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Sheriff Hank Worth #1
The Branson Beauty
The Branson Beauty, an old showboat, has crashed in the waters of an Ozark mountain lake just outside the popular tourist destination of Branson, Missouri. More than one hundred people are trapped aboard. Hank Worth is still settling into his new role as county sheriff, and when he responds to the emergency call, he knows he’s in for a long winter day of helping elderly people into rafts and bringing them ashore. He realizes that he’ll face anxiety, arguments, and extra costs for emergency equipment that will stretch the county’s already thin budget to the breaking point.
But he is absolutely not expecting to discover high school track star Mandy Bryson’s body locked inside the Captain’s private dining room. Suddenly, Hank finds himself embroiled in a murder investigation, with the county commissioner breathing down his neck and the threat of an election year ahead of him. And as he wades deeper into the investigation, Hank starts to realize he’s up against a web of small town secrets much darker and more tangled than he could have ever imagined.
In her captivating debut novel, Claire Booth has created a broad cast of wonderfully compelling characters, and she perfectly blends humor with the emotional drama and heartache of a murder investigation.
But he is absolutely not expecting to discover high school track star Mandy Bryson’s body locked inside the Captain’s private dining room. Suddenly, Hank finds himself embroiled in a murder investigation, with the county commissioner breathing down his neck and the threat of an election year ahead of him. And as he wades deeper into the investigation, Hank starts to realize he’s up against a web of small town secrets much darker and more tangled than he could have ever imagined.
In her captivating debut novel, Claire Booth has created a broad cast of wonderfully compelling characters, and she perfectly blends humor with the emotional drama and heartache of a murder investigation.
310 pages, Hardcover
First published July 19, 2016
24 people are currently reading
837 people want to read
About the author
Claire Booth
15 books102 followersClaire Booth is a journalist and author who has written about crime for decades. She’s covered everything from the theft of the Aston Martin used in the James Bond film Goldfinger to the Laci Peterson murder and the San Francisco dog mauling case, where two lawyers were convicted of killing their neighbor with vicious dogs they kept for an imprisoned friend.
She also covered the case of Taylor Helzer, a Northern California man who convinced two followers he was a prophet of God. In order to raise money for their end-of-days scheme, the group extorted money from a retired couple and then killed them and three others to cover their tracks. The tremendously complicated quintuple murder case is the basis for her first book, the non-fiction The False Prophet: Conspiracy, Extortion and Murder in the Name of God.
After living with that case for so long, Claire decided she’d had enough of the real world and turned to fiction. Her first novel, The Branson Beauty, features county sheriff Hank Worth. The second in the series is Another Man’s Ground and the third, A Deadly Turn, comes out March 1, 2019.
She also covered the case of Taylor Helzer, a Northern California man who convinced two followers he was a prophet of God. In order to raise money for their end-of-days scheme, the group extorted money from a retired couple and then killed them and three others to cover their tracks. The tremendously complicated quintuple murder case is the basis for her first book, the non-fiction The False Prophet: Conspiracy, Extortion and Murder in the Name of God.
After living with that case for so long, Claire decided she’d had enough of the real world and turned to fiction. Her first novel, The Branson Beauty, features county sheriff Hank Worth. The second in the series is Another Man’s Ground and the third, A Deadly Turn, comes out March 1, 2019.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
July 30, 2025
In this first in the series, what happens when a riverboat cruise ends up stranded because it has crashed into the rocks? This becomes the challenge of new county Sherriff Hank Worth in fictional Branson County, Southern Missouri. How to get all the passengers and crew off the boat to safety.
But what happens when a young girl is also found dead on board? And, she is discovered in the Captain’s locked private dining room? Does this become a locked room mystery?
And, even if everyone does make it to shore safely, how does anybody explain the crash and the murder? Or if, these crimes could be connected?
With many questions, and possible witnesses and suspects to consider, Sherriff Worth has a huge task ahead of him. Especially when people in high places want a say in how this investigation should be conducted.
What will the Sherriff discover during his investigation?
As a resourceful, family man, not-into-politics kind of Sherriff, readers will find themselves in the midst of an easy-to-read, page-turning mystery, with a likable lead character. This may be the beginning of a compelling series.
But what happens when a young girl is also found dead on board? And, she is discovered in the Captain’s locked private dining room? Does this become a locked room mystery?
And, even if everyone does make it to shore safely, how does anybody explain the crash and the murder? Or if, these crimes could be connected?
With many questions, and possible witnesses and suspects to consider, Sherriff Worth has a huge task ahead of him. Especially when people in high places want a say in how this investigation should be conducted.
What will the Sherriff discover during his investigation?
As a resourceful, family man, not-into-politics kind of Sherriff, readers will find themselves in the midst of an easy-to-read, page-turning mystery, with a likable lead character. This may be the beginning of a compelling series.
