This is a pretty standard murder mystery/suspense plot - two teenagers have gone missing, and the acting sheriff, loner Ben Packard, is tasked with finding them.
This could have easily fallen prey to the usual cat-and-mouse, paint-by-number plot ruts found in plenty of other books of the same genre. Instead, it was refreshingly good, in part, I think because the characters were well-developed and came across like actual people.
This was especially the case for our protagonist, Packard, who has moved back to the small town he enjoyed visiting as a child for a fresh start after a crushing loss. He’s a complicated, sympathetic character who deserves a sequel.
The end of the story sort of pointed to a follow-up book, and if that turns out to be the case, I’ll be adding it to my book list.
Thanks to #netgalley and #poisonedpenpress for this #arc of #andtherehekepther in exchange for an honest review.

This book gave me the chills and childhood reminders of the nursery room throughout the novel.

I read the book in 2 days and it sucked me in right from the beginning..

I am looking forward to more novels by this author. For her debut, we have great things to look forward to from her in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book. I love books that keeps my interest through the whole book. Beginning to end. Make sure to keep your daughters close to home, his place is not a good one.

I just found myself a new author to love! A great debut thriller! Jesse and Jenny totally misjudge their “easy mark” when they break into an old man’s house to steal his meds. The old man, Emmett, isn’t helpless after all and he is able to turn the tables on our little thieves. Jesse is killed, and Jenny is wounded and ends up chained to Emmett’s basement. Deputy Sheriff Ben Packard is tasked with searching for the teens. Packard is a complex character with his own secrets and demons. This story was anxiety-producing in the best of ways and it was a thoroughly enjoyable thrill of a read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

3.5 stars rounded up. This book starts out with two teens breaking into a home to steal drugs, and then it all goes horribly wrong from there. I wouldn’t call this a thriller—maybe more of a mystery, although, we do know the who right from the beginning, so it’s really more about the why. Our main character is a detective who after the death of his partner, has moved to a town where his family vacationed when he was a child. He becomes acting sheriff, and the disappearance of these two teens becomes his main case. The town is filled with quite the entertaining cast of characters. I could easily see this becoming a series.

What a Story!

This book had so much depth. So many layers. I was immediately drawn in from the first chapter. The suspense was great. The development of the story was paced well. The characters were so dysfunctional and flawed. It was hard to not feel pity for some of them. Packard was such an interesting leading man. He was so smart and compassionate. I loved reading about his personal story as much as his detective work. This was such an enjoyable read. Thank you to NetGalley, Joshua Moehling, and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC.

When two teenagers break into a house on a remote lake in search of prescription drugs, what starts as a simple burglary turns into a nightmare for all involved. Emmett Burr has secrets he's been keeping in his basement for more than two decades, and he'll do anything to keep his past from being revealed. As he gets the upper hand on his tormentors, the lines blur between victim, abuser, and protector.

Personal tragedy has sent former police officer Ben Packard back to the small Minnesota town of Sandy Lake in search of a fresh start. Now a sheriff's deputy, Packard is leading the investigation into the missing teens, motivated by a family connection. As clues dry up and time runs out to save them, Packard is forced to reveal his own secrets and dig deep to uncover the dark past of the place he now calls home.

I just can't say enough about this one! Unbelievable that this is a debut! This is a dark, disturbing tale. Kept me on the edge of my seat! Quick read for sure!

I give this book a three star rating. It was a good story but the police seemed a bit I knowledge and I really didn’t care for the seen when the sheriff calls a teenager derogatory names when interviewing him. This could have been a much better story.

It is after midnight when two young teenagers break into a house thinking it will be an easy job. They don't want money they want drugs and they both know the old man who lives here has plenty of what they're looking for. The two are very nervous but unfortunately they know they must go through with the robbery because someone else is threatening to harm them and their family. The old man who lives here should be asleep plus he can't get around too well so they are counting on those facts to make the job an easy "get in and get out".

The next day Deputy Ben Packard gets a call about a teen who didn't come home and that's normally not a reason for alarm but soon after Packard knows something is very wrong because in this town several people have gone missing over the years including Packard's own teenage brother who disappeared over twenty years ago and not one of the missing young people were ever seen again. Will this be the same story for the two teens that never came home or is there a darker history that must be uncovered before more young people especially women continue to disappear.

