I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN. When the teenagers went missing, no one expected what really happened. Actually, no one really suspected anything was wrong for a few days. As she ran out of insulin it became life or death to find the teens. After a series of Emmett's mistakes finally the officers to the teens. This was filled with suspense and ups/downs. Definitely recommend.

We know who did it. .. . the question is will they find her?

There is just something about getting inside the head of the killer, seeing their perspective. Emmett didn't let me down, his pov was tense and intriguing. It was disturbing the things he thought and things he had done previously but it was wild to try and understand what created who he became.

Detective Packard is good at his job and he's determined to find the girl. I found him sort of boring at times, there were mysteries surrounding him that would make for great growth and future books though! A gay cop in a small town made the rumors run wild! I love that he didn't feel the need to defend himself against it but rather let them sit with their curiousness (or nosiness).

The audio was good! She did a great job with the tone and when things shifted you could feel it through her voice. I got chills a few times.

Thank you so much to @dreamscape_media, @poisendpenpress, @netgalley and Joshua Moehling for the advanced copies!

A compelling suspenseful story, sometimes so disturbing, distance was required. The characters have depth beyond their roles in this small town, missing persons police procedural. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy.

Well written thriller from a debut author. Set in a small lake town in Minnesota, acting sheriff Ben Packard races to solve a case of two missing teenagers. Jesse and Jenny sneak out in the night to break into a seemingly harmless old man's house to steal his prescription drugs. They pick the wrong house....

Packard is a likeable, complex, well developed character - perhaps this book is introducing him to be a main character in an ongoing series. He needs to investigate a couple of personal cases for sure. Overall it was just too disturbing for me, but I did race through it to see what wold happen. I'd be open to reading future books by this author, assuming that most of the rest of the residents in this small town aren't as creepy as the ones featured in this one!

Thanks NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press fro the opportunity to read a new author.

Read this if you like: Procedural crime books, creepy killers, slow burn thrillers

Jesse and Jenny 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. 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.

Wow. I am baffled that this is a debut. It was well written. The pace is more of a slow burn than fast. I do prefer fast but still liked it a lot. The twists are thrilling. It's graphic, disturbing, and I loved it. Emmett is so creepy and gross. It reminds me of Karin Slaughter's books. Highly recommend! It comes out June 14th.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Poisoned Pen Press for the gifted copy! ❤️

Joshua Moehling's novel "And There He Kept Her" has many positive aspects in its corner. It is not a who-dun-it as we know from almost the beginning who the kidnapper is. What drives this book is Mr. Moehling's ability to involve the reader emotionally and allow us to easily get wrapped up in the characters and the events that are currently shaping their lives.

Ben Packard works for the Sandy Lake Sheriff's Department and first learns of Jenny's disappearance from her mother Susan (his cousin). The complication is that Jenny apparently does not have any of her insulin with her, so if there is any foul play, that reduces the amount of time Ben has to find her. As you can surmise from the book's title, Jenny has been abducted. Although the villain in this tale has done this before, Jenny's kidnapping is outside of his normal routine.

The story is told through the eyes of Packard and the kidnapper. While Packard performs the necessary police procedural duties, the kidnapper is constantly worried about all the extra problems he has to address with Jenny. This is a different view you don't usually get to see -- a bumbling bad guy that is trying to work things out in his head so that he can keep his victim around for as long as possible. It made for interesting reading.

The pacing was good the majority of the time, although I felt the constant return to memories of Packard's lover cause the story to drag, and the eventual end to this subplot was jolting and out of character for the man I had gotten to know over 300 plus pages. Even so, the rest of the book moved well and there were some unexpected surprises as the story raced to the ending. This book is a debut novel by the author and suspense readers are urged to give it a read. Four stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a complimentary electronic copy of this book.

Jesse and Jenny head out to Emmet’s disgusting home to find some oxy. Jesse ends up dead and Jenny is abducted. (No spoiler, this is how the book begins.)

We know where Jenny is and who has her, so there is no mystery to solve, and it’s a very, very slow burn as Packard, the sheriff, slowly pieces together the puzzle. Did I mention it was SLOW? I like police procedurals but this is not that.

The “bad guys” are OTT caricatures of evil men, sick and disgusting. Everyone else is a stereotype to the point of being caricatures. Neither Emmet or Jenny did or said anything that was remotely believable. Emmet does some things that no abductor with more than 2 brain cells to rub together would do. It was so obvious, he may as well have carried around a poster declaring he had abducted the girl. He’s a candidate for a Darwin Award except NO ONE NOTICES THESE THINGS ARE ODD. Not the sharpest tools in the shed.

