I've just finished reading (well, listening to, actually) two books in Margaret Maron's series featuring Deborah Knott, judge in Colleton County, North Carolina. Deborah has a huge (and interesting!) family which often takes center stage to the mystery, but they are charming and folksy and you can't help but get involved with the characters. I've been jumping around in the series, as the audiotapes are made available to me, but it hasn't lessened my enjoyment to know some of the future, as I'm reading earlier books. It might even be a little more fun! I hope to read the newest, "Winter's Child" over Christmas.