Finished The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths, and am eagerly looking forward to more of this mystery series featuring the 40ish forensic anthropologist Ruth Galloway. The evocative description of the Norfolk salt marshes had me Googling for images and dreaming about a walking tour vacation.
Google also led me to Scene of the Crime, a blog with interviews with mystery authors for whom a strong spirit of place becomes a character in its own right.
http://jsydneyjones.wordpress.com/