This book introduced Ben Packard, a gay police officer from Minneapolis, who switched to a job in Sandy Lake MN, after his boyfriend is killed while on duty. He takes over for the sheriff who has cancer. Ben has mixed memories of Sandy Lake where his family spent summers in a cabin on the lake, where his brother Nick took out a boat and disappeared - neither the boat nor his body have been found. His divorced cousin Susan owns a restaurant, and has a teenage daughter, Jenny.
The book begins with Jenny and her boyfriend, Jesse, breaking into a remote house, where the owner discovers them, shoots Jesse and puts Jenny into a pink room in the basement.
Ben's job becomes a search for the missing teens, and along the way, he discovers the dark side of Sandy Lake.
In spite of the graphic violence, I found the book compelling. The story and the characters were well developed and the plot was believable, although dark and intense. The author developed the mind set of the villain, his history, and his manipulations to allow the reader to understand why he acted the way he did without excusing his behavior. We are also introduced to several citizens of Sandy Lake with various issues, and certainly to be developed in future books in this series. I have read the second book in this series, and was happy to meet Ben Packard again. Each book can be read as a stand alone, and Ben is the MC in both.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and the opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Jesse and Jenny head out to Emmet’s home to find some oxy. Jesse ends up dead and Jenny is abducted. Good writing; but boring story. I was NOT thrilled. The villain was a caricature and there was no twist nor big reveal.

Book one of a series that is a complete story in and of itself? Thank you, Joshua Moehling!

And There He Kept Her is a thriller with plenty of action, a lot of character building, and a small town where you just know we're going to meet some people. Also in small-towns? Prescription drugs are in demand...and that's how the book begins...

Jesse and Jenny are two teens who break into a home on a remote lake to steal prescription meds they heard the owner had. But the owner, Emmett, is not going to let some kids rob him again. Nor does he want anyone to find out what's in his basement. And so the fun begins.

Ben is the new deputy, returned to his hometown after a personal tragedy. He's on the case while still trying to keep his own secrets close.

This was a page-turner, much of the time. Moments might drag on for a bit, but it's all worth it, since those are the moments that complete the picture of Sandy Lake.

My thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one took me a while to get into but when I did, I couldn’t put it down! This wasn’t a whodunit, this was a how will they figure it out. I’m ready for the next book bc the author left it with a question I need the answer to.

An interesting read, the tone of mystery and suspense was well balanced and it contained all the twists and turns I could hope for!

I didn't realize this was the second book in the series but I really enjoyed it. The plot was great and pace was perfect. It's a little bit mystery, a little thriller, a little suspense, even a small love story sprinkled in, everything I wanted. It kept me interested and the characters were very likeable, especially Ben Packard. The setting was great and I could picture everything about this small town it was set in. The ending was unexpected and now I really want to read the first one Where the Dead Sleep since it was referenced in this book. I will definitely read this author again, they did a great job.

Two kids break into a home searching for Oxy. One ends up dead, the other abducted. The rest of the story is the sheriff trying to solve the mystery. Slowly solve the mystery.

The story moved way to slowly for what is supposed to be a thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The main character is a dream! I cannot wait for the next in this series.
After the loss of his boyfriend, Ben moves to quiet town Sandy Lake - the town his family vacationed at the family lake house. Until the disappearance, assumed dead, of his older brother, Nick.
Ben assumes the role of Sherriff, a temporary role likely to become permanent as the Sheriff battles colon cancer.
Two teenagers are caught entering Emmett Burr's house - he kills one, keeps the other. Desperate attempt to hide years of secrets, Emmett keeps a low profile.
Ben struggles to find any clues - until they start leading to the very wealthy, well known local family.
Loved the representation, living as a gay man in the police, hiding his sexuality and personal life.

Trigger Warnings: Drug use/abuse, alcohol use/abuse, mentions of rape/sexual assault, kidnapping, mention of animal death, mention of animal abuse

A cold rainy night, a couple of teenagers, and what was supposed to be a simple burglary. Events however take a dark and sinister turn when the homeowner decides to protect himself and his secrets. He's kept things hidden for over 20 years and he isn't about to let things become known now.

Such starts the well-written and riveting And There He Kept Her by Joshua Moehling.

And There He Kept Her is the kind of novel that can be referred to as a reverse police procedural. In it, we the reader know who the bad guy is already and we get to follow along with the police as they piece the clues together. We see the wrong turns they take and the wrong paths they go down as they figure everything out.

And even though we the reader know who the villain is ahead of time, it's still very satisfying when the police catch up with them.

