That Warm and Welcome Feeling of Friendship

That Warm and Welcome Feeling of Friendship

People generally feel a need to belong to a group, to experience friendship. Who doesn’t like a warm welcome when we visit in a home? And, the more we visit, the more at ease we feel and the more we look forward to our next visit. It seems to me that’s why so many of us enjoy reading books in a series. We get to know and like the characters and we look forward to seeing what’s happening in their lives.

Finding a series that I enjoy is like finding a treasure. I look forward to the next book and feel that I know the people involved. All of the Mrs. Jeffries and the Inspector books by Emily Brightwell are like that.  I’m pretty sure I’ve read all thirty-five of those books and am eagerly waiting for the newest one, Mrs. Jeffries and the Three Wise Women, to be released this fall. I’ve followed those characters since the beginning of the series and watched them grow. I’ve seen Betsy develop from a scared, sick, starving waif in London to a confident young woman who helps solve mysteries. I know how they came by Fred the dog and how Mrs. Goodge came to have a surly tomcat that nobody else likes.

Another favorite series are the Death on Demand cozies on Carolyn Hart.  Her latest one, Walking on My Grave finds Annie in her beloved book store and Max pretending to be busy but actually enjoying a life of ease. Max, however, is devoted to Annie and they, plus Henny, Emma, and Laurel collect information, visit suspects, and put two and two together to form a satisfying conclusion. Ms. Hart opens each of her Death on Demand books by introducing us to members the Broward’s Rock community, a tiny sea island off the coast of South Carolina. One of those characters, or perhaps more than one, will be the murder victim, and one of them will be the murderer. But which one? I thought I had the killer figured out in this last book, but I was wrong!

It’s not just these two authors who always find a place on my book shelf. I have many favorite series. Some have been discontinued with the years, some are still going, thank goodness. Mignon Ballard writes more than one delightful series. Lilian Jackson Braun was one of my favorite authors. Sadly, she died a few years ago. Jan Karon’s books, Laura Child’s tearoom and scrapbook series are all favorites.

All of these books have one thing in common: they draw in the reader and make her feel as if she’s among friends. It’s a pleasure to return to the living room, book store or tea room again and again to meet old friends and see what they are up to.

I like reading series and I enjoy writing series. The Darcy and Flora books are four in number. The Ned McNeil books are a series too, with the second one, By the Fright of the Silvery Moon, due to be released soon. Each book relies on a feeling of warmth and togetherness, a concern for right and justice, and of course, a whole lot of coffee. Friendship! That is what makes a cozy a cozy and that’s why I love those cozy mystery series!


Cozy mysteries by Blanche Day Manos at Pen-L Publishing, Barnes and Noble, Amazon.

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