Fatal Divisions is Claire Booth’s fourth Hank Worth mystery featuring the sheriff of Branson County, Missouri. I love these kind of small-town or community police procedurals. It reminds me of Steven Havill’s Posadas County mysteries. This one finds Sheriff Worth and his Chief Deputy Sheila Turley on separate investigations, until a terrific ending.
Branson County Sheriff Hank Worth has not yet gotten over the car accident that killed six teenagers in A Deadly Turn, so his wife, Maggie, does an intervention. He agrees to go to Columbia, Missouri to visit his college roommate, but he has an ulterior motive. Maggie’s Aunt Fin was visiting them. Her brother, Duncan suspected Fin’s husband, Lew, was cheating on her. But Fin had talked with Hank. Lew’s secretary had disappeared, and she was worried that he had something to do with that. Hank agrees to investigate the family business, and Lew, but neither Fin nor Hank want anyone else in the family to know about it. A trip to Columbia is the perfect cover for Hank’s investigation.
While he’s gone, Deputy Turley reorganizes the shift work to save money on overtime. That causes an insurrection from the deputies, especially those that work in the jail. She’s trying to juggle schedules while she and Deputy Sam Karnes investigate a murder. Their suspicions narrow to the man’s son, or a group of elderly men who played bocce ball with the victim. Sam’s just worried that Turley hasn’t told Hank about the murder case or the staff mutiny.
Hank returns from Columbia, tracking the family case back to Branson County. His case, and the murder investigation, build to a climax on the same night when deputies have called a sick-out. It’s a motley crew who handles the mess in this skillfully written, character-driven story. The mystery builds to a fascinating conclusion in this excellent police procedural.
Claire Booth’s website is www.clairebooth.com
Fatal Divisions by Claire Booth. Severn House, 2021. ISBN 9780727889973 (hardcover), 240p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I read a .PDF for a journal.
I’ve been looking for something to replace the Dan Rhodes series.
Give it a shot, Glen. Although nothing can replace that series.
I’ll have to check this series out.
I like it, Sandy. I like Hank.
Thanks for the reminder. I finally caught up with the first book in the series (THE BRANSON BEAUTY) last year, and intended to read the next one, but it slipped my mind – so many books, not enough time – and I never did. I thought the first was pretty good. It was also an example of JAWS Syndrome – the local politicians are worried about any bad publicity affecting tourism.
That third one was terrific, Jeff. You do have some catching up to do. The fourth is very good, but A Deadly Turn will stick with you.
I was just able to reserve this at my library last week! Excited to return to this world.
I know, Holdenj. I was, too.
Where has this series been…I put The Branson Beauty on my library list…
And, that series wants to know where you’ve been, Gram. It’s been waiting. (smile)
I had read about this book earlier this week and I am interested in this series. And now that you compared it to the Posadas County mysteries, I really have to try it. I have gotten the first two books on Kindle on sale, although I would rather have print.