Fans of mysteries, thrillers, and SFF fiction have long understood the appeal of an ongoing series. Such revered authors as Agatha Christie, Ian Fleming, Isaac Asimov, and J.R.R. Tolkien won devoted readers with their bestselling series decades ago, and multi-installment sagas still dominate each of their chosen genres. Kirkus Indie has reviewed series of all kinds over the past two decades; here are just a few recent highlights for genre aficionados looking for new long-term commitments:
Glenda Carroll’s mystery series, starring likable, middle-aged amateur sleuth Trish Carson of the San Francisco Bay Area, began with 2013’s Dead in the Water, in which Trish investigated two suspicious drownings; in later installments, including Drop Dead Red (2018) and Better Off Dead (2025), she dove into other swimming-related deaths, all while holding down jobs at a swimming association or working in guest services for the San Francisco Giantsbaseball team. The Dead Code, from 2021, even takes a turn into cyberespionage as Trish puts her skills to work on a missing person case involving her live-in landlord’s adult son. Our reviewer praised Better Off Dead’s “snappy dialogue” and “brisk characterizations,” calling it “a light, enjoyable page-turner that will particularly appeal to fans of the Northern California coast.”
Darius Myers’ lively thriller series—now at six volumes and counting—focuses on a trio of wealthy Black businesspeople whom the media call the Black Camelots. Their prominence has made them the frequent targets of white supremacists, but a private army known as the Society of Protectors has managed to keep them safe from harm. Myers’ novels, which include The Publisher’s Dilemma and Black Camelot’s Dawn & The Return of Madame Hot Temper (both 2020), Black Camelot’s Days of War(2021), and Black Camelot’s Skeletons & Secrets (2023), take some intriguing turns. For example, in the complex Black Camelot’s Dazed by Death (2022), a hit squad murders a famous Jamaican-born professional athlete who happens to be a friend of the Camelots—and his demise results in New York City-based Jamaican gang leaders seeking vengeance. Kirkus’ reviewer noted that Dazed’s “vibrant, now-familiar characters will surely leave readers craving more,” and the latest recommended installment, Black Camelot’s Assassins & Conspirators (2024), involves the attempted assassination of a racist presidential candidate.
The Time Alleys YA SFF trilogy by J.A. Enfield starts with An Ambush of Years, in which 10-year-old Chicagoan Mick Conway accidentally travels 171 years into the past and halfway around the world to 1853 London. It turns out that he made the trip via a “time alley”—a strange phenomenon that allows such voyages. He ends up attending a special school for children like him, who were brought to that time and place from other eras; however, he can perceive details of time alleys better than most, which comes in handy when they start behaving erratically. In later installments—including The Flickering Bridge, which received a Kirkus star, and The Fires of Birth—young Mick deals with loss and comes to rely on his newfound family. Our reviewer called the series compelling, highlighting its “intricate plotting, good-humored charm, and amiable, diverse characterization.”
David Rapp is the senior Indie editor.
