There is something to be said for finding a series that you love. The main characters become friends. You cannot wait for the next book because you want to find out what is happening in their lives and what the next adventure will bring. With a great series, you follow the author and wait for the next book with high hopes. When I see an author start a new series, I always hope that this new series will become a series that I follow and love and sometimes I am not disappointed. This month found several mystery authors starting a new series and my hopes are high.

Reading right now:

“Tea & Treachery” is the first book in Vicki Delany’s new series (Tea by the sea series). This new cozy series takes place in Cape Cod where an ex-New Yorker ( Lily Roberts) has moved in order to run a tea shop which is next door to her grandmother Rose’s bed and breakfast. When a real estate developer tries to drive the two out of business in order to develop the land into a golf resort, Rose comes under suspicion and Lily must step in to get her out of trouble.

On hold right now:

Jen J. Danna’s first book in the NYPD Negotiators series is “Exit Strategy.” Danna is an infectious disease researcher and writes a great K-9 series under the name Sara Driscoll. Her latest series centers around NYPD detective and hostage negotiator Gemma Capello. After an armed gunman takes hostages at City Hall, Gemma is called in to help bring the situation to an end.

“Young Blood” by Tricia Fields in the first in her Maggie Wise series. Maggie is a retired homicide cop who becomes involved in the disappearance of two girls believed to be kidnapped by Dr. Oscar LeBlanc who needs plasma from children for his research. Maggie forms a connection to the family and steps in to help solve the mystery.

Camilla Trinchieri’s new Tuscan mystery series starts with “Murder in Chianti.” Former NY detective Nico Doyle moves to his late wife’s hometown of Gravigna, Italy. Not long after his move, he hears a gunshot outside his cabin and upon investigation finds a dead man. He becomes involved in the case and helps the local inspector dig up the dead man’s secrets.

Other Mysterious Things:

Is a spy novel a mystery? Humans love to categorize things (think of the music industry) which means you can spend a lot of time reading about the difference between thrillers, suspense novels, psychological suspense, spy thrillers, and so on. It used to be that a mystery always involved a murder and solving that murder. Today there seems to be a lot of overlap between these types of books and I think that most readers enjoy the overlap. One very well-known overlapping authors is Eric Van Lustbader. He is a prolific writer who has been very busy not just writing his own books but continuing the Bourne series originally by Robert Ludlum. His new series features female DOD agent Evan Ryder and the first in the series is “The Nemesis Manifesto.” In this exciting thriller, Evan must stop an organization dedicated to killing her fellow agents and ultimately destroying the United States. I think that both mystery fans and spy novel fans will enjoy this new series.