Branson County Sheriff Hank Worth is
always trying to help people. He’s been trying to help Gursey Rugg, a 23-year-old
meth addict, and very well known to all for his very low-level shoplifting. As Hidden
Currents: A Sheriff Hank Worth Mystery by Claire Booth begins, he has
been arrested yet again.
But this time he stole enough in one
take to rise to a felony level. He swiped 14 hand tied feather lures from the
local Reel Life Outfitters store. A two-store chain with stores on the opposite
ends of the Lake Taneycomo. The chain is now managed by the new owner, Gene
Willard, who seems very much determined to press charges.
The same Gene Willard who has no chance
to pursue charges, or change his mind, and he is soon very much dead in one of
his stores. That means Sheriff Hank Worth, Deputy Sheila Turley, and the others
have to figure out who did it and why. The fact that Gene Willard was going
through a contested divorce just means the suspect pool is even bigger.
While that case is the main storyline,
quite a lot is going on in secondary storylines. Among the various threads is the
fact that the attackers of Chief Deputy Sheila Turley are finally about to
stand trial. It’s been a long time coming, thanks to the pandemic and other
issues. Just seating a jury is going to be hard enough in the small community
where everybody knows you and your business. Having to deal with being a
witness in a trial is bad enough, but trying to investigate a murder at the
same time means she and everyone in the department will have a lot on their
plate
The latest installment in a great series
that began with The Branson Beauty is another good one. Much is
going on in Hidden Currents: A Sheriff Hank Worth Mystery and
things remain complicated and evolving. This is a series that must be read in
order as events happen, create consequential ripple effects just like in real
life, and people change. These characters have been through a lot in these
books, so I very much recommend reading
them in order.
I also encourage you to read the
“acknowledgments” section at the end of the book as the author goes into some
background detail on location and other issues.
I also encourage you to read Lesa Holstine's review here. And, if you are not already paying attention to her site, slap yourself with a wet noodle, and get onboard.
Strongly recommended as is the entire series.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4d5CLzR
The read will also be added to the Kindle
Unlimited program on publication day.
I picked this up through NetGalley by
way of the publisher, Severn House, which has me on their preapproved reviewer
list. A fact I am very grateful for as the ability to instantly download and
get reading, as I did here, is a wonderful thing. There was no expectation of a
review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2026