April 21, 2025
I had to go back and start this sereis from the beginning. The Branson Beauty by Claire Booth is the first in soon seven books about Hank Worth County Sheriff in the Ozarks. I accidentely started with book six. This first one starts out with a boat full of passengers stuck in the water but soon it involves murder and even business and politics. We also get to know the new sheriff and his family. I really like the setting and the characters and I feel it will be fun following what will happen in this county.
August 1, 2016
I really love when I can start a book and feel like I'm at home in the world, right from page one, and
The Branson Beauty
is a book that had me feeling that way as soon as I started reading. Following Sheriff Hank Worth, recently appointed to the position of sheriff of Branson, Missouri, as he navigates the small town politics and budget constraints of a smaller police force. Hank finds himself knee-deep in snow, dealing with a touring paddle boat that ran aground with a quirky staff and really cranky patrons on board, and now the body of a popular girl who'd graduated and shouldn't have even been in town.
A Strong Sense of Justice, Right and Wrong, and Humor...
Hank Worth left his position as a cop in Kansas City to take this sheriff position so he and his wife could move to her home town to live with her recently widowed father. They also want their two young children to grow up in a city that's safer with someone who loves them to take care of them all day while Hank does his police duties and his wife works as a surgeon in the ER of the local hospital. With Grandpa Duncan on duty, the children are sure to get great care, even if it's with a good dose of ribbing from the father-in-law and a bit of guilt for not being around as much as they should be. While Hank brings years of experience investigating crimes in the big city, he's not prepared for the level of corruption and disdain that some cops and local politicians have for him. But Hank won't bend his sense of right and wrong or law for anyone--especially the rich and seemingly powerful around Branson.
Hank's character is wonderful. He's a cop but he's a family man, and he's left trying to fit in time with this two young children and his busy wife in between interviewing witnesses and patrolling the streets of Branson. I loved his sense of humor. He's witty and a bit sarcastic, and there's a ton that he has to keep to himself--and I love that he knows that as sheriff, he can't say much of it out loud since his position is temporary unless he runs in the next election.
A Murder That Leaves Branson Wondering Why...
Popular track star Mandy's body is found when Hank does one more sweep of the disabled Branson Beauty, and he's left with having to figure out who had motive to kill her while trying to determine why the boat ran aground. Who would have benefited from both of these things, and why? Hank and his overworked and understaffed police force must pull out all of the stops to close both of these investigations. But Hank runs in to obstacles on all sides, from stubborn witnesses to uncooperative business owners to a demanding city commissioner, and he even has a few problems with some cops on his payroll. None of these things can get in the way of getting justice for Mandy and her family.
Such a realistic family situation...
I really loved the family dynamic between Hank, his wife, their two kids, and his father-in-law Duncan. Their living situation is something that is completely relatable these days, and it's something that I can identify with since my mother watches my son while my husband and I work. The relationship between Duncan and Hank is really special, and it made me smile quite a bit throughout the book.
I give The Branson Beauty a 4.5 out of five. The mystery wasn't easily guessed, and Claire Booth's writing is well-paced, descriptive, and the dialogue is great. Hank was a great character that I'm looking forward to reading about in more books, and we met quite a few people from Branson that I felt like I got to know and I'd like to see again. The secondary characters were fleshed out nicely and were distinct, and I especially enjoyed Hank's family as well as his closest deputies. I'm definitely looking forward to reading another Hank Worth mystery, especially after how this one ended.
(Also on Bewitched Bookworms, book received for free for book tour in exchange for honest review)
A Strong Sense of Justice, Right and Wrong, and Humor...
Hank Worth left his position as a cop in Kansas City to take this sheriff position so he and his wife could move to her home town to live with her recently widowed father. They also want their two young children to grow up in a city that's safer with someone who loves them to take care of them all day while Hank does his police duties and his wife works as a surgeon in the ER of the local hospital. With Grandpa Duncan on duty, the children are sure to get great care, even if it's with a good dose of ribbing from the father-in-law and a bit of guilt for not being around as much as they should be. While Hank brings years of experience investigating crimes in the big city, he's not prepared for the level of corruption and disdain that some cops and local politicians have for him. But Hank won't bend his sense of right and wrong or law for anyone--especially the rich and seemingly powerful around Branson.
Hank's character is wonderful. He's a cop but he's a family man, and he's left trying to fit in time with this two young children and his busy wife in between interviewing witnesses and patrolling the streets of Branson. I loved his sense of humor. He's witty and a bit sarcastic, and there's a ton that he has to keep to himself--and I love that he knows that as sheriff, he can't say much of it out loud since his position is temporary unless he runs in the next election.
A Murder That Leaves Branson Wondering Why...
Popular track star Mandy's body is found when Hank does one more sweep of the disabled Branson Beauty, and he's left with having to figure out who had motive to kill her while trying to determine why the boat ran aground. Who would have benefited from both of these things, and why? Hank and his overworked and understaffed police force must pull out all of the stops to close both of these investigations. But Hank runs in to obstacles on all sides, from stubborn witnesses to uncooperative business owners to a demanding city commissioner, and he even has a few problems with some cops on his payroll. None of these things can get in the way of getting justice for Mandy and her family.