And why make Emmet morbidly obese? It added nothing to the story other than making some of the things he did even more unbelievable.

The story moved slowly with literally nothing happening, and I found myself skimming just to be done with it. If I know from the beginning what happened to the teenagers and who the perp is, then the storytelling and investigation needs to be top notch. That didn’t happen here. Even Frank, the corgi, couldn’t save this one.

I think Packard, the sheriff, has potential as an interesting character if given better material.

This thrilling debut is set in a small Minnesotan town. The story starts off with a bang as two teenagers break into a house and are surprised with secrets and surprises in the home of an elderly man. The teens disappear and leading the investigation is acting sheriff, Ben Packard. He finds himself searching for clues as the clock ticks down and he is forced to come to terms with his own secrets and his past.

This was a solid debut. The uncovering of clues and the suspense throughout the story was intriguing and well written. Ben was such an interesting character. His life was complicated but he was so like-able. The antagonist was disturbed and unsettling. The end was a little lack luster but it was a fun read. I am looking for more from this author.

4 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #AndThereHeKeptHer #JoshuaMoehling.

Packard leaves his policing job to go back as a sheriffs deputy to the small lakeside town he grew up in. The same town where his has lost family in an unsolved mystery.
Two teenagers go missing, most assume it is a runaway situation. But as Packard investigates he discovers a serial kidnapper and a prescription drug ring.
Very well plotted and paced. Great characters and a satisfying ending.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC in return for my unbiased opinion..
I do recommend.

While this story was troubling and horrific in many ways, I enjoyed it. It was a quick read that kept me turning page after page. Packerd, acting Sheriff at Sandy Lake got more than he was expecting when his cousins daughter who he hadn’t spoken to in years turns up missing. While it was a long road to fit all of the pieces together about two teenagers gone missing and where they ended up, I was glad for a semi-happy ending for these characters. I would definitely read another from this author in the future.


I was gifted an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to be approved for an advanced ARC of this book. The premise sounded creepy in all the best ways. However, this book fell flat for me. There was an abundance of descriptive details that would make me forget what had just happened and I would have to reread sections. I didn't connect with any of the characters. I kept waiting for something more to happen and it just never did. This being the author's first book, I will give his next one a try. The author has great potential, this one just fell flat for me.

Joshua Moehling is surely a debut author to look forward to his next works. In And There He Kept Her, the author’s first thriller, Moehling tells a gripping story that will keep readers hooked from the first to the last page.

With an abrupt start, we are faced with the breaking and entering perpetrated by Jesse Crawford and Jenny Wheeler, when they are surprised by Emmett Burr, the property owner, with a shotgun and everything just goes from bad to worse, with Jesse being shot and Jenny trapped in Burr’s basement, which holds too many secrets and he wants to keep them hidden.

Deputy Benjamin Packard receives a call from his cousin, Susan Wheeler, about her daughter’s disappearance. At first, he thinks Jenny has just escaped home to be with her boyfriend, but soon her mother discards that possibility since she left her cellphone and insulin behind, without which she couldn’t go on much longer. And what seems to be something that could be resolved very quickly, soon turns out to unfold into a case much more complex and branched out.

As time passes by, we see the urgency Packard puts into finding the two teenagers, especially when everything leads to believe that Jenny’s boyfriend, Jesse, had taken over the “dealing business” at school from someone who might just complicate things because of the person’s family links. We also get to sink into the deputy’s life, his past as cop in another state and personal life unfolds gradually throughout the book, giving us a more complete view of Ben’s own tragedies.

Moehling demonstrates a great control of how much information is given in each chapter and how that influences what the reader thinks. Page after page we are led through an intricate maze of characters, their lives and the secrets that could bring them down if all was revealed. And There He Kept Her is much more than just another thriller about a false imprisonment, it is a look into what people decide to share what they decide to keep hidden.

This is certainly one of the books that will be in my Top 5 readings of 2022 and a must-read for fans of an enthralling novel with magnificent characters that give the story even more appeal.

Wow! I loved everything about this book!! The way the story was divided gives readers an advantageous perspective and increased knowledge on the goings on with the investigation, but also, the occurrences for the teen in captivity. Not only that, but the dialogue helped so much in creating a backstory for the villain in this story and I really appreciated that!

I loved the small town setting where everyone kind of knows everyone, and it shows that even in small towns, maybe especially small towns, the polar haves and have-nots are explored and create even more dynamic tension in solving the case of the missing teens.

