Hi my darling rebels! In case you missed it, I'm teaming up with Katherine Grant, the host of the Historical Romance Sampler, to host another benefit in support of Authors Against Book Bans.

On October 5th at 7:30pm, we are gathering at Book Club Bar in Manhattan to read romances and discuss why they are so important. We will be joined by special guest authors Shelly Jay Shore, Joanna Shupe, Zakiya N. Jamal, and Blair Fell.

MINI POD! In this episode, Jordy and Shoshana dive into some of their favorite queer fairytale retellings, from reimagined princesses to stories that completely turn the original happily-ever-after on its head. Tune in for plenty of recommendations, a little fairytale chaos, and hopefully a few new books for your TBR!

Secrets, Suspects & Small-Town Shadows: Inside Claire Booth’s Hank Worth Mystery Series

What happens when a small Missouri tourist town becomes the perfect breeding ground for secrets, feuds, political intrigue and murder?

Welcome to Branson, Missouri, the unforgettable setting of Claire Booth’s Hank Worth mystery series.

Known for its country music theaters, tourism, and beautiful Ozarks surroundings, Branson might seem like an unlikely backdrop for a police procedural. But according to Booth, that contrast is exactly what makes it work. With a permanent population of roughly 12,000 and millions of visitors each year, Branson gives her the best of both worlds: the intimate complications of a small town and the unpredictability of a much larger city.

In this Book Club Conversation, Claire Booth takes us behind the scenes of the Hank Worth mystery series, discussing why she chose Branson before she even created her characters, how her career as a crime reporter shaped her police procedurals, why she refuses to outline her mysteries, and how Hank, Sheila, and the rest of the cast have evolved across the series.

And if you love character-driven mysteries, small-town secrets, police procedurals, and unexpected twists, you won't want to miss this conversation.

📍 Why Branson Is the Perfect Setting for Murder

Branson doesn't simply provide the backdrop for the Hank Worth mysteries; it feels like a character in its own right.

Booth actually chose the setting before she created her characters. Her husband is from Branson, which gave her an inside connection to the unique Missouri Ozarks community.

“It is a city of about 12,000 people, but it gets 10 million tourist visits a year.”

That unusual combination gives Booth endless possibilities.

She can explore the classic elements of a small-town mystery entrenched political interests, generations-old feuds, gossip, and the feeling that everyone knows everyone while also introducing big-city complications such as traffic, outsiders, and transient visitors.

And then there is the most important ingredient for a mystery writer:

Millions of potential suspects.

With that many tourists passing through Branson, Booth has a believable and seemingly endless supply of people who can wander into Hank Worth's investigations.

As she puts it, Branson is simply “the perfect place to set a mystery series.”

🔎 Why Character Development Matters in a Mystery Series

A compelling mystery needs more than clues and a shocking reveal. For Booth, the characters are what keep readers returning book after book.

She believes that if readers don't become invested in the characters, they won't necessarily pick up the next installment.

For a series like Hank Worth's, that character investment becomes especially important because readers aren't only returning to discover who committed the crime. They're returning to find out what happens to Hank, Sheila, Sam, and the other characters they've grown attached to.

Booth describes the investigation as, in many ways, the vehicle that allows her characters to experience growth and change.

But that doesn't mean the mystery itself takes a back seat.

She still needs a strong investigation, one that puts her characters through enough hardship to challenge them and force them to evolve.

It's that combination of strong mysteries and multidimensional characters that keeps the series moving forward.

📰 From Crime Reporter to Mystery Author

Before becoming a fiction writer, Claire Booth spent years reporting on real crimes.

That experience has had a major influence on her novels, particularly when it comes to writing the nuts and bolts of police procedurals.

As a crime reporter, she learned how police investigate cases, what they consider important, and what their professional and personal lives look like.

But perhaps even more importantly, she learned about the people at the center of those crimes.

Booth interviewed victims and criminals, visited their neighborhoods, and spoke with their families.

Through that experience, she came to understand something that continues to fascinate her as a novelist:

There is always a story behind the crime.

Everyone has a reason for being where they were and doing what they were doing when they became involved in a crime whether they were the victim or the perpetrator.

That real-world understanding brings another layer of authenticity to her fictional mysteries.

🩸 Does Claire Booth Know Who the Killer Is?

Here's where Booth's writing process gets particularly interesting.

She doesn't.

When she begins a book, Booth doesn't know who the killer will be.

In fact, she doesn't outline her mysteries at all.

She simply opens the page and starts writing.

It's usually around two-thirds of the way through the book that she begins to zero in on the culprit.

For Booth, that uncertainty is part of the fun of writing.

And it can have an unexpected benefit for readers: because the killer wasn't predetermined in her mind from the beginning, the eventual reveal can feel more surprising even to the author herself.

Imagine discovering the murderer alongside your own characters.

📖 The Hank Worth Book That Surprised Her Most

Of the first eight books in the Hank Worth series, Booth says Dangerous Consequences, the fifth installment, surprised her the most.

And once again, her decision not to outline played a major role.

About halfway through the book, a character unexpectedly appeared.

Booth had originally created the character for Book Three. That character served a purpose in that story, and she had no intention of bringing him back.

Until suddenly, he walked into the sheriff's department in Dangerous Consequences.

And he stayed.

The character ultimately became absolutely key to the entire fifth book.

It's a perfect example of how Booth's organic writing process can take a story in directions she never anticipated.

👮 How Hank Worth Has Changed Over Eight Books

Hank Worth may have started the series as a competent adult with a family, a career, and a mortgage, but eight books and everything humanity has thrown at him have changed him.

