I put off reading Hidden Currents, Claire Booth’s latest Sheriff Hank Worth mystery, until just before release date. I know I’ll have to wait another year for the next one, and it’s hard to wait that long. This is such an outstanding character-driven series. And, Booth wraps up a couple storylines in the new book.

Sheriff Worth and his small team in Branson, Missouri juggle several situations. In a small county, sometimes it’s cows in the road. This time, though, Hank stumbles across the body of the owner of a fishing shop when he goes to see him about going easy on a local shoplifter. Worth is trying to get the young man into treatment, but Gene Willard, the store owner, wanted to prosecute. Now, Worth doesn’t know how a zealous prosecutor will handle the case.

It’s finally time for the trial of the two men accused of assaulting Worth’s second in command, Chief Deputy Sheila Turley. One of them almost beat her to death, and it took two years to recover. But, COVID delayed the trial. Now, attorneys are in town, along with a visiting judge. The case was too hot for local attorneys and judges to handle.

The one piece of good news for the sheriff’s department is the upcoming wedding of Deputy Sam Karnes. Even that is a tense situation, but only for Sam. His fiancee’s mother is creating havoc. Fortunately, Sam’s marrying a woman strong enough to stand up to her mother, a woman who is exasperated enough to threaten elopement. That wedding was also delayed by COVID.

A murder investigation, a trial, and a wedding. The tension just builds in the book as they all seem to collide on a timeline.

As I said, Booth brings a couple storylines to a conclusion, the trial and Sam’s courtship. I normally don’t read books about trials, but this one is fascinating because it brings so many of the series characters, good guys and bad, together. You can read Hidden Currents as a standalone, but it means so much more if you know the background of the sheriff’s department, Worth’s family, the developers and politicians in Branson County, Missouri. This really is the book that summarizes storylines. I suggest you start at the beginning. It’s an outstanding regional mystery, reminiscent of the best of Steven F. Havill or Terry Shames.

Claire Booth’s website is https://clairebooth.com/

Hidden Currents by Claire Booth. Severn House, 2026. 240p.

FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher supplied a galley, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.