Books in Series by Larry

More and more writers are writing their books in a series format, and as a reader, I really enjoy it.  Series let us develop a special knowledge of the writer and his characters.   It is, for many of us, a pure pleasure to pick up the next book in sequence and know in advance we are going to be familiar with the lead protagonist and the answers to questions like  “What strange mystery will Amelia Peabody uncover this time?” “What letter of the alphabet has Kinsey Millhone exposed to you lately?”  Elizabeth Peters, in her creation of Amelia Peabody, and Sue Grafton’s great sleuth Kinsey Millhone are part and parcel of the lives of those who have read the series. These characters reactions, problems, and personal lives become part of us.

If you’ve never gotten into a series, there are many out there to explore. Larry McMurtry has created a wonderful cast in his Lonesome Dove series.  Characters like W.F. Call and Augustus McCrae appear in novels like, “Return to Lonesome Dove,” “Streets of Laredo,” “Dead Man's Walk,” and “Comanche Moon.” We find ourselves again and again immersed in the lives of the characters that inhabited “Lonesome Dove.”

For adventure readers, who could be more exciting than Dirk Pitt, a character of many qualities created by Clive Cussler.  Dirk also has a boss and a crew that get involved in all the adventures. There is a long list of exciting novels in this series many have been made into feature length movies.

If your children enjoy series, try “Hank the Cowdog” by John R. Erickson. This series takes you directly to the boss of ranch security, Hank.  Hank is a cowdog of questionable abilities and a certain flair for discovering trouble where it shouldn’t be. Characters in this series include a mean cat, an adorable deputy cowdog and a rooster that can bring trouble out of the calmest days.

So if you think you would like to be caught-up in the lives of recurring characters and familiar settings, visit us at the library and ask your librarian for assistance.  We can print out full list series books in the order which they should be read.  And, if you ever find that our library is missing one of the books in the series, let us know—we’ll be glad to see about replacing it or finding another way for you to borrow the book so you can continue with your favorite characters.