Such a realistic family situation...
I really loved the family dynamic between Hank, his wife, their two kids, and his father-in-law Duncan. Their living situation is something that is completely relatable these days, and it's something that I can identify with since my mother watches my son while my husband and I work. The relationship between Duncan and Hank is really special, and it made me smile quite a bit throughout the book.
I give The Branson Beauty a 4.5 out of five. The mystery wasn't easily guessed, and Claire Booth's writing is well-paced, descriptive, and the dialogue is great. Hank was a great character that I'm looking forward to reading about in more books, and we met quite a few people from Branson that I felt like I got to know and I'd like to see again. The secondary characters were fleshed out nicely and were distinct, and I especially enjoyed Hank's family as well as his closest deputies. I'm definitely looking forward to reading another Hank Worth mystery, especially after how this one ended.
(Also on Bewitched Bookworms, book received for free for book tour in exchange for honest review)
November 23, 2016
Sheriff Hank Worth is newly appointed sheriff of Branson County Missouri, not elected, appointed by a county commissioner panel when prior sheriff runs for state Senate. One of the local tourist attractions, The Branson Beauty, a paddlewheel boat that gives rides on Table Rock lake, gets high centered on some boulders in the lake while it is full of guest. Sheriff Hank is tasked with getting boat & guest to shore and trying to figure out what caused the accident. While sweeping the boat making sure everyone is off Hank finds the body of a local teen apparently death by murder. Now Sheriff has his hands full trying to solve 2 different mysteries of why the boat wrecked in the first place and who murdered former high school track star while she was aboard the boat at the same time. Hank does all this while working with a tight budget and a skeleton staff already stretched thin due to dealing with bad winter weather. I enjoyed this book and I could relate to the characters, cities, landscapes and locals as it's based out of the Branson & Springfield Missouri area and I am a Missouri native.
June 4, 2021
Delightful mystery.
May 4, 2022
Just outside of Branson MI, a local showboat is trapped on the rocks, it was on a 3 hour tour (Gilligan's Island theme song kept playing in my head), the paddle wheel is stuck & it's up to the new sheriff in town, Hank Worth to ensure everyone gets off safely.
But the discovery of a murdered 18 yr old local girl in the private dining room & a skipper who refuses to speak complicates matters for sheriff Worth. And the stranded tourists & local partiers are not happy at all at being detained.
A bleep in the story - when a deputy guarding the crime scene (boat), did not recognize the sheriff, when he came to further investigate. Huh? Who doesn’t recognize their boss?! Perhaps he was only pretending, although it did not read that way. In any case this struck me as rather odd.
If you’re in the mood for something light, this is a fun whodunnit involving a likeable sheriff, small town politics, quirky characters & small town secrets.
But the discovery of a murdered 18 yr old local girl in the private dining room & a skipper who refuses to speak complicates matters for sheriff Worth. And the stranded tourists & local partiers are not happy at all at being detained.
A bleep in the story - when a deputy guarding the crime scene (boat), did not recognize the sheriff, when he came to further investigate. Huh? Who doesn’t recognize their boss?! Perhaps he was only pretending, although it did not read that way. In any case this struck me as rather odd.
If you’re in the mood for something light, this is a fun whodunnit involving a likeable sheriff, small town politics, quirky characters & small town secrets.
July 30, 2019
Iceberg, right ahead!
"Never let go."
"I'll never let go, Jack. I'll never let go. I promise."
Oops. Wrong ship.
The Branson Beauty has run aground. Once all the passengers are off the ship a dead body is discovered. Hank Worth the county sheriff is on the case. So yea. That's it. This was just ok for a first time author. The writing was ok. Hank wasn't really interesting. The other characters were not memorable. No unsinkable Molly Brown on board. Book 2 needs to be better.
"Never let go."
"I'll never let go, Jack. I'll never let go. I promise."
Oops. Wrong ship.
The Branson Beauty has run aground. Once all the passengers are off the ship a dead body is discovered. Hank Worth the county sheriff is on the case. So yea. That's it. This was just ok for a first time author. The writing was ok. Hank wasn't really interesting. The other characters were not memorable. No unsinkable Molly Brown on board. Book 2 needs to be better.
October 8, 2021
The first book in the Sheriff Hank Worth series...A so-so mystery, with likable and compelling characters...Set in the tourist haven of Branson, Missouri, akin to the Ridley Pearson "Walt Fleming" series set in Sun Valley...Sheriff Hank Worth is confronted by a tourist boat running aground and his team get to work rescuing passengers, many of them seniors. In the midst of the rescue efforts, a popular, recently graduated, local girl is found murdered on the boat...Good presentation of the difficulty of law enforcement in a small town...Just Okay!
November 4, 2024
Enjoyable story, memorable characters, and an interesting mystery.
