I'm a sucker for a good series, the longer the better. The only problem is that I often find myself getting stuck in the middle of them, usually forgetting who's who and what's what between installments. Sometimes, I've blanked so much that I just start the whole thing over! And I'm not a person who loves rereading. The struggle is real. Today's TTT prompt is right up my alley: Top Ten Book Series I Want to Catch Up On (Or Start). I could make a Top 100 list just using the first part of this topic, but I'll try to narrow it down to just ten mystery series I want to catch up on.

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.

(Book covers show the first installment in each series.)

1. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny

Books in Series: 21 (and counting)

Books I've Read: 13

Next Up: Kingdom of the Blind

This is one of my favorite mystery series of all time and I don't want it to ever end. I've been reading the books slowly (very slowly) in order to savor them. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is one of the most likable and admirable detectives I've ever encountered. His colleagues, friends, and associates are a complex and colorful bunch, which makes for a lot of interesting tales. It's a great series. If you like mysteries, you have to give it a go.

2. Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn

Books in Series: 10 (and counting)

Books I've Read: 6

Next Up: An Impossible Imposter

Veronica is no ordinary Victorian woman. She's a daring, outspoken lepidopterist who solves mysteries in her spare time. With the help of her hunky associate, she has all kinds of crazy adventures in the name of bringing about justice. These books are hilarious and fun.

3. Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths

Books in Series: 15 (series complete)

Books I've Read: 4

Next Up: A Dying Fall

Ruth is an archaeologist who helps the Norfolk police solve crimes.

4. Gilded Newport series by Alyssa Maxwell

Books in Series: 14 (and counting)

Books I've Read: 6

Next Up: Murder at Crossways

As a second cousin to Cornelius Vanderbilt (albeit one without his abundant wealth), 21-year old Emma Cross is in a unique position in society. She uses that status to her advantage as she writes a newspaper column about high-society happenings. What she really wants is to be an investigative reporter breaking important news. Luckily (or unluckily as the case may be), crime seems to have a way of finding her, putting her in the position of playing amateur sleuth both above and below stairs.

5. Amish Candy Shop Mysteries series by Amanda Flower

Books in Series: 11 (and counting)

Books I've Read: 7

Up Next: Blueberry Blunder

Bailey King leaves her dream job as an assistant chocolatier in New York City to help her Amish grandmother run her candy shop in a small Ohio town. As quaint as the village is, there's a whole lot going on under the surface. Bailey finds herself digging into a surprising number of murders among both the Amish and English residents.

6. Bakeshop Mysteries series by Ellie Alexander

Books in Series: 24 (and counting)

Books I've Read: 1

Next Up: A Batter of Life and Death

This is one of those series that I had to start over with. I reread Meet Your Baker a few months ago.

Set in Ashland, Oregon—a real town that is famous for its annual Shakespearean festival—this culinary mystery series stars the mother/daughter team that runs Torte, a popular (fictional) bakery. With the yearly festival chaos as well as the usual conflict that abounds in a small, insular town, baker Juliet Capshaw always has her hands full serving up baked goods and helping to solve the murder du jour.

7. Kate Hamilton series by Connie Berry

Books in Series: 6 (and counting)

Books I've Read: 4

Next Up: A Collection of Lies

American antiques dealer Kate Hamilton helps to solve her first murder while visiting Scotland. Later, she moves to the U.K. where she continues helping her detective boyfriend solve crimes.

8. Shana Merchant series by Tessa Wegert

Books in Series: 6 (series complete)

Books I've Read: 5

Next Up: The Coldest Case

This crime series features Shana Merchant, a former NYPD detective with a traumatic past. Trying to put her trauma behind her, she takes a job in New York's Thousand Islands area. There, she solves new cases while also dealing with the unresolved issues from her past.

Although this series is complete, Wegert is now writing a spin-off series that I'm excited to read.

9. Baker Street Mysteries series by Valerie Burns

Books in Series: 5 (and counting)

Books I've Read: 2

Next Up: A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death

This fun cozy culinary series stars Maddy Montgomery, a fashionista social media star who's reeling from being left at the altar. When a great-aunt she never knew leaves Maddy a surprise inheritance, she sees it as the new start she desperately needs. It doesn't matter that she can barely boil water, she can totally run Aunt Octavia's popular bakery, right? It's not long before Maddy is in over her head trying to learn to bake, run a business, wrangle a giant mastiff, and...solve a string of murders?

10. Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen

Books in Series: 20 (and counting)

Books I've Read: 2

Next Up: Royal Flush

I started this historical mystery series this year and have really been enjoying it (especially on audio). It stars Lady Victoria Gergiana Charlotte Eugenie—Georgie—a cousin of England's King George V. With her family's fortune waning, she leaves her Scottish castle for London, where she'll have to make her own way for the first time in her life. In addition to worrying about how to make ends meet, she's at the mercy of Her Majesty, the Queen, who often enlists Georgie's help with various inconvenient projects. Then, there are all the murders that seem to happen around her...

There you go, ten mystery series that I need to catch up on. Have you read any of them? What do you think? Which series do you need to catch up on? Which are you planning to start? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.