Favorite novel series

Cafe Society
1

I have read several book series that have the same central character in each novel the following are some of my favorites. I’m sure that this has been done previously, but a refresh is always fun.

Donald Westlake (aka Richard Stark) Parker series, there are 24 novels included in this series spanning 1962 - 2008. Parker (one of the original anti-heroes) is a career criminal heist man, who is willing to murder but lives by an ethical code, that he will not double cross another criminal he is working with. The majority of the Parker novels center around a heist plan that ultimately goes wrong and Parker must navigate his way out.

Thomas Perry Jane Whitefield series, which includes 9 novels spanning from 1994 - 2021. Jane is member of the Seneca tribe who has made a career on helping people disappear, criminal witnesses, battered spouses, etc. She relies on skills that she has developed over time along with her native American heritage to achieve her goals.

Ken Follett Pillars of Earth or Kingsbridge series, including 5 novels from 1989 - 2023. The community and the generations are the central characters of this series beginning in the 12th century and centering around the building of a cathedral in Kingsbridge.

Lee Child Jack Reacher series, comprised of 28 novels, not including short stories and novellas. The novels are from 1997 - 2023. Jack Reacher is a retired army officer, loner and drifter of intimidating size 6’ 4" 240 lbs. He normally finds himself involved is some sort of investigation where he sees some sort of injustice that needs to righted.

Boris Akunin Erast Fandorin series, a Russian author which includes 18 novels, which have been translated to English from 1998 - 2023. Fandorin is a 19th century Russian detective. Many of the novels have been written by Akunin in varying styles to mimic other well known mystery writers.

Will Thomas Barker & Llewelyn series 14 novels ranging from 2004 - 2023. Cyrus Barker, a Scottish detective and his Welsh apprentice, Thomas Llewelyn are investigators set in Victorian England 1880’s.

And finally, Max Allen Collins Nolan series, 8 novels from 1981 - 1999, which are primarily a pastiche of Stark’s Parker series.

Your thoughts on my favorites and your own favorites are welcome.

2

Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series is among my favorites.

I like the Shardlake series by C J Sansom, too.

3

I had forgotten that one. It is very good as well.

4

It ended too soon, but I liked Keith R.A. DeCandido’s Star Trek: I.K.S. Gorkon series. It tells the story of the crew of a Klingon capital ship, led by Captain Klag.

5

F. Paul Wilson’s “Repairman Jack” series.

7

Westlake also had a comic version of Parker, John Dortmunder. There are 14 books and several short stories chronicling Dortmunder and the best movie version is The Hot Rock, with Robert Redford as Dortmunder.

8

Ooh, yes. Sherlock Holmes were the first books I ever read that were geared towards adults.

Welcome to the Dope, @juliyanix !

9

Having the same central character in every book in the series rules out most of ya favorites. I can mention Tim Pratt’s Marla Mason books, though.

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The Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian. Twenty examples of the best historical fiction I’ve ever read. I still re-read it every 4 years or so, I think/hope I’m coming due soon.

11

John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee series was among my favorites as a teenager & young adult.

12

I really should read those. The film was brilliant and I wished they’d made more. They’ve definitely missed the boat with the original cast though. Was it a fair representation of the books (if you’ve seen it)?

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Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series.

14

Mmmm. The problem with any series is that sometimes the author loses track of who / what their character - setting - or overall plot is. And that leaves out authors who just apparently stopped writing for various reasons 2-3 books into a series. Robert Jordan being a good example of the first, and Patrick Rothfuss of the second.

So two series that have been continually fun for me, despite ups and downs in the storytelling.

Steven Brust’s Jhereg / Dragaera series, which is mostly high fantasy, with lots of heist-style hijinks, romance, detective and spy capers, political unrest and social commentary, along with the (un)helpful presence of numerous gods or similar beings. It’s quite the thing.

And of course, on a similar, note, the many books of Discworld by the late great Sir Terry Pratchett.

15

I picked up a copy of In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead simply because of the title. After reading it, I went back and read James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux series in order. Although they are essentially just crime stories they are a heady brew of violence, philosophy and humanity with an awesome sense of place. You sweat while you read them.

There is a nice interview with Burke here King of Southern noir James Lee Burke on the ‘sanctioned madness’ of writing

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I’m a fan of the late Tim Dorsey’s books relating the adventures of Serge A. Storms.

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It’s one of my favorite movies. I think it definitely was a fair representation of the books. Just so you know, it’s really a combination of 3 (or 4) different books, with a few vignettes from another half dozen books thrown in for good measure. I highly recommend you read them, in order. Just a warning - the first book Master and Commander starts out a little slow - stay with it at least until they’re at sea & capturing enemy ships, it really picks up at that point.

18

I stopped in to say that if you like Reacher, you should read the original “Beach Bum With A Cause” that Lee Child says inspired him…
And I was so glad that someone mentioned him:

I fell in love with the series, and the world-weary voice Darrin McGavin used narrating the audiobooks. (But, bummer, McGavin’s version is only on cassette, and abridged.)

Well, there’s always Inspector Gamache in Louise Penny’s books. Or P.I. Kinsey Milhone in Sue Grafton’s A Is For Alibi, etc. series, and Bounty Hunter Stephanie Plum in Janet Evanovitch’s One For The Money et al…

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Oh, how could I forget the Lord Peter Wimsey series by Dorothy L. Sayers?

But my favorite isn’t a detective series. It’s P. G. Wodehouse’s Wooster and Jeeves series. His Blanding’s Castle series is also satirical social critique.

19

I adore Murderbot.

20

Murderbot’s a series? Good news.
I just randomly picked up a book and I’m trying to get a handle on how human he is… guess i’ll have to do some research.

21

The Ring of Fire series, started by Eric Flint, is the only series I have all the books of. Sadly it won’t be going forward, as Flint has died. I was a high school classmate of one of the authors in the series, Rick Boatright. He also wtote technical article on radio for the series, and was involved with ham in high school.