September 12, 2016
The Branson Beauty is a paddle wheel boat that takes a certain route around the lake under the captainship of Albert Eberhardt. He’s been on the route for almost 20 years and knows this lake in the Ozarks just outside of Branson, Missouri like the proverbial back of his hand. Inexplicably, with approximately 120 passengers on board and many of them elderly, he has managed to run the classic showboat aground on the rock outcropping in the lake.
Getting the folks on the boat safely off on this cold windy day is going to strain local resources to the limit. This is going to be the first real test for new Sheriff Hank Worth. He has to coordinate a rescue operation and control a number of volatile factors including the representative of the company who is far more concerned about bad publicity than the safety of the passengers and crew.
Things become immeasurably more complicated with the discovery of a body onboard. In a variation of a classic locked room mystery, eighteen year old Mandy Bryson is found dead inside the captain’s private dining room. There is no question from the start that it was murder. Not only is Captain Albert Eberhardt unable to answer questions about how and why the boat ran a ground, no one seems to know why Mandy was on board or who killed her. Sheriff Hank Worth is an outsider and folks are not about to start telling secrets.
The Branson Beauty is the first in what hopefully will be a long running series by Claire Booth. A complex multi-faceted mystery, a host of secondary characters with their own stories to tell, and a richness of setting and details make this a very good read. It reminded this reviewer quite a bit of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series by Bill Crider as well as the Sheriff Samuel Craddock series by Terry Shames. The same down home folksy feel with family, small town secrets and gossip, and strong mysteries.
If it isn’t clear already, The Branson Beauty by Claire Booth is very much recommended.
The Branson Beauty
Claire Booth
http://www.clairebooth.com
Minotaur Books (St. Martins Publishing Group)
http://www.minotaurbooks.com
July 2016
ISBN# 978-1-250-08438-5
Hardback (eBook format available)
321 Pages
$25.99
Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2016
Getting the folks on the boat safely off on this cold windy day is going to strain local resources to the limit. This is going to be the first real test for new Sheriff Hank Worth. He has to coordinate a rescue operation and control a number of volatile factors including the representative of the company who is far more concerned about bad publicity than the safety of the passengers and crew.
Things become immeasurably more complicated with the discovery of a body onboard. In a variation of a classic locked room mystery, eighteen year old Mandy Bryson is found dead inside the captain’s private dining room. There is no question from the start that it was murder. Not only is Captain Albert Eberhardt unable to answer questions about how and why the boat ran a ground, no one seems to know why Mandy was on board or who killed her. Sheriff Hank Worth is an outsider and folks are not about to start telling secrets.
The Branson Beauty is the first in what hopefully will be a long running series by Claire Booth. A complex multi-faceted mystery, a host of secondary characters with their own stories to tell, and a richness of setting and details make this a very good read. It reminded this reviewer quite a bit of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series by Bill Crider as well as the Sheriff Samuel Craddock series by Terry Shames. The same down home folksy feel with family, small town secrets and gossip, and strong mysteries.
If it isn’t clear already, The Branson Beauty by Claire Booth is very much recommended.
The Branson Beauty
Claire Booth
http://www.clairebooth.com
Minotaur Books (St. Martins Publishing Group)
http://www.minotaurbooks.com
July 2016
ISBN# 978-1-250-08438-5
Hardback (eBook format available)
321 Pages
$25.99
Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2016
April 14, 2020
When The Branson Beauty is scuttled on a cold and snowy afternoon, it seems like nothing more than a nuisance that can be blamed on a reckless captain. It takes hours to finally get the passengers safely back to shore and all seems well, except for likely fallout to the owner that is. But a final round of the ship reveals a shocking surprise: the dead body of a local coed.
Sheriff Hank Worth hasn't been in his position long and knows this case is a big one. The girl, a recent graduate of the local high school, was quite well known but only a few people even realized she was on board at all that day. In fact, her parents didn't even know the girl was in town! As the investigation proceeds, it becomes clear the folks of Branson have more than a few secrets up their sleeves. It's up to Hank to untangle those secrets and uncover the killer and motive behind the murder.
The Branson Beauty marks the first in the brand new Hank Worth series. It's also Claire Booth's fiction debut.
As mysteries go, The Branson Beauty is a lighter one bordering on cozy - it's not overly graphic but it does have a little more edge than a typical cozy, in my opinion. I love the setting. Touristy Branson may be familiar to many readers but it's not Worth's Branson. In fact, even though the newly minted sheriff has only been there a short time, the commercialization has already started to wear on the man.
The plotting could have been slightly tighter for me, but it's also possible that some of the kinks I noted (somewhat repetitive information and a few odd dialog pieces) were specific to the arc and have since been ironed out for the hardcover release.
That aside, The Branson Beauty is a quick and fun mystery read. Hank Worth is excellent leading man material for a series and I look forward to seeing what else Booth has in store for Branson County!