Anyone reading And There He Kept Her will likely recognize it as what will hopefully be the first in a series. Not only are we introduced to Deputy Ben Packard, but we are also introduced to an array of colorful characters that inhabit the small town of Sandy Lake. There are also tantalizing hints of darker secrets from Packard's past in the tiny town.

Moehling has done very well with And There He Kept Her, especially considering this is his debut novel. Not just in writing a book that I found incredibly difficult to put down but in setting up what could be a very entertaining series. I personally am looking forward to more from this author.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Not usually a huge fan of thriller series but this one gripped me the blurb, and the story had me hooked despite its disturbing core!

Sheriff Deputy Ben Packard has to lead an investigation into the disappearance of two teenagers who go missing in Sandy Lake in Minnesota - with one the teenagers being the daughter of the sheriffs cousin.

The 2 teenagers go missing when they try to break in to the home of Emmett Burr, a senior citizen, to steal his prescription drugs however they are not prepared for Emmett to be armed and waiting to take them on.

Omg what a book, had me jumping at any unexpected noise but a very well written book.

Excellent book. It was a thriller, but not really a keep you guessing type. You knew what was going on the whole time. Super easy read, with great characters.
Thanks to netgalkey, the publisher and author for the chance to read this advanced copy.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview And There He. Kept Her.
Sold mystery about a small town with plenty of secrets and missing people.
When two teenagers break into a House to steal drugs they get more than they bargained for. The next day they are missing and the police chief Ben Packard knows he is racing against time to find them.
But small towns hide the truth and Ben is determined to find the teens and while seeking the truth for himself and his family
Good plot. 3.5 stars

In my pregnancy I shifted my reading time to baby research and was not able to review what was on my shelf. I apologize as I know the number of copies you can give out is limited and would never have intentionally ignored this copy under normal circumstances. I am rating this as 5 stars as it is not the author or publishers fault I was not able to meet this timeline, and hope that you will give me another chance in the future to review as I am back into my regular reading schedule this year after adapting to the newborn life!

Ben Packard is back in a small Minnesota town as a sheriff's deputy. His cousin comes to him to let him know that she believes her daughter is missing. At first Ben thinks its just his niece out for a while not letting her mom know. However, as time goes on he Ben believes it is more. The clues are starting to dry up and he has to get creative.

Meanwhile, Emmett Burr has his own issues going on since two teenagers try to rob him for his prescription drugs. Emmett has many secrets to hide, but the whole town things he's harmless.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book

I love discovering new authors, and I am happy to say Moehling is one I’ll read more from. I’ve already downloaded the next book in this series. This story follows Ben Packard, who returns to the town he and his family used to visit during the summer. Also, the town where his brother went missing twenty years ago. Packard is now the sheriff and is entangled in the disappearance of two teenagers.

The story is cat and mouse, and you know early on what happened to the teens, but following Packard is worth reading. He’s a great guy, and you root for him to find the truth and become the man he is in private. While this one didn’t keep me guessing because we know the fate of the teens from the start, but following the clues with Ben is a lot of fun.

3.5⭐️

I love a good thriller and this book sounded right up my alley. I also like police procedurals, so another bonus.

I enjoyed the storyline and I loved Ben Packard’s character. Looking forward to continuing this series and learning more about him.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joshua Moehling for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I'm putting And There He Kept Her firmly in my category of why did I wait so long to read this. OMG. I have a new hero, and his name is Ben Packard. I'm already obsessed with this series and can't wait until Book 2. I have a feeling that clues about what happened to Nick will be slowly revealed through the series, and I'm here for all of it.

I took a chance requesting this book and boy was I glad I did. This was a serious thriller.

The main character was relatable. This kept me worried!

The twist is horrifying and shocking and made this book "unputdownable".

A well written, excellent, fast paced read that kept me up late!

This was an enjoyable read for me. It was well paced, gripping, and had me hooked from the very beginning. I was surprised that this was Joshua Moehling's first novel. I loved Ben Packard's character and loved to see a strong male character that included a non-stereotypical representation. I want so badly for him to find happiness. The emotions that this book had me feeling was so palpable. Towards Emmett, I felt pity, disgust, gratitude, and rage. For poor Jenny, I felt so much anxiety and hopelessness for her situation. The setting was perfect. Small town that gives off a troubled, secretive undercurrent. It was very well written and I think he will definitely be a repeat author for me!

this was a different kind of mystery/thriller the structure gave me a new reading experience, which is appreciated as this genre can be formulaic.

both the protagonist & antagonist feel original & sympathetic; an unusual nuance typically lacking in a thriller, which elevates the book.

i look forward to reading the next in this series.