This was a very intriguing and creepy story that was suspenseful as well as engaging from start to finish. At first I was hesitant because I thought there would be too much graphic sexual abuse and there was although with the author's terrific writing skills it made the book a read I could handle even though it was difficult at times reading about some of the torture and abuse. This was more of a human horror story not just a violent thriller. This book is not for everyone it was definitely cringe worthy and upsetting at times. What made the book so difficult to read was knowing these sickening acts of depravity and worse really do happen in the outside world and knowing this was definitely depressing and frightening, especially being a woman. Deputy Ben Packard was an amazing character and if a series is built around him I will certainly search out more books by the author "Joshua Moehling". If any reader enjoys a very dark and violent storyline yet with plenty of entertainment don't hesitate on picking this book up!

Warning: Extreme violence, rape, sexual torture, physical torture and other disturbing situations that are not easy to read.

I want to thank the publisher " Poisoned Pen Press" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this digital copy and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given this book a rating of 4 DISTURBING AND CREEPY 🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

Rating : 3.5 out of 5
Blurbs :
When two teenagers break into a house on a remote lake in search of prescription drugs, what starts as a simple burglary turns into a nightmare for all involved. Emmett Burr has secrets he's been keeping in his basement for more than two decades, and he'll do anything to keep his past from being revealed. As he gets the upper hand on his tormentors, the lines blur between victim, abuser, and protector.

Personal tragedy has sent former police officer Ben Packard back to the small Minnesota town of Sandy Lake in search of a fresh start. Now a sheriff's deputy, Packard is leading the investigation into the missing teens, motivated by a family connection. As clues dry up and time runs out to save them, Packard is forced to reveal his own secrets and dig deep to uncover the dark past of the place he now calls home.

Unrelentingly suspenseful and written with a piercing gaze into the dark depths of the human soul, And There He Kept Her is a thrilling page-turner that introduces readers to a complicated new hero and forces us to consider the true nature of evil.

Thoughts : Dare I say, this is a pretty well-written and solid book as a debut book. I can't help but keep on reading until the ending. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! I highly recommend this book for mystery fans out there!

And There He Kept Her was a solid debut. I loved the premise here but felt there were some missed opportunities.

This is definitely the kind of book I normally enjoy. It started off with lots of action and stalled a bit in the middle for me .

Overall I would definitely read this authors next book and enjoyed it.

Wow! What a great debut!!

Two teenagers go missing while trying to steal prescription pain meds from Emmett Burr, who is a creepy old man with secrets to hide. Deputy Sheriff Ben Packard is back in Sandy Lake with a private agenda to uncover how and why his brother disappeared but is sidetracked by investigating the missing teens.

This book is not your typical thriller. The story starts with the crime, so we know who the perp is. There are no crazy twists or big reveals. But it’s loaded with dark, creepy vibes in a small-town setting and a well-written police procedural storyline. I thoroughly enjoyed the race against time trope while Ben solves the case.

However, character development is the star of this novel. Ben is a gay cop with both emotional and familial trauma that I want to see him work through. And Emmet is an aging serial killer who I can’t help but empathize with his struggles. In addition to our two main characters, I loved all townspeople of Sandy Lake - so many interesting backstories. Linda Jones, our narrator, excels at capturing all the nuances of these quirky residents.

With so many interesting characters and a cold case that still needs to be solved, I hope Joshua Moehling will continue Ben’s journey with book 2! I definitely will be preordering the next installment!

3.5 stars. Enjoyed the storyline, small town Sheriff Packard moves back home and gets the first real crime in the area in quite some time, two missing teens. Weaves together nicely from several characters perspectives and flowed well. Quick read. Didn’t enjoy the use of g****mn throughout the book, something i find childish and unnecessary. Also don’t need to read about male to male dick pics, may just be my personal opinions there.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poison Pen press for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

🔒BOOK / REVIEW 🔒

Ok - another #bookreview that I am completely torn on. #andtherehekepther was a decent #thriller and #crimefiction novel, but I felt like there was so much more potential 😰

I was totally ready for an insanely creepy, unsettling and graphic book. While there were definitely "moments" in the story, I was left unsatisfied and wanting more. I AM grateful though that this one wasn't completely focused on sexual assault or abuse - I was not prepared for that emotionally.

I also found myself pushing through chapters because I was a little bored. I was craving a lot more action and more focus on the #policeprocedural aspect, which definitely lacked here.

Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I wouldn't be rushing to grab this one, but if you like a bit less "gory" reads, you may enjoy!

4.5 stars

This book was quite the page-turner! What started out as a home robbery in search of prescription drugs quickly turned into every parent’s worst nightmare. The sheriff’s deputy, Ben Packard, is leading the investigation into the two missing teens involved, but trying to get straight answers out of those who knew them is by no means an easy task.

Meanwhile, Emmett Burr has been harboring secrets in his basement for decades and no one has been the wiser. But Ben knows all too well what it’s like to keep secrets, and sometimes revealing them is the only way to move forward. Sandy Lake is a small town with a dark past but soon it will all come to light.