Sheriff Hank Worth hasn't been in his position long and knows this case is a big one. The girl, a recent graduate of the local high school, was quite well known but only a few people even realized she was on board at all that day. In fact, her parents didn't even know the girl was in town! As the investigation proceeds, it becomes clear the folks of Branson have more than a few secrets up their sleeves. It's up to Hank to untangle those secrets and uncover the killer and motive behind the murder.
The Branson Beauty marks the first in the brand new Hank Worth series. It's also Claire Booth's fiction debut.
As mysteries go, The Branson Beauty is a lighter one bordering on cozy - it's not overly graphic but it does have a little more edge than a typical cozy, in my opinion. I love the setting. Touristy Branson may be familiar to many readers but it's not Worth's Branson. In fact, even though the newly minted sheriff has only been there a short time, the commercialization has already started to wear on the man.
The plotting could have been slightly tighter for me, but it's also possible that some of the kinks I noted (somewhat repetitive information and a few odd dialog pieces) were specific to the arc and have since been ironed out for the hardcover release.
That aside, The Branson Beauty is a quick and fun mystery read. Hank Worth is excellent leading man material for a series and I look forward to seeing what else Booth has in store for Branson County!
July 22, 2016
I love mysteries of all kinds. Usually I'm a cozy mystery kind of girl, but if it is a good mystery, it doesn't have to be an amateur sleuth.
This is the first book in the Sheriff Hank Worth series and it is a great beginning. I love the setting of Branson and the river boat. I'm all about casinos etc, even though I can't afford to go to any. I still find something glamorous about being able to through away money to a slow machine or a turn of a card.
Claire Booth makes a great debut here. Hank is a great lead character. He's a professional, but he has a little bit of what I like in a cozy mystery lead. He's got a little bit of humor with some quirky characters hiding a lot of secrets. I adored the nicknames that he gave to some of the suspects. He called his one young deputy Pup.
The mystery involves a body found on the river boat that has run aground. What should have been a simple rescue operation turns into much much more including arson and the murder of a track star.
Mandy's murder is a lot more complicated than it seems too, and that's really what makes you keep turning the pages with this book. There are so many different people that could have possibly killed her, and there was something going on in her life that will point to who had the most motive.
The story had a good blend of Hank's personal life as well as his professional life. You'll definitely be invested in this character by the end of the book.
The plot has enough twists and turns to keep the pages turning and you don't guess the killer until it is revealed. You'll also be anxious to see how Hank chooses to handle his job after the little twist at the end with the former sheriff and the county commissioner.
This is definitely a series to keep up with.
This is the first book in the Sheriff Hank Worth series and it is a great beginning. I love the setting of Branson and the river boat. I'm all about casinos etc, even though I can't afford to go to any. I still find something glamorous about being able to through away money to a slow machine or a turn of a card.
Claire Booth makes a great debut here. Hank is a great lead character. He's a professional, but he has a little bit of what I like in a cozy mystery lead. He's got a little bit of humor with some quirky characters hiding a lot of secrets. I adored the nicknames that he gave to some of the suspects. He called his one young deputy Pup.
The mystery involves a body found on the river boat that has run aground. What should have been a simple rescue operation turns into much much more including arson and the murder of a track star.
Mandy's murder is a lot more complicated than it seems too, and that's really what makes you keep turning the pages with this book. There are so many different people that could have possibly killed her, and there was something going on in her life that will point to who had the most motive.
The story had a good blend of Hank's personal life as well as his professional life. You'll definitely be invested in this character by the end of the book.
The plot has enough twists and turns to keep the pages turning and you don't guess the killer until it is revealed. You'll also be anxious to see how Hank chooses to handle his job after the little twist at the end with the former sheriff and the county commissioner.
This is definitely a series to keep up with.
October 18, 2018
This story was a bit hard to follow. At first I left it for a week while I read another book and then I got back to it and got more into the story. There are many characters from the new sheriff to the missing girl to many workers on the tourist boat. I found it hard to keep track of them all. Yet by the last part I finally felt like I knew who was who and what was going on. By the end, I was happier with the book but I feel like time would be better spent on. Different bookrather than working through this one.
April 7, 2017
The Sheriff in this story sort of grew on me, but not enough to read more stories that feature him. Claire Booth has a lot of potential as a mystery writer but this book just wasn't my cup of tea.
June 29, 2025
This is a 3.5 rounded to a 4. It's a better than average cozy police procedural set in the Ozarks of Missouri...the first in a series starring the Branson County Sheriff, Hank Worth. I read it because I was on my way to visit family at Table Rock Lake (its setting), and wanted something to get me in the mood. I wasn't expecting much but was very happily surprised and will continue with the series just because I enjoyed it.
You can read the summary in the Goodreads entry, so I don't need to rehash that. But I will say that Booth did a great job of characterization with Hank, and the supporting characters received attention as well. Many of the characters are complex enough that I didn't know if they were heroes or villains until the end, and I appreciate that. There is a general sense of the good to be found in people (in spite of the murder), and the small town atmosphere shines through. The lakeside setting description didn't transport me, but it did give enough detail that I could see aspects of it in my mind.
