Branson Sheriff Hank Worth has been out-of-sorts since his last case led to the deaths of several teenagers. His family insist he take time off & Hank agrees to go visit a college friend in Columbia, Missouri.

Chief Deputy Sheila Turley is left in charge and she launches shift reforms that are unpopular amongst the staff. Then an elderly man is found brutally murdered in his home. An informal group of bocce ball players & the victim's estranged son point them in different directions but Sheila & her team make little progress in the investigation.

While in Columbia, Hank also agrees to unofficially help his aunt Fin allay her concerns about her husband Lew's employee. Hank & Fin find evidence of fraud & embezzlement at Lew's company & fear the missing woman has been killed but there is no body. The two cases come together when another body is found near Branson while Sheila has to deal with an unofficial sick-out of most of her patrol staff.

This is a solid police procedural and another fine entry in the Hank Worth series.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Severn House. All opinions are my own.

Sheriff Hank Worth is taking a much needed break to visit with a friend in a neighboring town. even though he's supposed to be taking a break from the job, he plans on looking into his wife's aunt and uncle. The aunt says a young man has gone missing ... one who worked with her husband. Police are 'assuming' the young woman is dead and uncle is the prime suspect.

Back in Branson, Deputy Chief Sheila Turley, being in charge while Hank is gone, is facing some of the good old boys in blue who don't take kindly to a mere woman telling them what to do. And to really complicate things, a man is found beaten to death in his bedroom.

While Sheila struggles with insubordinate deputies, Hank is doing his best to investigate his uncle's perceived guilt.

As the book goes back and forth between the two separate cases, a complex plot is revealed. The characters of Hank and Sheila are featured amid a swirl of twists and turns. Although 4th in the series, this is easily read as a stand alone.

Many thanks to the author / Severn House Publishers / Netgalley for the digital copy of this police procedural/mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

It's an entertaining and engrossing story, the first I read in this series.
I liked the plot and the subplots and the well thought characters. The mystery is solid, full of twists and turns, and it kept me guessing.
Good character and plot development, a story I thoroughly enjoyed.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This series takes place in the tourist town of Branson, Missouri. In this book, Sheriff Hank Worth takes some time away to get over a tragic case and look into a mystery involving his wife’s aunt and her husband. Hank investigates while spending time with a friend from university in the college town of Columbia, Missouri. While Hank is away, his second-in-command Chief Deputy Sheila Turley heads up a murder investigation in Branson. I’m familiar with both towns, so I enjoy the references to places I’ve been.

The narrative of the story switches back and forth between the two cases. I wish the transitions between the two would have been smoother and hadn’t occurred within the same chapter. It was a little jarring going back and forth between the two cases all in one chapter. I would get interested in one case and then there would be an abrupt switch to the other one. The good news is that each case is interesting. The Branson murder case is engaging from the beginning while the case in Columbia takes longer to heat up. Once things got going there, I was just as interested in that case as the murder in Branson. At the beginning of the book, I really missed Hank and Sheila working together. However, I enjoy seeing newer deputy Sam Karnes playing a large role in the murder investigation in Branson. Then when Hank returns to Branson and shows he has Sheila’s back in a difficult staffing situation, the book gets even better. Hank and Sheila working together, with the help of an eager-to-learn Sam, make an interesting and effective team. Although I have read all the prior books in this series, this book stands on its own and should gain the series new fans.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Severn House. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

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.

Sheriff Hank Worth is taking some much needed time away from Branson-his last case involved the death of too many teens- but he is still solving crimes. At the same time, his deputy, Sheila, has decided that eliminating overtime will solve (or at least alleviate) the financial pressure on the office but what it does do it create a group of unhappy people. And then an elderly man is found murdered. Hank is looking into a disappearance in Columbia Missouri and if you think the two cases will merge- well no spoilers from me. It's a well plotted procedural and I liked the emphasis placed on Sheila this time out. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Fine as a standalone.

Sheriff Hank Worth is dedicated. So much so that, following a terrible car crash that killed some young people, for which he feels a responsibility, Hank reluctantly takes a break.
Unfortunately, the person who is in charge in his absence creates mayhem....and then there's a murder. Hank also ends up getting involved in a missing persons case. There's plots and sub plots aplenty and characters galore in the decent murder mystery / lighthearted read.

A solid 3* Good Read that maintained interest.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

I had not heard the previous three books in this series but was able to jump in and enjoy this ones a standalone novel. Still feeling guilty and depressed in the aftermath of a traumatic event, Sheriff Hank Worth is repeatedly told by his family and friends to take some time off and visit an old friend. He finally allows himself to be persuaded when his wife’s aunt asks for his help with a mystery—a missing woman—in the town where she and Hank’s buddy both live. This leaves Chief Deputy Sheila Turley in charge back home in Branson, Missouri, and no sooner does Hank leave than she ends up having to investigate a homicide. The drama continues in both locations as the two cases develop, with a lawbreaking group of elderly bocce players on Hank’s end and a staff-wide sick-out threatening to undermine Sheila’s authority. There are plenty of minor characters to root for, including young deputy Sam, who starts to develop his potential as an investigator. I found this book somehow both leisurely and compelling at the same time; it’s not a page-turner in the read-all-night sense, but any time I had 5 minutes free I kept picking it up again to see what would happen to the characters next. Recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and Severn House for a digital advance review copy.

Sheriff Hank Worth was past exhausted. His wife was trying to get the old work horse to take a break. His department was way over budget and the county commissioners were complaining. His second in command was a no-nonsense female who was trying to develop a better work schedule and eliminate large cost overruns. The rest of the department hated her guts!

