In and Out of Order
by Lida Sideris
Are you a fan of mystery book series? I am. Here are a few reasons why:
There’s a phenomenon prevalent in the mystery genre that seems to outnumber all other genres: the popularity of book series. Hercule Poirot, Kinsey Millhone, Easy Rawlins and Stephanie Plum all set an example of characters who play starring roles in settings that spring to life in book series over and over again.
I’m a fan of series for several reasons:
- Each book features likable characters that I’ve gotten to know and whose company I enjoy. I like hearing them “talk.” It’s like revisiting old friends that I miss once the visit is over. How wonderful that I get to meet them again in a new adventure in another installment.
- Familiar territory in a series provides a sense of comfort, yet still offers exciting new twists and turns. More exotic settings offer the chance to travel to far-off places without leaving my chair. I feel like I’m driving the dusty roads in Botswana, next to Mma Ramotswe, when I read any of the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series, except without the threat of a black mamba snake coiled inside my car engine.
- If the series is a historical mystery, I can time travel every time I open one of the books. How exciting is that?
- Series books, for the most part, don’t require the reader to start at the beginning. We can jump in, meet the heroine and her sidekicks, and dive into the plot.
Which brings me to an important question: How do you feel about reading series books out of order? Are you a rebellious serial reader who will read them in whatever order you see fit? Or are you the methodical reader who must start at the beginning? I used to count myself as a card-carrying member of the second camp. But I’ve discovered series well underway that I’ve enjoyed.
I’ve started some series with number three or six, but afterward, I went back and started with book number one to catch up on all that I’ve missed. I don’t want to cheat myself out of the pleasure of getting to know the characters better: their secrets, their relationships, their shortcomings and strengths. Their family background, their special skills and hidden pasts. Only when I have a solid grip on the inner workings of the characters does my outer world fully disappear into the book world…with my fictional friends.
Photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash