Caroline Graham, a British author, has a wonderful series:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/caroline-graham/
Chief Inspector Barnaby
1. The Killings at Badger's Drift (1987)
2. Death of a Hollow Man (1989)
3. Death in Disguise (1992)
4. Written in Blood (1994)
5. Faithful Unto Death (1996)
6. A Place of Safety (1999)
7. A Ghost in the Machine (2004)
Louise Penny, a Canadian author, also has a simply terrific series:
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/p/louise-penny/
Chief Inspector Gamache
1. Still Life (2005)
2. Dead Cold (2006)
aka A Fatal Grace
3. The Cruellest Month (2007)
aka The Cruelest Month
4. The Murder Stone (2008)
aka A Rule Against Murder
5. The Brutal Telling (2009)
6. Bury Your Dead (2010)
6.5. The Hangman (2011)
7. A Trick of the Light (2011)
8. The Beautiful Mystery (2012)
9. How the Light Gets In (2013)
10. The Long Way Home (2014)
Both series by both authors are extremely engaging and beautifully written. They maybe aren't as big on humor as what you have in mind, but they are certainly big on HUMANITY. I highly recommend them - both series will bring a smile and feeling of warmth. I think they would all be wonderful books for sitting tucked up in a blanket, overlooking the ocean in November.
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