If you're looking for a tense, unputdownable book, this is it!

This compulsive and clever police procedural has a multi-layered plot, atmospheric setting, well-drawn characters and is simply great storytelling. Set in a small town in northern Minnesota, the story follows acting Chief of Police Ben Packard as he tries to find two missing teens whose plan to break into a house goes very awry.

There is a myriad of secondary characters that have great depth and readers witness their strengths and flaws which give a clear idea of life in this small Minnesotan town. But it is Ben Packard who stole the show. He's a complex guy who is dealing with his own emotional baggage, keeping parts of himself that he's not ready to share with others and the man has integrity up the wazoo. I lurrved him!

I also enjoyed the use of multiple POVs and despite knowing the identity of the culprit, Moehling keeps readers on their toes and gives great fodder for book discussions as readers root for Packard's race against time to find missing teens. There are no dull moments, the pacing is fast, each character and subplot is well thought out and snippets of humour help to add bits of light to this darker read.

And There He Kept Her ticks alllll the suspense boxes! Dark, wonderfully complex with a deliciously disturbing vibe, Moehling has written an exceptionally good thriller in this debut. I truly hope we get to see more of Ben Packard.


Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for my complimentary digital copy of this book which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

Fantastic debut! I read this whole book in one day. I loved the characters and how realistic the book was. Seriously dark and creepy. I really hope there will be a sequel!

Wow. This book was not at all what I expected. While it started out a bit slow & I couldn’t quite figure out where Moehling was going with the story, it quickly picked up pace & before I knew it, I was completely engrossed in wanting to find out the fates of missing teenagers Jenny & Jesse. The unsung hero of the plot - acting sheriff Ben Packard - also endeared himself to me, as I found myself rooting for him to succeed. My only disappointment was not finding out the true circumstances surrounding his brother’s disappearance, which would make a great topic of discussion for book clubs.

If you’re a fan of thrillers & mysteries, add “And There He Kept Her” to your list!

I felt like I was reading a future movie in this book. It opened up with two kids who broke into a home, the man found them and shot at them. Then we meet the top players on the book, the new sheriff in town Ben Packard and then later on a retired serial killer Emmett Burr. There is something very sinister going on in this town and it involves drugs, and two missing kids, what the heck is going on here? How does all of these connect? The twists and turns on this book kept me glued on to find out what happened. I love how the perspectives are from a man’s point of view, it gets graphic at times, loved the way the author did that. Thanks NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Interesting plot about a retired serial killer and a deputy sheriff who has secrets of his own. I liked the small town of Minnesota location and all the searching fir the missing teenagers. The killer was a gross character and fit a certain evil incarnate.
It’s a different sort of read, from a male perspective so it gives readers an angle that sometimes isn’t often explored.

Thank you to Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for letting me read an early copy of And There He Kept Her!

I can’t believe that this is Joshua Moehling’s debut! It was so well written, grabbed my attention from the start, and flowed smoothly. I loved how it focused on a small town, with a plethora of characters, that all intertwined together in one way, shape, or form. The thriller aspect kept me turning the page to find out if Packard would ever find Jenny.

I’m hoping this is either the start of a duology, or standalone series because I need more of Packard and to know what other cases he can solve.

As I read this novel, I had a lot of issues with one of the narrative characters. From the beginning, Emmett is clearly a “bad guy.” He shoots two kids (somewhat justifiably, as they were breaking and entering), then keeps the girl in his already set up (but not recently used) basement torture cell. Through his narrative, we learn about Emmett’s past, and how things have changed for him since he last used the room.

Throughout, I found his narrative very unpleasant, and argued with myself as I read. It wasn’t that I didn’t think “bad guys” could have depth, or that readers could come to understand what drives them. I have read other books that present the narrative of the “bad guy” and not had this feeling of ick. It wasn’t until I finished the book, and gave it more thought that I began to realize what was really bothering me about this narrative voice.

In current day, Emmett is old. Once he has the girl locked in his basement, we follow his thoughts as he realizes he is too old (and too fat) to properly enjoy this captive he has accidentally acquired. As a reader, I felt as if I were being asked to have sympathy for his inability to enjoy this girl in the ways he would have in the past. We are then presented with another “bad guy.” Carl is Emmett’s friend, and his accomplice. Carl is presented to us as a “real bad guy,” one who is far more aggressive and violent toward the girls that have spent time in the basement. As a reader, I was now asked to consider that Emmett wasn’t such a bad guy after all, since Carl was so much worse.

