2017, for many notable writers, seems to be the year to try something fresh. For some, it is a new character in a familiar setting. Most of you will already be aware of Arnauldur Indridason’s new novel The Shadow District (in stock in trade paperback), if mostly because the mystery set in wartime Rekjavik is known originally by the more local friendly title Man from Manitoba. Regardless of its title, Indridason is setting up these characters to be part of what is described as a “major new series”.

Kathy Reichs Two Nights (in stock in hardcover) is an even greater departure from her comfort zone as it marks her first novel solo effort that does not involve Temperance Brennan and the “Bones” franchise. Whether this marks the end of that series, or whether new heroine Sunday Night will be a recurring character remains to be seen.

Renee Ballard is the heroine of a police procedural set in Michael Connelly’s Hollywood in The Late Show (in stock in hardcover). Like the Indridason, this too is set up to be a regular character, although it remains to be seen whether she will be interacting with his more established characters.

Up and coming British author Gilly Macmillan will be switching from standalones to a police procedural with a new character entitled Odd Child Out (in stock in trade paperback).

One of the more notable changes takes place with Canadian author Linwood Barclay as he makes his children’s series with Chase (in stock in hardcover), a book, quite traditionally, about a boy and his dog. Fellow Canadian, Jenny Nimmo, best known for her Charlie Bone series is starting anew with Henry and the Guardians of the Lost, also for the younger reader.

Finally, further down the road in 2018, we will be seeing one of the more notable shifts, with Anne Perry not only starting a new series, but doing so with a twentieth century (albeit the early portion). She will be introducing Daniel Pitt, son of Thomas and Charlotte in Twenty One Days (April 2018 in hardcover) .