when series go in a different direction or just become unreadable

[Mary]

What do you do when one or more of your favorite cozy series (or others) go in a different direction or become unreadable? This has happened to me with several of my favorite series. I hate to stop reading them but I also don't want to waste my reading time on them.

[Nancy]

As rhe writer of a cozy series, I recognized it was time to end my series after seven books and explore new characters and new adventures. I had some personal reasons for moving on, but it’s a risk when you write to keep going with something comfortable. Embrace exploring; you’ll find new friends and favorites.

[Ilene]

I have enjoyed reading your books, what a great writer you are.
I enjoy all your messages on Facebook, we have a lot of the same feelings. The best of luck to you always.

[Nancy]

Thank you for your kind words. I,m planning Geezers With Tools and P.I.P. Inc. next.

[Lynn]

I do hate to just stop reading them, but if I'm not enjoying the books for whatever reason, it's a waste of my valuable reading time to slog through them just for the sake of keeping up with or finishing the series.

[Rebecca]

I've seen this, both with some that just got tired (so that the books felt like they had little new to offer), and with two favorite authors whose work started fairly light, if not exactly cozy, and have taken dark turns.

I'm not sure what makes authors do that--the need for something more shocking to get attention, or maybe just that spending too much time in our own heads can go dark ways. I know I've had to edit some dark turns out of my own work, so I'm thinking it's in our heads... a somewhat disturbing thought.

[Kirsten]

It didn't make me stop reading them, but the Alpine series by Mary Daheim went totally dark in one book where (view spoiler)[they killed off Tom Cavanagh (hide spoiler)]. It put me off them for a while.

[Victoria]

I've seen this, both with some that just got tired (so that the books felt like they had little new to offer), and with two favorite authors whose work started fairly light, if not exactly cozy, and have taken dark turns.

I gave up on Maisie Dobbs several books ago, for a variety of reasons. Other series I stopped buying, but would get them from the library.

I think most long-running series have a dip in quality after a while. At a writers' conference I attended, one of the speakers said a series writer should introduce a new plot twist or direction after 6-7 books, in order to keep things fresh. But I think the writer should stay true to the original tone and style of the series.

[Rebecca]

Victoria wrote: "I think most long-running series have a dip in quality after a while. At a writers' conference I attended, one of the speakers said a series writer should introduce a new plot twist or direction after 6-7 books, in order to keep things fresh. But I think the writer should stay true to the original tone and style of the series. "

Maybe the reality is that you should start a new series after 6-7 books. Readers love the familiarity but then we get annoyed because the books are all the same... I'm not sure I could write 20 books about the Pismawallops PTA at all, let alone without seeming to rehash things.

" I think the writer should stay true to the original tone and style of the series."
Exactly. Losing the sense of humor seems to be a common hazard (not a mystery, but I think that happened to J.K. Rowling, and I don't like the later books half so well as the first one).

[Victoria]

Maybe the reality is that you should start a new series after 6-7 books. Readers love the familiarity but then we get annoyed because the books are all the same...

It's a gamble, for the author and the publisher, deciding to break away from a winning formula, that's making money. Quite possibly a publisher wouldn't keep an author on if she didn't want to write more in a successful series.

I think self-publishers have more freedom to experiment, because they (we) are not tied into contracts and deadlines, and there isn't the time lag of a year or more between finishing a book and seeing it on sale.

[Rebecca]

I agree, Victoria! I'm sure some of those series that I think have lost their umph are only going because the publisher wants that sure sale.

[BarbaraH]

Too many TBR books on my self if I don't like it or it doesn't "grab" me I will move to another, unless it is one I agreed to review, Found some darn good books then.

[Kirsten]

Not a cozy series, but the Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell just became too over the top for me.

[Melodie]

Kirsten wrote: "Not a cozy series, but the Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell just became too over the top for me."

That's for sure! I think she started believing all the hype out there about her. A shame. It was such a good series for the longest time.

[Mary]

There are a lot of thought provoking comments here! I have decided to stop reading some series all together and put a few on hold for a while.