Finally, Hank is maneuvered into a weeks’ getaway with an old college buddy. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief. But the buddy has a case he is working on as well and there is no rest for Hank. Meanwhile Sheila, his second in command, was going to fix all of the budgetary problems caused by sandbagging employees. Predictable of course the old timers rebelled and a sickout begins.

Mail mounting up in a mailbox causes the postman to call a deputy to check on one of his postal customers. Upon entering the house, a grizzly murder is discovered. The first suspect is the mans’ estranged sun. Dual plots spin from there. Claire Booth crafts this yarn with the best of them.

She is very adept at keeping the reader off balance with dual plots clouding the development of the investigations. Strong women are replete throughout the tale and men seem to be cast as the weaker sex. A fun approach to the investigations but also a bit unsettling. The ending justifies the means, however, and a surprise leads to a totally unlikely perpetrator. Then the development of the characters becomes crystal clear.

Pick up this book and enjoy a ride with Claire Booth available now. She doesn’t disappoint in her development of a tale. 4.5/5 stars - CE Williams

I think this is the fourth in Claire Booth's Hank Worth Sheriff series, but it is the first one I have read - and with some enjoyment. Yes, there are a few too many characters, and locations switch around, but nothing that a little concentration won't repay. Here Hank takes a short break, ostensibly a vacation, leaving his deputy Sheila Turley in charge. But whilst away Hank discovers that his Aunt Fin has suspicions about her husband, whilst Deputy Chief Turley instigates some unpopular overtime-saving reforms and then discovers the death of an elderly man turns out to be a particularly vicious murder. How are these disparate elements linked, and can Hank on his return bring them all together and the murderer to justice? A good, quick, undemanding read with some interesting characters. I look forward to more adventures.

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for an advance copy.
Branson, Missouri Sheriff Hank Worth is burnt out - he may not recognise it, but those around him do. His family and colleagues have been urging him to take a break. A visit from his wife’s aunt seems to convince him to take a few days to drive her home and look up an old college buddy.
Meanwhile, Chief Deputy Sheila Turley carries on with her plan to balance the budget by limiting overtime - with consequences she did not foresee. A welfare check on an elderly man reveals a suspicious death and the mysteries deepen from there.
She doesn’t mention either of these crises to Hank, who is unraveling mysteries of his own in his old college town.
This is the fourth in a series set in an area I know little about, just outside of a seasonal township. I liked the no nonsense narrative style and the small town feel, the gentle humour and the compassion of most people portrayed, the undercurrents of racism and lawlessness.
I loved the portrayal of Sheila and her battles, big and small.
I will be looking for the rest of this series.

This is two stories for the price of one! Sheriff Hank Worth follows a family mystery whilst supposedly on a restorative break following events that caused him stress . His deputy left in charge is Shiela Turley. She is not popular as the first woman in the job and a dedicated reformer. In charge during Hank’s absence, she has a murder to deal with two. So, two for the price of one. Both are well devised stories with moments of humour and tension. There are some very good characters such as Sam, the raw young deputy. Branson City has not seen crime like this in decades. The book is well written and keeps you wanting to know the next twist. The writing is all about the story and does not have a whole lot of unnecessary description or detectives with dysfunctional private lives. All these things make it a roller coaster read which I recommend.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance copy of Fatal Divisions, the fourth novel to feature Sheriff Hank Worth of Branson, Missouri.

Hank is struggling after a difficult case and agrees to take some time off to visit his friend, Jerry, in Columbia where he can spend time helping his aunt Fin find the secretary missing from her husband’s company. While he’s away his Chief Deputy, Sheila Turkey, is having to deal with the fallout from her new, overtime eliminating work schedules and the brutal murder of an old man.

I have not read this series before and didn’t know what to expect so I was pleasantly surprised to find it both enjoyable and absorbing. It has a cosy-ish tone with its emphasis on close family and friendship ties and little lingering on the more gruesome aspects of murder investigations but it also has a strong, detailed plot with barely a dull moment.

The novel is told mostly from Hank and Shiela’s points of view with deputy Sam Karnes adding his perspective on events from time to time. The two investigations run side by side with neither protagonist knowing about the other until the denouement when Hank’s case comes back to Branson. It is a nice difference in approach that the two cases are entirely separate and don’t meet at all. It gives the reader two separate puzzles to mull over and try to solve. I batted 0 for 2 so that sustained my interest throughout. Hank’s case is much more complicated and sprawling with new developments every day than Sheila’s but hers is tighter with a limited set of suspects and obvious circumstances.

I have to say that I found the overtime ban quite amusing, not from the predictable response but more the fact that Sheila didn’t see it coming. She was so pleased with her ability to save jobs that she didn’t take account of the deputies’ shortsightedness. I wish we could have seen more comeuppance in the novel.

Fatal Divisions is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

240 pages

4 stars

Sheriff Hank Worth is still suffering guilt feeling over the deaths of several teens in an auto accident some time earlier. His devoted wife Maggie – with a little coercion from Father Tony – finally get him to take a few days off. Hank plans to go see his old friend Jerry.

And, oh by the way, maybe he'd look into the missing employee of Aunt Finella's husband Lew. Aunt Fin is a force unto herself. She is very loyal, and while occasionally irritating to Hank, she is a gem.

Meanwhile, second-in-command Sheila is trying to deal with her team of disgruntled deputies. When a murder of an elderly man occurs, it really throws a wrench into her plans for a quiet time until Hank got back.

I very much liked that this book employed a little tongue in cheek humor now and then. Some of the lesser characters in the book made me smile at their behavior or explanations. This book has intricate plots and subplots. There are many characters of which to be aware and how Ms. Booth makes them dovetail is very well done. And some surprises! I very much liked Hank and Maggie, and the rest of the team are unique as well.

I want to thank NetGalley and Severn House for forwarding to me a copy of this delightful book for me to read, enjoy and review.