This was an engaging summer read, although it does take place during the winter!
You can read the summary in the Goodreads entry, so I don't need to rehash that. But I will say that Booth did a great job of characterization with Hank, and the supporting characters received attention as well. Many of the characters are complex enough that I didn't know if they were heroes or villains until the end, and I appreciate that. There is a general sense of the good to be found in people (in spite of the murder), and the small town atmosphere shines through. The lakeside setting description didn't transport me, but it did give enough detail that I could see aspects of it in my mind.
This was an engaging summer read, although it does take place during the winter!
July 21, 2017
Originally published at Reading Reality
The Branson Beauty is an old paddle-wheel showboat, and the book about the events of her last cruise will stick the reader as fast between its pages as the poor old boat is stuck to the shoal its grounded on.
It really was supposed to be a “three-hour tour”, so when the Branson Beauty runs aground, and her passengers find themselves stranded aboard for much, much longer, the number of rescue workers who end up humming the Gilligan’s Island theme seem inevitable. Also hilarious.
But Sheriff Hank Worth stops finding any humor in the situation when he discovers the ship’s captain comatose and locked inside his piloting cabin. The situation turns downright grim when the Sheriff discovers the dead body of a local track star locked inside the captain’s private dining room.
Mandy Bryson was supposed to be away at college in Norman Oklahoma, running track and studying English at Oklahoma University, not dead on an aging cruise ship with finger-shaped bruises clearly circling her throat.
Worth is literally the new sheriff in town. When the previous sheriff moved up to the state legislature, his term as sheriff needed to be filled. Hank, an experienced officer from Kansas City, thought he was ready for a management role. He was certainly ready to move from KC to Branson, where his father-in-law was available to serve as a live-in babysitter for Hank and his wife Maggie’s children. Maggie is on constant call as a surgeon in the local hospital, and Hank’s hours as sheriff are far from predictable at the best of times. Her father needs a bit of their help, and they need heaping helpings of his.
Between the grounding of a local institution, and the murder of a home-town heroine, Hank has his hands overfull. This is his first homicide in Branson, and the first local homicide in a long time that wasn’t a screamingly easy case to solve of drug deals gone wrong or domestic battery gone deadly.
This case is a puzzle from beginning to end, not because the victim had no enemies, but because there are too many competing means, motives and even crimes for Hank to zero in on what parts thwarted young love, stalking, affluenza and insurance fraud played in Mandy’s death.
Or perhaps all of them did.
Escape Rating A-: This one grabbed me from the first undertone hum of “a three-hour tour” and didn’t let me go until I turned the final page. The mystery at the heart of this story kept me turning pages every spare minute all day long.
And that mystery is convoluted as it unfolds, but makes complete sense once it is all revealed. It kept me guessing from beginning to end. The red herrings are all delicious, and all the more convincing for often being partially correct while not necessarily contributing to the solution of the whole.
The author also does an excellent job of conveying the depths of the grief and sadness that consumes not just the family but the whole small community when a young and promising life is cut short so senselessly.
But The Branson Beauty, in addition to being a crackerjack mystery, is also the first book in a new series, and has to introduce its setting and its characters, preparing readers for the stories yet to come. We need to learn who these people are, and why we should care about what happens to them.
In that regard, The Branson Beauty is off to a good start, but there is plenty of work yet to do. This case is overwhelming, and Hank Worth is often overwhelmed by it as well as the responsibilities he has taken on as the sheriff of Branson. He’s still adjusting to his new job and to the small town politics he now must contend with. When his appointment is up in a few short months, Hank will need to run for re-election. To do that he not only has to please his constituents, but has to learn to play with the politicians who are both his peers and his rivals, and in some cases even his bosses. The county commissioners, after all, set his budget.
So while there’s a murder to be solved, that’s not the only crime that Hank uncovers, nor is it the only trail he has to follow. Some of those trails lead him into the murky undergrowth of political corruption and influence peddling, and the reality that the county’s biggest employer has too many ways of influencing people and institutions to look the other way as he bends and even breaks the law. Hank has a tough road ahead of him, and he’s only taken the first steps – possibly even the wrong ones.
The one place where The Branson Beauty needs a little work is in the development of the characters who inhabit Hank’s world. Only one member of his police force stands out, and only because she seems to be the lone female in the ranks, even if she is Hank’s second-in-command. Likewise, it took me quite a ways into the book to figure out whether the female at home Hank referred to was his wife or his daughter, and what she did and where she fit. (It’s his wife and she’s as overworked as he is) I left the story still not certain what the precipitating event was that sent Hank and Maggie to Branson, but I know there was one. I’m looking forward to discovering the answers to all these questions and more in future books. The next book in the series, Another Man's Ground, is already on my reading schedule this month.
While the boat may have run aground, the story never does. It chugs along quickly and compellingly from its comic opera beginnings to its inevitably sad but ultimately satisfying resolution. I can’t wait to see what mystery Hank has to solve next.