[Karen]

A lot depends on how good the author is and how much I've enjoyed the series. Though I've never really given up on a series, I have moved some to the lower end of my TBRs. I still read them, but not a as priority.

Taking a series in a new direction -- new location, new love interest, new job, new characters, etc. -- can breathe life into a series that is getting stale and enhance a loved series. If the author is good, the transition is seamless and organic. This goes for long series, too. If the author is good at crafting mysteries and places them in well written stories, it doesn't matter how many books there are to a series. As a reader, you know each book is going to be good. I just don't want a series to go stagnant. Characters, etc. have to keep growing and evolving.

I have read so many really good series that were three and done -- which I think was a publisher issue. That is, they issue three books in a series (or six!) and if it doesn't sell as well as they wanted/thought, it's done. Most were nice, fun series and i wanted more time with the characters but was left wanting more (Jeffrey Cohen's Double Feature series; Different series by Tim Myers and his pseudonyms; Lucy Lawrence's - Jenn McKinlay - Decoupage series).

I've lost series because the author or publisher for some reason ended the series. I've missed a lot of those, too (especially, Selma Eichler's Desiree Shapiro series! I loved Desiree.). Still others have been lost because the author passed away (Elizabeth Daniels Squire's Peaches Dann series; Carol Anne O'Marie's Sister Mary Helen series). Sadly, I figure all my series will end at some point for reasons beyond my contol, so I read them -- good or bad -- while I've got them.

As for becoming unreadable... I have to admit that I read some series because I've started them and keep reading hoping they get better and/or get back on track. Some have; others not so much. I keep reading partly because I've already invested the time and partly because I like to see what happens with the characters (the main reason for reading cozies!). Others I read because I like/love the series and a bad book or two won't keep me from enjoying it overall.

So far, no series has become so unreadable that I've stopped reading it completely -- back-burnered, yes; given up, no. One good thing about series is that the more one reads and gets used to the author's style, the easier (and faster) that read gets as the series goes on. If I'm reading a series that's gone stale (for me), I more or less speed-read it so I can keep up with the characters' and their non-mystery stories and hope the next book is better. I liken it to watching a TV series that's been on forever. Not every episode is going to appeal to you, but you keep watching. You know what to expect so you can read or work while it's on and not miss anything. Who knows, the next episode could be great.

[Mary X]

I just drop them. I don't regret the books in the series that I did enjoy and just move on because I am no longer enjoying the series. I dropped the Hannah Swensen, the Stephanie Plum series and a few others. I just didn't like them anymore. On the 2 I mentioned, my only regret is not stopping a book or two (or 3) before I gave them up.

[Mary]

I have quit on continuities I read over the years mostly from Harlequin authors. Either they got too long (too many books) and weren't as good or I didn't like some of the authors. As for a series by one author I have quit on a few. I don't regret dropping a series either. I have too many other books to read and don't want to waste my reading time on series that don't work for me anymore. It also frees me to read series and stand alones that never disappoint.

[Joe]

I think it's really important for each book in a series to stand alone with a beginning, middle, and end. The leading characters should grow from book to book, but each book should have its own murder(s), suspects, red herrings, plot twists and turns, and surprising but earned ending (with clues early on). The leading character/armchair sleuth needs to be likeable, and romance, humor, and cozy settings are a must. That's what I try to remember when writing each of my books.

[Barbara]

I was file cleaning and turned up an old interview in a mystery publication, two cozy mystery writers were asked the same questions. Both writers were about the same number of books into the series, one had her characters relationship become sexual with a possible pregnancy, the other one kept her relationship romantic but without sex.
One point that came up was the fact that once you made a permanent change in a character or a relationship - marriage, divorce, death, pregnancy - you were stuck with it and now that becomes part of the character's "history" - and if readers aren't happy with it, or think it happened too soon in the series, they might be turned off.

