# Recommend a book series, but not one story broken up into several books **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [August 15, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193 "2020-08-15T17:32:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193/1 "2020-08-15T17:32:23Z")
I’d like to get into a fictional universe told across several books featuring the same group of characters. I’m interested in something written in an episode of the week format as opposed to a long story arc. Something like Sue Grafton’s alphabet series, the Sherlock Holmes books, the Hercule Poirot books, etc would count. Something like the Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time, or Harry Potter books wouldn’t. Other than that. I’m not limiting myself to any one genre, time period, popularity of the series, or anything else. What would you all recommend? ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2020, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193/2 "2020-08-15T18:12:30Z")
Calder and Behrens Hereward and Fitz (for something completely different) Astérix (if you like comics…) Blacksad, for that matter Nero Wolfe Jack Reacher I mean, the potential list is a long one.What do you like? ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2020, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193/3 "2020-08-15T18:31:47Z")
Nestor Burma is another hardboiled detective series (33 novels + 5 short stories) Instead of Harry Potter there is now Cormoran Strike, that probably counts Duffy is interesting, only 4 novels unfortunately ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2020, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193/4 "2020-08-15T18:36:28Z")
Asey Mayo (mysteries with a lot of humour) China Bayles (mysteries) Alafair Tucker (mysteries) Then there are the old YA/kids’ series like Tom Swift, Tom Swift Jr, Rick Brant, Judy Bolton, Ken Holt, &c. A lot of these can be found at Project Gutenberg. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2020, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193/5 "2020-08-15T18:36:58Z")
The _Prey_ books by John Sandford, all of which focus on Detective Lucas Davenport. There are 30 books, and I recommend you start with the first book. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193/6 "2020-08-15T18:42:04Z")
Elemental Masters. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2020, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193/7 "2020-08-15T18:44:26Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > The _Prey_ books by John Sandford, all of which focus on Detective Lucas Davenport. There are 30 books, and I recommend you start with the first book. He also has Kidd and LuEllen if you’d like a shorter/independent series of books set in the same “universe” ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2020, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193/8 "2020-08-15T19:01:58Z")
That reminds me, Lawrence Block has an awful lot of stuff, but there’s Keller, where the serial killer is the protagonist instead of yet another cop or detective. He also has Bernie Rhodenbarr, featuring a burglar. John Grisham has _Rogue Lawyer_; the first book covers about 5 cases, plus at least one more was published separately. There is also another series, I can’t remember by whom, about a very expensive lawyer who will do _anything_ to ensure his client is acquitted— does anybody recall that one? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2020, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193/9 "2020-08-15T19:10:57Z")
The Discworld books work this way and it is made up of a few small series that can be read on their own. The world changes as time moves on, but no story continues all throughout. I would recommend: **The City Watch** - books about the Night Watch crew, focused on Vimes and his men. Very fun and my favorite series. The first book is called “Guards! Guards!” **The Witches** - focuses on three or so witches. Granny Weatherwax is an all time great character. The first books is called “Equal Rites”. Note: Equal Rites is not my favorite and you could easily skip it and begin with “Witches Abroad”, which is a better launching point. **Death** - books about Death(Grim Reaper) and his family/allies. First book is called “Mort”. There are others, but I think those two series are the best and you can go between them if you like. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2020, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193/10 "2020-08-15T19:16:49Z")
CJ Box Craig Johnson J A Jance Paul Doiron Faye Kellerman Dana Stabenow ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2020, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193/11 "2020-08-15T20:01:02Z")
Mark Berent falls somewhere in between; each book can be read on its own but there’s also an overarching plot in the Vietnam War. [https://smile.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B00PNSKUKO?ref\_=dbs\_m\_mng\_rwt\_0000\_ft](https://smile.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B00PNSKUKO?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_0000_ft) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2020, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193/12 "2020-08-15T20:19:04Z")
Lee Killough wrote a series of three books, _The Doppelganger Gambit_, _Spider Play_, and _Dragon’s Teeth_. They are cop novels, set sometime in the 2080’s, although the date is not specified. Actually set in my hometown of Topeka, Kansas. The focus is on two police partners. One thing I like is that although one partner is male, and the other female, they never get involved with each other. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2020, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193/13 "2020-08-15T23:37:10Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > I’m interested in something written in an episode of the week format as opposed to a long story arc. Something like Sue Grafton’s alphabet series, the Sherlock Holmes books, the Hercule Poirot books, etc would count. Lots of crime/mystery series featuring the same detective work like this. One I really enjoy is the Spenser series by Robert B. Parker. (As with many such series, the books can be read in any order but work best when read in order, since later books often refer back to characters and incidents from earlier episodes. But the series doesn’t really hit its stride until the fourth book, which introduces the character Hawk.) ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2020, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193/14 "2020-08-15T23:46:01Z")
I’m surprised no one has suggested the (supposedly) third best selling book series in history, by Earle Stanley Gardner, revolving around [Perry Mason](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_Mason_bibliography) There are 80 books, so they should last through most of the current lockdown. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2020, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193/15 "2020-08-15T23:52:28Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > I’m surprised no one has suggested the (supposedly) third best selling book series in history, by Earle Stanley Gardner, revolving around [Perry Mason](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_Mason_bibliography) Nitpick: It’s Erle, as every crossworder knows. But yeah, they’re entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2020, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193/16 "2020-08-16T00:06:16Z")
D’oh!! 🥴 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2020, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193/17 "2020-08-16T00:14:13Z")
[The Vorkosigan saga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorkosigan_Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold [The Flashman Papers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flashman_Papers) by George MacDonald Fraser [The 87th Precinct](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/87th_Precinct) series by Ed McBain ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2020, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193/18 "2020-08-16T00:38:57Z")
There’s the Elantra series by Michelle Sangara. Ilona Andrews has several series, but I think the Innkeeper series is the only one that meets your specification. Ursula Vernon has several set in the same world. One is a duology (because they wouldn’t let it go as one book), The Clocktaur War, but the others are pretty standalone: Swordheart and Paladin’s Grace. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2020, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193/19 "2020-08-16T00:43:24Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > D’oh!! 🥴 Not the one word acknowledgment of error I would have predicted from you. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2020, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193/20 "2020-08-16T00:46:09Z")
The Adrilankha series by Steven Brust, starting with _Jhereg_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-series-but-not-one-story-broken-up-into-several-books/918193.md?page=2)