I believe in starting a series—of whatever genre—at the beginning, the better to catch all the nuances. It’s wonderful, of course, to pick up one that’s been going on for years, knowing that if you like it, you’ve got a huge stack of books ready to enjoy. But there’s something extra exciting about falling in love with a brand new series and having no choice but to wait eagerly for the author to write and publish the next book, no matter how long it takes.

With The Dentist (Atlantic Crime, October 21), you’ll get the best of both worlds: Hopping on a new series right at the beginning, with the knowledge that there are more installments to come very soon. British author Tim Sullivan has written eight novels about Detective Sergeant George Cross, a white Bristol cop who’s on the autism spectrum, and his partner, DS Josie Ottey, a Black single mother, but they’ve never been published in the U.S. before. Now Atlantic Crime will now release all his books to date through the middle of 2026. Our review says that “Sullivan’s series kickoff is deeply character-driven and moves both deliberately and briskly through the steps of the case.…a multifaceted murder puzzle anchored by a compelling pair of sleuths.”

Sherry Thomas, known for her exquisitely nuanced romance novels and Lady Sherlock series of historical mysteries, makes a splash with her first contemporary crime novel, The Librarians ( Berkley, September 30). Hazel Lee has moved to Austin, Texas, from Singapore to escape her husband’s shady financial dealings. Just days after starting her new job at a local library, though, two patrons are found dead, and she finds herself bonding with her new colleagues as they try to solve the murders. “This knockout mystery mixes the camaraderie of The Thursday Murder Club with the chic family and romantic drama of Crazy Rich Asians,” according to our starred review.

For more of that Thursday Murder Club atmosphere, how about a new series that’s set in a retirement community? In Tamara Berry’s Murder Runs in the Family (Poisoned Pen, April 29), a young woman named Amber Winslow is out of places to go—so she decides to take a chance on the grandmother she’s never met, hoping she won’t turn out to be as bad as her mother always said. When Amber arrives at Arizona’s Seven Ponds Retirement Community, she discovers that grandma is a true-crime podcaster—and you can guess what happens next. “Despite Berry’s breezy tone and drop-dead-funny japes at Seven Ponds and its eccentric residents and staff, she tells a heartrending tale of how complicated families can be,” according to our starred review. “A knockout series debut.”

The last series I fell in with at the beginning was Elise Bryant’s tale of suburban single mother Mavis Miller, who finds danger at the PTA and on the sidelines of her daughter’s soccer games. Her second outing, The Game Is Afoot (Berkley, July 8), shows that “this is a series with legs,” according to our starred review. “Mavis’ witty…narration lends a solid sense of stakes to the multifaceted plot’s assorted mysteries, and her burgeoning love triangle injects a fizz of romantic tension.” I can hardly wait for the next installment.

Laurie Muchnick is the fiction editor.