Where books of a series are published at widely spaced intervals (six months or a year) then I think a recap is probably appropriate - but keep it short, a just a few pages covering just the essentials. This is necessary because a significant proportion of people do not re-read books, and human memory is quite fallible. (Typically I would re-read a series before continuing with a new release.)
Where a series come out together, or very close, I don't think recaps are essential. If people are enjoying the series they will keep reading (immediately or quite quickly), and if not the recap is pointless anyway.
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