Again, it wasn’t this degrees of evil that made me dislike the narrative. What I eventually realized was bothering me about this dynamic is that the level of evil is solely determined by the ways in which these two men abuse women. There was a feeling here (most likely not intended by the author, but provoked in the reader nonetheless) that some types of abuse toward women are okay, while others turn you into the bad guy.

I expect that many female readers might have the same response to this narrative, even if they can’t quite explain why the story feels so gross.

This was really a page-turner from the start. The opening chapter is so descriptive, I couldn’t wait to learn what led to that scene.
After wanting a clean break from his Minneapolis police job, & seeking a fresh start, detective Ben Packard is serving as the acting sheriff in the small town of Sandy Lake. Turns out it’s not so simple.
Sandy Lake has an interesting set of characters. When two local teenagers go missing, the investigation takes some unexpected & chilling turns. Seems everyone’s life is messy in some way, & most are good @ hiding things they don’t want others to know. Intertwining story lines, messy family connections, & ghosts from the past all add up to an intriguing puzzle to solve. I felt like the clock was ticking the whole time.
The attention to emotional detail, & the various points of view, makes this so much more than a police procedural. I found myself case-solving, even when I put the book down. I felt like I’d been tagging along with Packard during his investigation, & his personal life. He’s an easy man to like, & I had no trouble identifying with his frustrations, loneliness, & regrets.
The insight into the mind of evil madness is unsettling, but interesting. For much of the book, it seems like every chapter reveals a new layer of despair or evil, but the subtle humor & honest personal connections that peek through the gloom make the ugly parts bearable.
The ending leaves me hoping there will be more Sandy Lake cases for Packard & company to tackle.

I was able to read an advance copy of And There He Kept Here & this is my voluntary honest review.

A thriller set in the area of MN known as “up north.” If you know, you know. A small town sheriff deputy returns to the place of his youth to reclaim his youth, find himself, and look for a couple of missing teens. There are many twists and turns which keeps this story moving. The culmination of events wraps up quite neatly, but also allows for the possibility of a sequel in the future. Thanks to NetGalley for the early read. I highly recommend this for a debut thriller read, and it has some comparison to a John Sanford or William Kent Kruger blend of styles. Big potential for future thrillers.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

Pub-date: 14 June 2022

Thank you @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for my advanced copy.

This was a gritty crime novel set in a small town where everyone knows everyone.
The book starts off with a bang, as we are thrown into the action, when two youngsters meet up in the middle of the night with the intention of breaking into the house of one of their neighbours.

The why and the how is up to the local deputy sheriff to figure out, as all traces of the two teenagers disappear that night.

Ben Packard, the sheriff’s deputy, was a great character. He struggled during most of the story to keep a certain secret about himself, only to discover that everyone had already figured it out!😂

I would have loved to give this book a higher rating, but even though there is nothing negative about it, it just failed to wow me.
It felt like something I’ve already read. The fact that we know from the start what happened to the kids and who is responsible for it was a little bit of a letdown for me.

I don't necessarily need twists or red herrings in all my books, but there should be something to keep me glued to the pages.

However, I think it’s a great debut with some disturbing elements in the culprit’s basement and a ‘baddy’ I won’t easily forget. I suspect this is the start of a series! I will definitely keep an eye out for future releases by this author!

I was pleasantly suprised by this author. At first I thought it'd be too graphic or gruesome but once I pushed past the first couple of chapters, I got to know the characters. The storyline was interesting and I could easily picture what was happening. The suspense kept me wanting to read more to find out if the main character would make it. Really well done.

3.75 stars

At times, this book was just a lot. The plot was entertaining, but the way many of the characters were written grated on my nerves. The stereotypes were seriously real for a lot of the characters, the fatphobia was wild, and the homophobia was intense at times- FYI because I know sometimes people don’t want for read those things. Much of the story was told from the point of view of a cop, which I didn’t love; that was my own fault, though, as I guess it didn’t register back when I initially requested the book. There was a random loose end or two introduced near the very end, which was a bit weird, but in hindsight, it was probably intentional to set up a future series for the character(s). All in all, although I didn’t love everything about it, the story itself was pretty good, and I would be interested in seeing what the writer comes out with in the future.