The Branson Beauty is an old paddle-wheel showboat, and the book about the events of her last cruise will stick the reader as fast between its pages as the poor old boat is stuck to the shoal its grounded on.
It really was supposed to be a “three-hour tour”, so when the Branson Beauty runs aground, and her passengers find themselves stranded aboard for much, much longer, the number of rescue workers who end up humming the Gilligan’s Island theme seem inevitable. Also hilarious.
But Sheriff Hank Worth stops finding any humor in the situation when he discovers the ship’s captain comatose and locked inside his piloting cabin. The situation turns downright grim when the Sheriff discovers the dead body of a local track star locked inside the captain’s private dining room.
Mandy Bryson was supposed to be away at college in Norman Oklahoma, running track and studying English at Oklahoma University, not dead on an aging cruise ship with finger-shaped bruises clearly circling her throat.
Worth is literally the new sheriff in town. When the previous sheriff moved up to the state legislature, his term as sheriff needed to be filled. Hank, an experienced officer from Kansas City, thought he was ready for a management role. He was certainly ready to move from KC to Branson, where his father-in-law was available to serve as a live-in babysitter for Hank and his wife Maggie’s children. Maggie is on constant call as a surgeon in the local hospital, and Hank’s hours as sheriff are far from predictable at the best of times. Her father needs a bit of their help, and they need heaping helpings of his.
Between the grounding of a local institution, and the murder of a home-town heroine, Hank has his hands overfull. This is his first homicide in Branson, and the first local homicide in a long time that wasn’t a screamingly easy case to solve of drug deals gone wrong or domestic battery gone deadly.
This case is a puzzle from beginning to end, not because the victim had no enemies, but because there are too many competing means, motives and even crimes for Hank to zero in on what parts thwarted young love, stalking, affluenza and insurance fraud played in Mandy’s death.
Or perhaps all of them did.
Escape Rating A-: This one grabbed me from the first undertone hum of “a three-hour tour” and didn’t let me go until I turned the final page. The mystery at the heart of this story kept me turning pages every spare minute all day long.
And that mystery is convoluted as it unfolds, but makes complete sense once it is all revealed. It kept me guessing from beginning to end. The red herrings are all delicious, and all the more convincing for often being partially correct while not necessarily contributing to the solution of the whole.
The author also does an excellent job of conveying the depths of the grief and sadness that consumes not just the family but the whole small community when a young and promising life is cut short so senselessly.
But The Branson Beauty, in addition to being a crackerjack mystery, is also the first book in a new series, and has to introduce its setting and its characters, preparing readers for the stories yet to come. We need to learn who these people are, and why we should care about what happens to them.
In that regard, The Branson Beauty is off to a good start, but there is plenty of work yet to do. This case is overwhelming, and Hank Worth is often overwhelmed by it as well as the responsibilities he has taken on as the sheriff of Branson. He’s still adjusting to his new job and to the small town politics he now must contend with. When his appointment is up in a few short months, Hank will need to run for re-election. To do that he not only has to please his constituents, but has to learn to play with the politicians who are both his peers and his rivals, and in some cases even his bosses. The county commissioners, after all, set his budget.
So while there’s a murder to be solved, that’s not the only crime that Hank uncovers, nor is it the only trail he has to follow. Some of those trails lead him into the murky undergrowth of political corruption and influence peddling, and the reality that the county’s biggest employer has too many ways of influencing people and institutions to look the other way as he bends and even breaks the law. Hank has a tough road ahead of him, and he’s only taken the first steps – possibly even the wrong ones.
The one place where The Branson Beauty needs a little work is in the development of the characters who inhabit Hank’s world. Only one member of his police force stands out, and only because she seems to be the lone female in the ranks, even if she is Hank’s second-in-command. Likewise, it took me quite a ways into the book to figure out whether the female at home Hank referred to was his wife or his daughter, and what she did and where she fit. (It’s his wife and she’s as overworked as he is) I left the story still not certain what the precipitating event was that sent Hank and Maggie to Branson, but I know there was one. I’m looking forward to discovering the answers to all these questions and more in future books. The next book in the series, Another Man's Ground, is already on my reading schedule this month.
While the boat may have run aground, the story never does. It chugs along quickly and compellingly from its comic opera beginnings to its inevitably sad but ultimately satisfying resolution. I can’t wait to see what mystery Hank has to solve next.
August 7, 2017
I don’t read many cozy mysteries so, he first thing that struck me about The Branson Beauty was how, how can I say this this correctly, nostalgic the novel felt. This is no big city crime story; it is set in a small town, with small town issues and where everyone knows everyone’s business. I found this to be different from other novels I have read lately that are usually set in large, nameless cities like New York or Los Angeles. Booth brought about a sense of familiarity with her small town setting, sort of like an old school crime novel.
Hank Worth was an extremely likeable character; a family man and do-gooder trying to do the right thing and be true to himself. I really liked how REAL he felt. He was witty and brought just the right amount of humour into a text that could have been much darker.
