An Echo in the Bone, by Diana Gabaldon (on CD)

Holy COW, Diana! Is there ANY research that you've done that you have NOT included in the book?? So this covers less than two years (1776-1778) three countries (U.S., Scotland, and France), and 40 CDs!!!

I had to stop a couple of times and 'clear my palate' for a day or two, but I had to get back and finish the story...
...which left me hanging as far as Jemmy's fate, not to mention Claire, who is now a bigamist, and the whole Ian mess.

Rituals of the Season, by Margaret Maron (on CD)

Deborah and Dwight are on the verge of getting married, but in the meantime a local attorney and a cop are killed, and a death-row inmate's case is re-investigated.

Hard Row, by Margaret Maron (on CD)

I have somehow missed reading about Judge Deborah Knott up to this point. This is apparently the 13th book in the series. I'm debating whether I should add the series to my list of books to read. The prime motivator, besides being a generally good, character-driven story, is that I have family in the general area.

This one finds Deborah presiding over several interrelated cases: a domestic abuse case, a nasty divorce, and immigrant-worker issues. Her husband, Dwight, is the sheriff and has some icky remains turning up to figure out as well as a missing elderly man. Meanwhile, on the home front they are both trying to integrate their 2-month marriage along with learning to deal with an 8-year-old 'instant son' who used to live with Dwight's first wife.

Good story with lots of local color in the best sense. You really get a sense of the community and of North Carolina people. I think Maron is probably going on The List.