I could NOT stop reading this book. All I wanted to do was read Packard's story and follow him as he and his team of deputy sheriffs worked leads to solve the case. Looking evil right in the face and not even seeing it was one of the hardest parts of the story for me. The story is less about two teens breaking into a house to still prescription meds and more about starting over, going back to your roots, and finding your place in a new space - even after a tragedy. I wonder if the author will continue with this story as it is kind of left open for another investigation for Ben Packard.

It really makes you wonder, how many people we might interact with daily who have committed or are still committing truly heinous crimes? We could be living right next door to someone like that.

I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for the opportunity to read and share my opinions on this book. It's a 5-star read for me, and one that I will recommend to my fellow readers!!

Ben Packard has returned to the town where he spent his youth vacationing with family. He’s stepped in as acting sheriff. The story revolves around two missing teenagers, a small town, and the struggles of the sheriff to manage being back, dealing with small town life again, and the things he ran from.

I loved the characters in this book. The storyline was intriguing and kept me hooked but it was the main character, Ben who I really felt drawn in by.

I would read more by this author and I hope we will see Ben again!

And There He Kept Her is the first published novel by American author, Joshua Moehling. Eighteen months after grief and confusion see Ben Packard quitting Minneapolis Police for an investigator position in the small Minnesotan town of Sandy Lake, he’s been appointed Acting Sheriff while Sheriff Stan Shaw undergoes chemo.

That’s not the only reason that Susan Wheeler calls him about her missing teenaged daughter. Susan is Ben’s cousin, so there is a loose family connection. Turns out Jenny Wheeler has gone off in the early hours with her boyfriend, Jesse Crawford, but a few things point to this being something other than a romantic getaway. Adding urgency is the fact that Jenny has insulin-dependent diabetes and only a limited reserve of insulin.

As Ben investigates, he learns that Jesse is no squeaky clean teen; rather, he’s dealing weed and pills to students at school. When Ben digs deeper, he finds an association that requires a sensitive discussion with his boss. Following up, Ben comes upon a death scene that could be accidental, but doesn’t feel that way to him.

Emmet Burr has had it with people thieving his medications: he needs them for his debilitating pain. So when he disturbs two intruders in his basement in the early hours, they’re confronted by a fat, naked man with a shotgun. Emmet fires the gun, and then has to call on Carl, who’s helped him out before in a situation like this.

This is a tightly plotted police procedural, and while the reader knows much of what has happened before the Sandy Lake County Sheriff Department does, watching Ben’s investigation proceed keeps the pages turning. There’s plenty of tension in the build-up to a nail-biting climax, and quite a high body count, for a small town, by the final pages.

Ben Packard is a complex and appealing character, a diligent cop who acts with integrity while trying to keep his sexual preferences and a certain traumatic family incident under the town’s radar. Moehling gives the reader plenty of support characters with good intentions tempered with very human flaws, and a couple of really nasty characters whose attitude will chill to the bone.

There is also a generous dose of humour, some of it quite dark, both in the dialogue and the people and situations Ben has to sort out. Moehling leaves plenty of scope with unresolved matters for further books in the series, and more of Ben and Sandy Lake will definitely be welcome. An outstanding debut novel.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press.

I could not put this book down because I had to know what happened. It's also taken me a while to put my thoughts into words other than I just really enjoyed this dual POV thriller.
And while you knew exactly who the good guy/bad guy was it was so interesting to get to read about both of their inner thoughts and demons.

If I had anything to critique, I thought the ending was a bit underwhelming. I would've liked for Emmett (heck even Carl) to be literally arrested. Whatever, no big deal. Definitely still a great, fast-paced read!

Thank you Netgalley & Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC!

And There He Kept Her by Joshua Moehling

When two high school students break into a disabled old man’s home one night looking for a fast score, the last thing they expect is for him to be more than a match for them. Jenny Wheeler is a good kid most of the time, but her slightly older boyfriend Jesse Crawford is desperate to find the pills he knows are stashed in the house. Things go wrong, the teenagers don’t make it home, and the next morning Jenny’s normally stoic mom Susan is calling her cousin, Deputy Sheriff Ben Packard, to report her daughter missing.

At first, Packard doesn’t think it’s that big a deal: kids often lose track of time, especially when spending it with their love interests, and usually show up none the worse for wear within a day or two. Susan, however, is worried because Jenny is diabetic and hasn’t taken any backup for the insulin pump she wears. Of even greater concern is the fact that the phone that Jenny is usually surgically attached to is still in her bedroom.

