahan Garrity and her mother Edna Mae run the cleaning business, House Mouse, as Garrity tries to make it as a private investigator -- and sometimes find themselves mid-mystery when they find bodies during routine house cleanings. As a ex-Atlanta cop, Garrity knows her way around a mystery and she solves crime after crime in this southern series.