8 of the Best Book Series of the Last Few Years

8 of the Best Book Series of the Last Few Years

by Joe Walters & the IBR Staff

Read a series, experience a world.

Some stories can’t be told in one book. Some need time to develop. Some need context. Some characters are just too good to say goodbye to.

Writing a great fictional book series is its own dedicated art form. You’ve got to enthrall readers so much that they don’t want to leave for 1,000 pages. Even if you’re Leo Tolstoy, that’s a tough thing to convince a modern reader.

My team and I have reviewed over 2,000 indie books since 2018, so at this point, we know what you want.

We know it’s these books.

Here are some of the best book series of the last few years!

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1. The Pinter P.I. Series

A rip-roaring crime series with complex, evolving characters and even better plot twists and curveballs

This series ticks all the boxes for modern crime fiction. It’s got unlikely heroes solving genuinely surprising mysteries with enough well-paced action to make the thriller aspects come to life. The Navajo setting also adds cultural richness to the storyline.

Both of the first two books received starred reviews at Independent Book Review, and good news for all involved: the third book is on its way out in July. So read the first two stars now, so you’re ready for The Pusher Man.

2. Moonshiner Mysteries

A historical mystery series that just keeps getting better

Set in Montana’s gold fields during prohibition, the Moonshiner Mysteries series follows Delores Bailey, a resilient young woman who flees a dangerous, abusive, crime-infested family in Philadelphia to make a home (and a moonshine still) in the middle of the Big Sky state.

Every single book in this series has been named to our best of the year book list in the year it was published. Decter’s recipe for this moonshining series is infused with sweetness, charm, good friends, historical clout, and backstabbing enemies.

If you’re looking for an authentic historical atmosphere and a lovable leading lady, you’ve struck gold with the Moonshiners Mysteries.

Here are my tips on how to develop a healthy reading habit!

3. Detective Hiroshi Series

First-rate detective fiction; non-stop mystery

I was blown away by Azabu Getaway, the first novel we reviewed of Pronko’s. It’s not every day I encounter a thriller with as many mysteries as that one. It keeps you constantly asking questions, zipping around from perspective to perspective to complicate each situation and to develop the chase-down, but it always makes sure you don’t skip a beat at the same time.

Peggy Kurkowski says that Shitamachi Scam, the series’ most recent novel is, “a superb and timely plot with old school sleuthing and witty, compelling characters.”

It takes a deft writer to pull off prose and mysteries like these. Luckily there are 6!

4. The Lykanos Chronicles

Addictive dark fantasy where the author always remains one step ahead

Werewolves traipse down the dark streets of 1920s France in The Lykanos Chronicles. It begins with Criminal Beware, “a dark web of paranormal mystery… that’ll give you more than you bargained for.”

Stone’s wolves are smart, sophisticated, and insanely powerful. Like reading Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire—but with werewolves—the world of this series is beyond intriguing. Alexandria Ducksworth says, “Stone has the magical touch with worldbuilding.”

5. The Phoenix Elite

Fascinating technology, crazy schemes, a bit of freaky science, and a spectacular collision of historical people

Each one of The Phoenix Elite, a technically discontinued experiment made up of seven individuals from around the world, is 99.5% related to a prominent historical figure. A creative, eccentric genius; a devoutly religious teenager of the 15th century; a ground-breaking leader from Ancient Egypt; and a controversial revolutionary guerilla.

Cloning historical figures to create a super team to save the world against nuclear destruction is wild and worth the ride. 

6. Just In Time

Time traveling with a Roman Emperor gets even better as this enthralling series goes on.

When Joe Schwartz, a Late Roman and Byzantine professor at Tulane University, is approached by a young man after one of his lectures, he’s not prepared for how drastically his worldview will change. 

It turns out—this man, Jules, is actually Flavius Claudius Julianus, the eventual emperor of Rome. The Jules that Joe meets is a much younger man, nowhere near the age where he will take the crown and the realm. And he needs help.

This series explores time travel through a contemplative, thoughtful lens, which gives the distinct feeling of burrowing down for a bit of cozy sci-fi when you settle in to read it.

Many of the aspects that made the first book, House on Constantinople, such a phenomenal read return in Just in Time Service, only bigger and better. The fusion of real history and fiction is just as vital, and as more time travelers are introduced, we’re exposed to a far wider range of historical events and periods. 

Get yourself one of the best e-readers for reading at night and on the go!

7. The Ferren Trilogy

Science and religion battle it out in this fast-paced dystopian fantasy with loads of fascinating lore.

In Richard Harland’s hands, the future contains humans, angels, wandering spirits, and technological monstrosities. And they’re constantly fighting for dominance of our post-apocalyptic world.

One of the most rewarding parts of this series is that you get to watch Ferren, a young man who watches an angel fall from Heaven, transform from a humdrum follower to a brave leader just as the conversation about science and religion really comes to a head.

This series is a non-stop thrill-ride that takes place in a cleverly crafted world where you can bet the characters will get their rightful endings.

8. The Adventures of the Flash Gang

A rollicking series of crooked schemes and youthful hijinks set in the gritty underworld of Depression-era Pittsburgh

Book one, Exploding Experiment, is a gripping story of two young children who foil a vast international conspiracy. Book two, Treasonous Tycoon, is an emotional, noir-tinged sequel that has street orphans investigating a Nazi plot, and it’s all splashed with humor and playful dialogue. The third…well, we can’t wait for that one either!

This middle grade series is a special one. It has a deep sense of history, especially in book two, and its characters are alive and vital and stand in the way of being young and overlooked. They are important; our younger ones are too.

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What are your favorite book series of all time? Let us know in the comments!

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