As the days pass without any sign of Jenny or Jesse, Packard must increasingly lean on the skills he honed back in Minneapolis to investigate how they could have possibly disappeared so completely. Having a missing family member, in a dim echo of his own older brother’s disappearance decades earlier, weighs heavily on him. In addition to this, his role as acting sheriff makes him responsible for the safety of the entire county. The current sheriff, Stan Shaw, is undergoing debilitating rounds of chemo, and handpicked Packard to take over while he’s indisposed, despite Packard’s lack of seniority. Packard wants to prove that this trust in him is earned, but faces a dilemma when he discovers that one of Stan’s grandkids might have been involved in the teens’ disappearance. Gingerly, he attempts to bring up the subject to Stan, and is told:

QUOTE
[“]Were you here when [my granddaughter] got the DWI?”

Packard shook his head. “Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“Pulled over with four other girls in the car. Blew .19. I think she was expecting to get off with a warning because her grandpa was the sheriff. She got the opposite. She got the full treatment. Still doesn’t have her license back because she violated the terms of her parole. I personally called the judge and told her to suspend it for six more months.”

Now he knew where Stan stood when it came to his grandkids breaking the law.
END QUOTE

With this sort of support behind him, Packard feels more confident pursuing leads in their somewhat insular community, no matter where those leads might take him. But will he be able to find and rescue the kids before an unrepentant killer puts them permanently beyond his reach?

The surprises come thick and fast in this excellent small town police procedural, as Packard has to race to save the teenagers even while he’s being drawn in sixteen different directions trying to do his job, and often the jobs of others’. The characterizations are sharply drawn, with a keen eye too for humorous details and dialog.

At the heart of all this, of course, is the hard-working, intelligent and deeply conflicted Ben Packard:

QUOTE
When he looked back on it, Packard knew fleeing from Minneapolis to Sandy Lake had been what they call in recovery circles a geographical cure. He thought his problems were with the city and the job and the rumors about him and Marcus. He’d expected to leave his troubles behind, but two years on he still hadn’t resolved his feelings about Marcus. In death, Marcus had become perfect. Untouchable. Packard was the asshole who kept him at arm’s length during their year together, wary of what his life would be like coupled with another man.
END QUOTE

Following along as Packard comes to terms with both his identity and his grief is almost as gripping as the suspenseful abduction plot, and certainly as entertaining. I loved, too, that the ending hinted at a sequel that explores even more of Packard’s past. After this impressive debut for both the character and author Joshua Moehling, I can’t wait to read all about it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Joshua Moehling, and Poisoned Press for an advance copy of this debut novel in exchange for an honest review.

Where to start?! I love police procedurals that also double as a thriller so this book was right up my alley. I CANNOT believe this was a debut and im so impressed with the authors writing. Ben Packard gave me Will Trent vibes and I need more of him in my reading life. I also loved that this was told from both POVs (the deputys and the perps!) Im a born and raised Minnesotan so I loved all the nods to Minnesota and obviously the setting- the author did a great job bringing small town MN life alive to his readers.

I also appreciate that this book featured a LGBTQA+ main character as I feel like we dont see alot of these characters represented in a big way in novels. I hope we get to explore more of this aspect of Ben the next time we meet him again (wishful thinking here). This one comes out on 6/14/22 and you just have to add it to your summer TBR.

A fine example of a story that flowed from the beginning to the end with well developed characters and a believable premise that didn't have to grasp for straws to tell a story. It was easy to read and understandable as we met characters whose life was hard an sad.

Definitely recommend this one for its well written content and Joshua Moehling's ability to make his characters so real.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a story that held my attention from its inception to the end. This book is available to all on June 14,2022.

This is the year for debut authors you all! @jmoehling has done something truly disturbing, creepy and addicting with this one.

Sometimes with thrillers, it is hard to stay “unique” and things get played out repeatedly that I roll my eyes, nod along and forget about it after I am done reading but this-no sir! 70-year-old Emmett Burr will haunt me. I really appreciated the fact that our villain was an elderly man in bad health. It really made the story much more realistic and frankly, scary as hell. Definitely going to be side eying the creepy old man at the grocery store now.

I fell in love with our detective Ben Packard. His background, his inner blight at finding happiness and his desire to find the truth really made me feel for him. I think it also helped break up all the darkness that is this book. We find out so much about him that I am hoping we get another appearance of him in another one of @jmoehling work. Fingers crossed maybe?! There are trigger warnings so beware going into it. If you want to know what they are-DM me!

Thank you @netgalley for my advance copy!!!