I thought this was a fantastic book! The story was so well depicted that I felt like I was watching it play out on a movie screen. I really liked Ben and thought he was a wonderful character; strong yet low-key and private. His connection to Sandy Lake brought him back at a pivotal moment and without him the case might never have been solved.

Highly recommend!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing a copy of this book to review.*

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4789831009

Note: I am unable to review on Amazon and received the following message: “Amazon has noticed unusual reviewing activity on this product. Due to this activity, we have limited this product to verified purchase reviews.”

They thought he was a helpless old man. They were wrong.
When two teenagers break into a house on a remote lake in search of prescription drugs, what starts as a simple burglary turns into a nightmare for all involved. Emmett Burr has secrets he's been keeping in his basement for more than two decades, and he'll do anything to keep his past from being revealed. As he gets the upper hand on his tormentors, the lines blur between victim, abuser, and protector.
Personal tragedy has sent former police officer Ben Packard back to the small Minnesota town of Sandy Lake in search of a fresh start. Now a sheriff's deputy, Packard is leading the investigation into the missing teens, motivated by a family connection. As clues dry up and time runs out to save them, Packard is forced to reveal his own secrets and dig deep to uncover the dark past of the place he now calls home.

This is a thrilling read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.

Creepy, scary, and disturbing are all words that I would use to describe this book. The scariest part is that things like this happen in the real world. This book had me on the edge of my seat while I waited to see what it had in store next. I would highly recommend this book to someone looking for something a bit more than the average thriller.

What a debut novel from the author!

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this police investigation thriller, which was much more than that. The main character was deep, well fleshed out, clever and most importantly, interesting and relatable.

The book touches on more topics in a more deep manner, rather than just skimming over the 'real issues' when writing about kidnapping, psychopaths and drug addiction in the small-town USA.

I had a great time with this book and if the author keeps publishing, I will keep on reading! :)

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

No matter how a book reviewer may feel about a book, we cannot simply come online and type, “Meh. It was sort-of okay. I definitely wouldn’t read it again.” That’s not what book reviews are about. That’s closer to a book opinion. That’s telling someone simply whether or not you liked the book. That’s not a review. Neither is simply reciting the synopsis. A review takes the elements of book writing and breaks down how well the book does these things (which differs from genre to genre), while also assessing how well the reviewer enjoyed the book and whether or not the book achieved the objective it set out to accomplish.

The reason I’m telling you this, which you may or may not know, is because I got frustrated thinking of what to write as a review for this book that teeters on the edge of dipping below 3 stars and just wondered to myself (in a rhetorical manner), “Why can’t I just type ‘It was meh’, and leave it at that?” Well… see above explanation. Reviews aren’t about whether or not I simply think a book is meh. Reviews are about why I think it’s meh, how it might have gotten that way, and why the book failed to elicit a reaction from me that was in any way more enthusiastic than meh.

My primary complaint about this book is that it is too long and the pacing is uneven. For a crime-suspense thriller/mystery, there is little to no suspense. Any and all attempts to create a suspenseful atmosphere fall completely flat because our villain is just so pitiful and our hero is practically the picture of a perfect county sheriff whose only “character flaw” is that he’s gay and prefers to live alone in a small town.

As a matter of fact, Amazon has this book listed as a LGBT+ Thriller, LGBTQ+ Mystery (Kindle Store), and a LGBT+ Mystery (Books)... when the plot of the book has absolutely nothing to do with the sheriff’s sexual orientation. The book is about two missing teens and the sheriff’s efforts to find them! He could be straighter than a 2x4 of solid oak and that wouldn’t have changed a dang bit of the main storyline. The main storyline remains the same: a boyfriend and girlfriend leave their houses late one night after their parents are in bed and disappear without a trace and they have to be found. Please, please tell me how this rates as a LGBTQ+ book in any manner?

My secondary complaint is the opioid-centric drug ring component of the plot. I don’t know the state of affairs in Minnesota, but where I live, almost every drug dealer has moved on from Oxy, Percocet, and Vicodin. They’re too hard to get ahold of and the ones you get off the streets are too dangerous to risk taking unless you have a testing kit. It made what’s supposed to be a present-day novel seem terribly out-of-date. If this book was set about ten years ago, maybe the drug aspect of the plot would have seemed more believable, but in 2022, it seems almost laughable.

The book just has an overall feeling of “average”. Where it doesn’t feel average it just feels “meh”. I don’t recommend the read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for granting me early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review. As per personal policy, this review will not appear on social media or bookseller sites due to the 3 star or lower rating.