Fatal Divisions

Booth’s fine fourth mystery featuring Branson, Mo., sheriff Hank Worth (after 2019’s A Deadly Turn) finds Hank badly in need of a break from routine. His aunt provides the spark he needs when she asks him to accompany her to Columbia, Mo., to look into the disappearance of her husband’s secretary. He agrees, and leaves Chief Deputy Sheila Turley in charge during his absence. While performing a wellness check at the home of elderly Clyde Timmons, Sheila finds Clyde battered to death. In the midst of the subsequent investigation, the majority of her deputies stage a sick out, protesting her reduction of overtime. Meanwhile in Columbia, Hank, who has no authority there as a police officer, tries to keep his inquiries under the radar, but he soon realizes that the missing secretary is just the tip of the iceberg, and he has to deal with a crime that could tear his family apart. Booth skillfully combines police procedural elements with a sharp focus on the families and professional lives of her protagonists. This superior regional series reliably entertains. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Jan.)