Most television series are still in reruns this time of year, so it could be the perfect time to either start or catch up on a good fiction series. Whether you're an avid mystery, western or science fiction reader, you are sure to find something in the following list.

V. C. Andrews's popular series involves child abuse, neglect and incest, and follows the Foxworth family from childhood to adulthood. Garden of Shadows, although published last, depicts the earliest events beginning with the wedding of Malcolm and Olivia. Flowers in the Attic is the next in the series followed by Petals on the Wind, If There Be Thorns and Seeds of Yesterday. Before her death, in 1986, Andrews also wrote a trilogy about the Casteel family, also on the subject of child abuse. The first in the trilogy is Heaven, followed by Dark Angel and Fallen Hearts.

Tom Clancy's character Jack Ryan, an ex-Marine, teaches history at Annapolis. Ryan also, on occasion, takes special assignments for the CIA. Although these books can be read in any order, the chronology is based on Ryan's daughter's age. The first in the series is The Hunt for Red October, followed by Patriot Games, The Cardinal of the Kremlin, Clear and Present Danger, The Sum of All Fears, Without Remorse and Debt of Honor.

In Patricia Cornwell's very popular mystery series, Dr. Kay Scarpetta is Virginia's chief medical examiner. Cornwell's forensic detail and page-turning suspense started with Postmortem and then continued with Body of Evidence, All That Remains, Cruel and Unusual, Body Farm and Potter's Field.

In Jonathan Kellerman's mystery series featuring Alex Delaware, a child psychologist goes beyond counseling to delve into the crimes which may have caused the child's problems. The psychological plots start with When the Bough Breaks and continue with Blood Test, Over the Edge, Silent Partner, Time Bomb, Private Eyes, Devil's Waltz, Bad Love, Self-Defense and The Web.

Larry McMurtry has several different series, most of which are associated with Texas. In his Texan series McMurtry depicts the bleakness of small-town life in an urban community. Some of these novels are best known for their movie versions. It started with Moving On, then followed All My Friends Are Going to Be Strangers, Terms of Endearment, Some Can Whistle, and Evening Star.

Dana Fuller Ross, pseudonym of Noel Gerson, wrote a series that blends romance and adventure. The series begins with the first large-scale wagon train of settlers headed for the Oregon Territory in Independence, and the saga continues with Nebraska!, Wyoming!, Oregon!, Texas!, California!, Colorado!, Nevada!, Washington!, Montana!, Dakota!, Utah!, Idaho!, Missouri!, Mississippi!, Louisiana!, Tennessee!, Illinois!, Wisconsin!, Kentucky!, Arizona!, New Mexico!, Oklahoma!, Celebration! and Oregon Legacy.

William Shatner, former star of Star Trek, has written a science-fiction series featuring the character Jake Cardigan, a former cop turned private investigator in the 22nd century. The first in this techno-thriller series is TekWar, followed by TekLords, TekLab, Tek Vengeance, Tek Secret, Tek Power and Tek Money.

Robert Silverberg, who won the Nebula Award for Time of Changes, wrote one of the finest science-fiction series. Majipoor is an imaginary planet that was colonized by humans and other sentient beings thousands of years before the series takes place. The action starts with Lord Valentine's Castle, followed by Majipoor Chronicles, Valentine Pontifex and The Mountains of Majipoor.

I've only listed a sampling from the book Sequels: An Annotated Guide to Novels in Series (Third Edition) by Janet Husband & Jonathan Husband. This book is always available at the West Warwick Public Library, whenever you're in the mood for a good series. Titles in this book have been updated through 1995, so if the authors have continued their sagas even further just ask a staff member for help in finding the newest adventures.

Paulette Gagnon is the reader's adviser at the Warwick Public Library.