Hank Worth was an extremely likeable character; a family man and do-gooder trying to do the right thing and be true to himself. I really liked how REAL he felt. He was witty and brought just the right amount of humour into a text that could have been much darker.
August 8, 2019
I was very taken by the premise--a tourist boat running aground on the lake near Branson, MO. New in town, recently appointed county sheriff (not elected, which many point out!) Hank Worth and his team get to work emptying the boat of passengers, many of them seniors. When an undecidedly senior young woman, former high school track star Mandy Bryson, is found dead on the second story of the boat, it becomes quite the crime scene. Hank's wife Maggie is an ER doc, the move enables them to utilize her newly widowed father, Dunc, as child care for this couple that work long and non-traditional hours. I really liked the characters and setting and look forward to the next couple in the series that are already out.
August 15, 2017
Another first book in a new to me mystery series. This one is set in Branson, Missouri, and features an ex big city cop taking on an appointment with a new job as the County Sheriff. Hank Worth knows that to keep the job which is an elected position, he will have to learn how to do his job without ruffling too many feathers. This gets harder when a body is found on a wrecked tourist attraction and a lot of the movers and shakers in Branson are in some way connected to the victim. Liked the mix of experienced police officer learning the political ground he will now have to deal with and an interesting mystery besides. Will look for more by this author!
September 25, 2017
I could not put this book down! I usually read cozy mysteries but saw this one at my library the other day and thought I would try it. It was so good! I hope, in future stories, more is told to us about the main character, Sheriff Hank Worth and his wife and father-in-law, but for now, reading how he has to deal with small town politics while trying to do his job was insightful. I loved how this was written. I really had no clue 'who done it' until I only had 2 chapters left! but there was another thing going on that was totally separate from the murder. I look forward to more books by this author, about Sheriff Hank Worth!
July 20, 2020
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. This was an enjoyable, but not really compelling mystery.
The newly appointed sheriff in town is just learning to know his people and doesn't have a clue about the politics in play.
The Branson Beauty, a paddlewheel steamboat that plies its mostly tourist trade on the lake, runs aground one day. After having the guests and crew stuck aboard for 8 hours they are finally evacuated, only to find the body of a murdered girl.
Now the sheriff needs to find out how/why the boat ran aground, how did it burn and end up at the bottom of the lake a couple of days later, and last but definitely not least, who and why was Mandy murdered?
The newly appointed sheriff in town is just learning to know his people and doesn't have a clue about the politics in play.
The Branson Beauty, a paddlewheel steamboat that plies its mostly tourist trade on the lake, runs aground one day. After having the guests and crew stuck aboard for 8 hours they are finally evacuated, only to find the body of a murdered girl.
Now the sheriff needs to find out how/why the boat ran aground, how did it burn and end up at the bottom of the lake a couple of days later, and last but definitely not least, who and why was Mandy murdered?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery novel! Sheriff Hank Worth is still learning the ropes of his new job in Branson County, which adds to the mix when he’s trying to figure out why a paddlewheeler full of tourists crashed and who killed a young woman in the captain’s private dining room. It's a great story, with a great main character – I could live with Sheriff Worth through many novels, and hope I get that opportunity.
December 24, 2020
I love the rural/small town mysteries like this. The author makes it feel like you are there, following the clues, meeting the people and being part of the action. I especially like how Hank, Sheila and the others piece the clues together and find the answer. I'll have to read the rest of the series.
November 5, 2021
My first Claire Booth book!
I loved this story!
Loved the characters, the story development, the plot twists and how the author wrapped it all up so neatly at the conclusion.
Will propose this as my selection at our Book Club and invite Claire to come and speak with us!
I’m eager to start the next Hank Worth story…
I loved this story!
Loved the characters, the story development, the plot twists and how the author wrapped it all up so neatly at the conclusion.
Will propose this as my selection at our Book Club and invite Claire to come and speak with us!
I’m eager to start the next Hank Worth story…
June 17, 2017
I love a good mystery and this one fit the bill! It gets going right away and I did not want to put it down. There were twists and turns, with a great ending once it all came together.
This is a great start to what I hope to be a long series.
This is a great start to what I hope to be a long series.
February 7, 2021
This is a good start to the series. I like the characters and the author’s writing style. I expect that the pace of the story in the next book will be faster now that she’s done setting everything up.
January 22, 2022
I can't get enough of Branson County Sheriff, Hank Worth, his "right hand" Sheila and of course Sam. His father in-law, Dunc who takes grandkids sitting to the whole new level. I love the humor that often makes me giggle.
October 27, 2016
A very solid, assured debut mystery novel. Enjoy the lead protagonist, newly appointed Sheriff Hank Worth.
May 24, 2017
good 1st time novel. have edited my husband's novels so recognized beginning mistakes. but the plot twist were awesome
July 13, 2017
For me the characters were a bit corny acting at times, but overall it was a good mystery.
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