Chapter 33- The Collector

So, the latest Daniel Silva book has come out and is patiently waiting on my TBR pile. It is the 23rd book in his Gabriel Allon series. Allon is the former art restorer, Moussad assassin, and now retired head of Israeli intelligence and Silva's series protagonist. He has fought everyone from Nazis to Russian oligarchs to jihadists and is now helping Italian police track down stolen art and forgeries. Daniel Silva, a former journalist, has a terrific way of making his characters and situations believeable. Sadly, he puts out about one book a year so I always have to wait for the next episode.

I started thinking about series that I have read over the years and it occurred to me that there are really only a few series authors to whom I have remained loyal. Because series books seem to take a long time to come out (yes, I know it is the same with any favorite author), I usually read a few of the series and then give up on them. I did this with the Outlander series as well as with Michael Connelly's Renee Ballard series. There are definitely some which I follow religiously and here they are.

David Baldacci's Memory Man series - I like the way Baldacci writes and became a fan with his Camel Club series. What I really like is that Baldacci will write 5 or 6 in the series and then go on to another series. This helps keep the stories fresh I think. Obviously he hasn't gotten tired of Amos Decker (aka The Memory Man) as he is into the 7th book now - Long Shadows. I haven't read it yet but I'm sure it will be a quick and enjoyable read. The first in the series, Memory Man is about Amos Decker, a brilliant police detective who is solving a murder he wishes he didn't have to - that of his family.

Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series - In the Woods is the first of this series and it is twisty and good. Tana French writes standalone books as well as this series. The best thing about this series is that while the books are all about the same squad they have different protagonists who solve the mysteries. There are currently 6 in the series and you really don't have to start with the first.

Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series - This is a fun series for a lot of reasons. It is about 4 septuagenarians, living in a retirement community, who get together every week to work cold police cases. Of course, they get involved in more current murders much to the chagrin of the local police detectives. The books are clever and extremely funny in places. You really have to start with the first, The Thursday Murder Club, in order to know the characters. There are 4 in this series now and as Richard Osman is an author, producer, and television presenter he only writes one of these a year but they are well worth the wait.

Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan series - Cosimano's first book in the series is Finlay Donovan Is Killing It. Finlay Donovan is an author of murder mysteries who is dealing with two small children, a sassy nanny, and an awful ex-husband. Add to this that, while talking to her agent in a cafe', she is overheard speaking of murder and is offered a contract to kill someone. Again, read the first one and then you can pick up whatever other one you'd like. There are currently 5 in the series

Jeffrey Archer's Clifton Chronicles - Archer's series is not really a mystery series like the others I've mentioned but more of a family saga. Of course, there is some mystery involved too. There are 7 in the series and you do need to start with the first, Only Time Will Tell. Harry Clifton's story begins in 1920 with Harry saying, "I was told that my father was killed in the war." As Harry grows, he finds out more about his family and has his own adventures over the years.

Do you have a favorite series? Let me know.