Treasures on the shelves — Popular authors offer wonderful ‘series’ books

Published 5:44 pm Thursday, July 28, 2022

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I’ve written before about books that are part of a series and though I wrote about many popular titles, there are so many others that I thought it was a subject worth revisiting.

Texas native Linda Castillo has been writing her Kate Burkholder mysteries since 2009. Set in a small Ohio town, Burkholder is the police chief in a primarily Amish community. Having been raised Amish but having left that life behind, Burkholder is in the unique position of understanding the Amish culture, while also bringing a modern sensibility when investigating crimes.

Castillo’s first book in the series, “Sworn to Silence” was an immediate success and her latest installment, “The Hidden One,” is a suspenseful mystery that takes Kate to an Amish community in Pennsylvania to investigate a murder involving people from her past.

For years, Janet Evanovich was the bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum mysteries, but this year she began a new series with “The Recovery Agent” featuring Gabriela Rose. This action-packed debut features lost treasures, hidden artifacts and lots of plot twists sure to keep Evanovich fans entertained.

Most people think of Stephen King as writing stand-alone fiction, but he is both the author and co-author of two popular series. The first, known as the “Mr. Mercedes trilogy,” is a fast-paced detective series featuring three of King’s most beloved characters along with the traditional supernatural elements King’s readers expect. These books were the basis of the Mr. Mercedes TV show. King also teamed up with author Richard Chizmar to write “Gwendy’s Button Box,” the first in a series of three books about a young girl given a strange box by a mysterious man. What is the box for and why does it need to be protected? Read the book to find out and prepare to be both entertained and inspired by the courage of the title character.

Dean Koontz is another author who is thought of primarily as writing in the horror genre, but he also is an excellent thriller writer as he demonstrates in the Jane Hawk series. Beginning with “The Silent Corner” Koontz takes the reader through twists and turns as the title character battles to save herself and her young son from a corporation intent on using mind-control technology as she also fights to bring her husband’s murderers to justice.

If you enjoy books that are part of a series, then you are in luck this summer. If you have never read a series, then there are plenty of titles waiting for you.

Holly Howze is the branch manager for the Ripberger Public Library located in Kenbridge. She can be reached at lcplsbooks@gmail.com.