Wow, what a debut! This was such a fun ride, that kept me on my toes, but didn't fall into the cliche tropes that mysteries and thrillers often fall into. I loved that the cast of characters were so complex and whole, it was a wonderful change from bad is bad and good is good. One of the best thrillers I have read in a while!

“And There He Kept Her” by Joshua Moehling
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: 6/14
Genre: Thriller

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. I absolutely loved it!!! It has the mystery and thrill that I was looking for! Plus a great main character that really connected! I would definitely recommend!

Two teenagers break into an old man’s house with an unsettling history. One ends up dead and one ends up captured.
Ben Packard the Sheriff Deputy of Sandy Lake gets a call from his estranged cousin. Her daughter snuck out and didn’t come home. She has no idea what she was doing or where she was going. She was most likely with the bad news boyfriend. The reason she wouldn’t stay gone is she’s diabetic and needs her medicine. While Ben wants to believe it’s just teenage drama he takes her seriously and begins the search. The secrets that are uncovered are wild. Will he find Jenny alive?

A teenage girl and boy go missing, but we know who did it from the start of the book. I loved how it was told from the POV of both the deputy and the perpetrator. There was no crazy twists or turns, but I was still hooked. I’m hoping the author turns this into a series featuring Ben.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC

I received an ARC of this book. Wow! This book had me on the edge of my seat. An intense, and terrifying mystery, all too believable.

This was a pretty good story. The very beginning grabbed my attention, but I was still unsure what to expect. It kept me guessing to nearly the end.

It was fairly a well-written, story though some parts of it were a little slow. Not too much, though, not enough to stop me from reading another book by this author. I actually didn't expect the ending that we got or for things to turn out how they did. So yeah, some parts kept me guessing.

A past mystery, small town, drug dealing, missing teens -- some elements to weave together an interesting mystery. Ready for book 2, if there will be one!

Move over William Kent Krueger! Minnesota has got a new thriller author that needs a seat at the book store table!

I couldn't get through this book fast enough. Ben Packard leaves the Minneapolis PD and seeks a geographical cure by accepting a job at the Sandy Lake Sheriff's Department. Two local teenagers go missing and it's up to Ben and the entire force to find them.

Moehling was masterful at character development. I really loved the back story of why Ben left Minneapolis and who he was as a person. I felt empathy for his backstory with his brother Nick, his personal life and Ben's attempts at being accepted into a new role on the rural county Sheriff's department. I won't get into spoilers but we need a character like Ben represented in books.

Let's move on to Moehling's development of the "bad guy". He's despicable, gross, weak and I loved that I loathed him. But Moehling brings us one step further and introduces fears and threats that are directed towards the villain of our story. As a reader I had to wrap my head around hating the villain but also hoping that some plot elements turned out in his favor to further the story. How do we as readers hope for a horrible character to have something that works out?

The transitions that went back & forth between Ben Packard's point of view and that of Emmett our villain were seamless. There wasn't one point of view that I preferred over the other. I easily kept turning pages consistently between both perspectives.

I need more from Deputy Ben Packard. This simply can't be the one and only book in this series. This was a fabulous start to what I hope is an ongoing series.

This debut novel was a lot of fun to experience and created a twisting novel that I was not expecting when I decided to pick it up.

Throughout the novel, there are a few mysteries happening. These mysteries make you question how it got so wrapped up in these two kids breaking into an old mans house. This one event leads to the death of many people and the opening of past murders to be solved. It also talks about acceptance by the town when the Police chief is gay and willing to be open about it.

If you like novels with sympathetic killers and many deaths this novel will be entertaining to you, Fully recommend!

This was a good book! It definitely kept me guessing and wondering what was going on. Strangely, I also felt bad for Emmett at times. Yeah, he was a bad guy, but no one person is all bad or all good. He was deeply flawed and chronically ill - just like me. But then, I don't have anyone chained up in my basement....or do I?!

Four stars!