Author: Claire Booth
Year Published: 2017
Genre: Adult fiction (mystery)
Pages: 310
Rating: 4 out of 5
Location (my 2017 Google Reading map): USA (MO)
FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a review
Summary (from the inside flap of the book): It starts out as an interesting little theft case. Bronson, Missouri's new Sheriff Hank Worth is called out to look at stands of trees that have been stripped of their bark, which the property owner had planned to harvest for the booming herbal supplement market. At first, Hank easily balances the demands of the investigation with his fledgling political career. He was appointed several months earlier to the vacant sheriff position, but he needs to win the fast-approaching election in order to keep his job. He thinks the campaign will go well, as long as he's able to keep secret the fact that a group of undocumented immigrants--hired to cut down the stripped trees--have fled into the forest and he's deliberately not looking for them.
But then the discovery of a murder victim deep in the Ozark backwoods sets him in the middle of a generations-old feud that explodes into danger not only for him, but also for the immigrants, his deputies, and his family. He must rush to find a murderer before election day, and protect the vulnerable in Branson County, where politicking is hell and trespassing can get you killed.
Review: I am always up for a good mystery with a strong main detective character and I hoped that this book would be just that and it was, mostly.
FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a review
Summary (from the inside flap of the book): It starts out as an interesting little theft case. Bronson, Missouri's new Sheriff Hank Worth is called out to look at stands of trees that have been stripped of their bark, which the property owner had planned to harvest for the booming herbal supplement market. At first, Hank easily balances the demands of the investigation with his fledgling political career. He was appointed several months earlier to the vacant sheriff position, but he needs to win the fast-approaching election in order to keep his job. He thinks the campaign will go well, as long as he's able to keep secret the fact that a group of undocumented immigrants--hired to cut down the stripped trees--have fled into the forest and he's deliberately not looking for them.
But then the discovery of a murder victim deep in the Ozark backwoods sets him in the middle of a generations-old feud that explodes into danger not only for him, but also for the immigrants, his deputies, and his family. He must rush to find a murderer before election day, and protect the vulnerable in Branson County, where politicking is hell and trespassing can get you killed.
- The down side--I feel like there was too much going on; too many side stories that eventually came together. For that reason, I had a difficult time getting into this book. But, about half way in it seemed to click for me.
- Characters--I like Hank Worth (the Sheriff). He is a good man who is smart, caring, and good at his job. He treats his deputies well and has a good sense of how to track down the bad guys in ways that aren't unrealistic. I also like the supporting characters of his wife and a couple key sheriff's office people (Sam and Sheila in particular). I cared about what happened to them and felt like they were characters we got to know.
- Setting--Missouri. I have never been there and I forget how southern it is. This book takes place in a small town, so it probably seems even more "close" since all the characters' lives are intertwined as they are when families live in a small town for generations.
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