Booth describes Hank as having grown considerably.

He has become more world-weary and cautious about people's true intentions, largely because of the difficult experiences he's faced throughout the series.

But those experiences have also made him more grateful for what he has.

Especially his family.

Hank has had to fight for the things that matter most to him, and that struggle has made those things even more precious.

For longtime readers, that evolution is part of the appeal of following a character across multiple mysteries. The crimes may change, but the person solving them changes, too.

💥 Meet Chief Deputy Sheila Turley

If you've read the Hank Worth mysteries, chances are you have a soft spot for Chief Deputy Sheila Turley.

And Claire Booth couldn't be happier about it.

Booth says she loves Sheila and is thrilled that readers have embraced her.

Sheila is fun to write, but she's also an incredibly important character.

She's outspoken and says exactly what she wants, even though she doesn't always have the freedom to do what she wants.

As a woman working in a male-dominated profession and a Black woman living in a majority-white region, Sheila constantly encounters limitations and barriers.

Yet she refuses to let those experiences overwhelm her or change who she is.

She's smart, competent, outspoken, and determined and sometimes she's exactly the person who needs to say what everyone else is thinking.

And, as Booth puts it, sometimes someone in her fictional Branson needs a swift verbal kick in the butt.

That's where Sheila comes in.

✍️ From Facts to Fiction: Claire Booth's Biggest Creative Shift

Moving from journalism to fiction wasn't easy.

As a journalist, Booth had spent years training herself to focus on facts.

When she first sat down to write a novel, she realized she didn't have the creative pathways needed to simply invent things.

Her brain had been trained in “fact muscles.”

She had to teach herself that it was okay to make things up.

Now?

Those creative muscles get plenty of exercise.

Booth says she's developed the neural pathways necessary for fiction, and today the transition between fact and imagination comes much more naturally.

It's a fascinating reminder that writing isn't just about having ideas it's also about training yourself to think differently.

📚 Discover the Hank Worth Mystery Series

If you love police procedurals, character-driven mysteries, small-town secrets, unexpected killers, and atmospheric settings, the Hank Worth mystery series deserves a place on your reading list.

And if you're looking for a place to start, check out Claire Booth's latest Hank Worth mystery, Hidden Currents.

🛍️ Where to Find Hidden Currents

Readers can purchase Hidden Currents from:

It's my favorite time of year. The leaves are already starting to turn in Maine, bright reds and oranges are lining the trees and I can finally drink red wine and not want to die. Fall is the time of the reader, it's when we can finally put on sweat pants, turn on our YouTube campfire, and get cozy for the best reading season of the year!

But if you are looking for something different from your usual pumpkin spice rom-com line-up, then look no further. I have 10 unconventional fall reads listed below. Be not afraid! Spooky season is the perfect time to be brave and try something new!

Hallowpeen - By Holly Wilde

"Everyone in the small town of Hollow Springs knows that Halloween night is when the veil of sentience is at its thinnest. So no one would attempt a ridiculous ritual on the night of a full moon, right?
Wrong.

This sentient object romance follows two friends who tempt fate deliciously and end up having a legendary time with the local urban legends. Curl up with some candy and a pumpkin spice latte while you enjoy the autumnal delights of Hallowpeen."

Corn Daddy: A Steamed Short - By Helena Woodcock

Welcome to the Holloway Hotel, a hotel out of time set deep in the Appalachians. You may check in anytime you like, but you can never leave...

PLOT

Three night shift workers of The Holloway Hotel are trapped inside the building, stuck at 3am. At first, panic sets in and the group tries to figure out how to escape. But as the hotel provides them luxuries and temptations, they fall into a sense of complacency. Think Percy Jackson in The Lotus Hotel. They are plagued by visions of the past. Of horrific events that happened on the very property that the Hollaway sits on. And at the center of this is The Grey Man---the man responsible for the atrocities that took place on the grounds decades ago.

CHARACTERS

Ethan Ray--A college kid working the late shift at the hotel.

Kal--Working the hotel until he starts his own with his parents.

Teresa--A mysterious girl who catches the eye of Ethan.

THEMES/TROPES

--Hotel Horror

--Liminal Horror

--Time Warp

--Appalachian gothic/folk

--Romance

--Sporror

WHAT I LIKED

I loved the atmosphere. The first few chapters truly sucked me in, with the mysterious owl and the looming hotel. Once time stopped and Ethan entered the hotel's bar, I got massive Shining vibes. Who doesn't love a hotel with some dark history? I loved the way the hotel provided them with temptations and luxuries to lure them into complacency. I mean who wouldn't want to forget about all their troubles and enjoy some quality down time in a place where time stand still? I mean imagine all the books you can read.

WHAT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME

I understand that the characters get lulled by the hotel to forget that they need to escape, but I did feel that at times they didn't have a sense of urgency to escape. Also, be forewarned if you have trypophobia, there are a LOT of descriptions of holes. And while by itself I didn't mind being digested by the descriptions--it is a horror novel after all and I'm game for being grossed out--it was the acts that the holes were described in that made me question things. Especially when Ethan willingly accepts and performs certain acts upon the holes. These scenes pulled me out of the story. About the 75-80% mark was my biggest complaint. The amounts of times the characters decide to make love while their friend is missing left me flabbergasted. Several chapters were centered on this and this alone. I was glad once the plot began moving again and the story finished out.

I will never look at fireflies the same...

OVERALL RATING

3/5 stars

This had the potential to be a fantastic read for me if only the plot kept moving forward.

COMPS

The Shining by Stephen King