Books

KATE STARLING MYSTERIES

The dynamics of the accelerated growth in Branson, Missouri, due to a 1991 60 Minutes report inspired Beth to develop her Kate Starling Mysteries series, which is set in Branson in the mid-to-late 1990s. Kate Starling, the heroine of the series, is a thirty-something and opinionated reporter for the local Branson newspaper. Her adventures are less about solving the mysteries and more about writing the big by-line stories. Her plan is to follow her instincts even if that means butting heads with her Managing Editor boss, Helen Saint James, and her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Tom Collingwood, who is a member of the Branson police department.

The first book in the series, Mistaken Identity, was released in hardcover and ebook in March 2020 and in paperback in June 2020. The second in the series, Connections, was released in hardcover and ebook in July 2021 and will be released in paperback in October 2021. Both novels are available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, or your favorite independent book retailer.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY – With the violent death of a local businessman Bill Pantell, Kate easily outmaneuvers her co-worker to cover the story, then becomes obsessed with finding the killer when her father tops the suspect list. Her adventures in solving the mystery of the dead man’s past as well as his murder take her from the Ozark hills to the Kansas City mob and back. Adding a layer of frustration, Kate’s personal life is turned upside down by the return to town of her childhood sweetheart just after she moves into her new boyfriend’s apartment. As her personal and professional worlds collide, she struggles to maintain her focus—to convince everyone else that her father is innocent.

CONNECTIONS – When an unidentified skeleton is found at a vacant lot close to the lakefront in Branson, Kate is naturally distracted from her current assignment—interviewing the founder of the local crafts fair, Etta Stupholds. Kate is determined to be the first to know every detail of the skeleton investigation. Fighting resistance from her managing editor and cop boyfriend, she digs deeper and uncovers information about other suspicious activities in the lakefront area. Her investigative journalist intuition kicks into high gear and she’s determined to connect the dots and deliver the big story.