[MaryAnn (EmilyD1037)]

Lynn wrote: "I do hate to just stop reading them, but if I'm not enjoying the books for whatever reason, it's a waste of my valuable reading time to slog through them just for the sake of keeping up with or fin..."

This is my thought and feeling on all genre series.

[Mary Clare]

Leslie Meier’s Lucy Stone series has taken a turn for the dark side. Meier explained that she wanted Lucy Stone to grow as a character. I felt somewhat betrayed. I pick up Lucy Stone books looking for light and fun escapism, Invitation Only Murder was a ‘real’ mystery, lacking the family, fun, and sense of humor found in the rest of the series. It’s not what I am looking for from this author and character. I’m done with Leslie Meier because I don’t know if I’m am going to get the new Lucy or the pleasant escapism Lucy.

[Tammy]

Nancy wrote: "As rhe writer of a cozy series, I recognized it was time to end my series after seven books and explore new characters and new adventures. I had some personal reasons for moving on, but it’s a risk..."

Seven books sound good to me.

[Joe]

An author should know when a series has come to an end. My mystery series ended at 16 books, 5 books, and 2 books respectively. If an author hasn't figured it out, I think it's up to the readers to let the author know. How? By no longer reading the series. JoeCosentino.weebly.com

[Alice]

Kirsten wrote: "Not a cozy series, but the Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell just became too over the top for me."

I also loved the Kay Scarpetta series for a long time, but stopped reading them for some reason. They were always books that I had to be in the mood for, but at some point I stopped ever feeling in the mood.
I think my problem was the level of anxiety I felt while reading. I really enjoyed the forensic puzzles, but as the series progressed, she was placed in ever increasing danger outside the morgue and the books became less mystery and more thriller.

[Marja]

For whatever it's worth, I stopped reading that series a long time ago for the same reasons, and I don't want to read a book and feel anxious. I read for entertainment. Just thought I'd mention it.

[Alice]

@Marja I suppose that's one of the joys of cozies. You can enjoy the puzzle without too much stress.

[Mama Cass aka Bookhugger]

I have a couple of series (JD Robb, Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich) that have a lot of books and some of the books are better than others. Sometimes they get to where a story is similar. I love Nora Roberts but some of her trilogies are very very similar. There was one author, I don't know if she was going through something personal but wow her series got so dark and depressing and all her characters became such downers that I quit reading it. I do think that if a series becomes repetitive, it's more likely to lose readers.

[Mama Cass aka Bookhugger]

I agree Alice, I have really turned to cozies more now because I need lighter reads and laughter right now

[Marja]

Alice wrote: "@Marja I suppose that's one of the joys of cozies. You can enjoy the puzzle without too much stress."
I read more than cozies, but I don't enjoy a book if it becomes too graphic. There's enough of that in real life.

[marita]

Marja wrote: "Alice wrote: "@Marja I suppose that's one of the joys of cozies. You can enjoy the puzzle without too much stress."
I read more than cozies, but I don't enjoy a book if it becomes too graphic. Ther..."

I agree with you. If I want to cry ugly tears based on tragedy, I'll watch more of the news. Not saying sometimes we don't need a good cry, but I read books to escape - which is why I love cozies or thrillers. I read all types of books/genres including non fiction, but cozies are my palette cleansing feel good books..... Even YA now is getting intense.

[Jane]

Marja wrote: "For whatever it's worth, I stopped reading that series a long time ago for the same reasons, and I don't want to read a book and feel anxious. I read for entertainment. Just thought I'd mention it."

Me, too. They just became too much.

[Joe]

I've read some series until the end, and others I've stopped reading before the last book. I think the key is for an author to keep the flavor of the series but approach new territory in each novel. I also think each novel should be its own mystery rather than having to read numerous novels before the mystery is solved. JoeCosentino.weebly.com

[Marja]

Joe wrote: "I've read some series until the end, and others I've stopped reading before the last book. I think the key is for an author to keep the flavor of the series but approach new territory in each novel..."
I agree. Even though it may be part of a series, I enjoy it when each book can be read as a standalone.