Closer to 3.5 stars. Little better than average thriller. No big surprising ending. Was hoping something different or unexpecting was going to happen. Thanks to Netgallery for advanced copy.

HOLY SMOKES, this was a debut novel?! It was equal parts perfect police procedural and creepy suspense that was slow burn at it finest. If you're looking for twists and shocks, this is not for you, but if you like the unravelling of truth in a slow reveal in a small town setting, this is right up your alley.

Moehling is able to take some dark DARK subject matter just to the tipping point and bring it back without being overly gory or disgusting. Lots of insinuation about former crimes that were committed, but thankfully we were spared the details.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars!

This one is definitely a disturbing one! Two teenagers break into a home in search of prescription pills and things like that. However, what they thought was going to be something easy sent their little crime spree to a definite halt. When they meet the owner of the home face to face with a gun barrel staring them back.
Now let's move on to Ben Packard he has returned to the small town and has found out he is next in line to be the new Sheriff. While he tried to be reserved and have his personal life on the down low, he soon discovers that in small towns there is nothing on the down low.
Now here is where the teenagers and Ben's paths cross. The two teenagers are missing and Ben is leading the investigation into their disappearance. As the story progresses the secrets about Bens's past are revealed as his connection to the town as well. I like that there are different perspectives on how the story is told. That is really interesting!
While the beginning was kind of slow to progress and set up once you got past that part the story starts following a faster pace and that ending boy oh boy! That ending left me with more questions than answers! I definitely will check out the next book in the series because I just have to know! Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read and review this one!

Ooof. After seeing the rave reviews for this book, I think I was just not the target audience for this story. I appreciate a good thriller, but this would definitely be better suited for the horror section I think. A lot of the writing, dialogue, and plot was very R rated and icky feeling. The second half of the book really did turn into a compulsory read because I had to know how it ended, but I did not enjoy the ride.

I am usually not in to books where the detective is the main character, but this one sucked me in from the beginning and I couldn’t put it down.

It all starts with what 2 teenagers assume will be a quick and easy burglary, and ends up being way more in depth that ends up digging up the past.

I enjoyed Ben Packards POV as well as how everything all seems to be connected in the small MN town. Being from a relatively small South Dakota town myself, I liked how it all seemed to connect together without it being unbelievable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was not for me. Did not hold my interest. 3 stars for effort. Thank you netgally for my advanced digital copy.

While personal tragedy has sent former police officer Ben Packard back to the small Minnesota town of Sandy Lake in search of a fresh start, little does he know what awaits him. I loved this book. Joshua Moehling is a must-read for all his future novels. Ben was a dynamic and compelling main character (and I usually gravitate to thrillers with female protagonists!), and the thrilling moments jumped off the page.

When I saw the cover of this book, I KNEW it was a must read for me! I didn’t even glance at the synopsis and wow I did not see what this book was going to be about at all!!

First: You know exactly who “he is” and “where he kept her”
Second: We know who she was, and who she is now!

I enjoyed the new hot queer police chief on the scene and it being a small town and all, the author does a terrific job at making the townies comical.

Creepy, dark and twisted and I am hopeful there will be a part 2, because I need more please!!

Thank you for the gifted copy.

Two teenagers break into an old man's house on a remote lake looking for prescription drugs thinking he's an easy target, but quickly find themselves in a nightmare. The old man, Emmett Burr, has deep, dark secrets that he'll do anything to protect.

Officer Ben Packard is back in this small Minnesota town leading the investigation into the missing teens. He has his own issues that he's dealing with, and clues are drying up around this case. (Side note: I really hope this character becomes part of a series!) What ensues is an enthralling back-and-forth perspective that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

I highly enjoyed this book, and literally could not put it down until the very end. It's got just the right amount of creepiness to it. If you love mysteries and thrillers, pick up this novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have no idea what took me so long to get started on this book, but once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. It did take me a little bit to get into this one, but once I was invested in the characters, I didn't want to put it down.

When two teenagers break into a person's house to steal prescription drugs to sell, they get an unwanted surprise. They are meet at the stairs of the basement by the owner, Emmett Burr. This is Jenny and Jesse's first time doing this, but Emmett has no way of knowing that they were not the ones that broke into his house previously.

Ben Packard has decided to move to Sandy Lake to pursue his career in the police career, he never thought he would be the acting Sheriff. Packard has been busy since he took the job. When Packard was growing up, his grandparents had a house in Sandy Lake and they always visited it in the summer, so Packard is not a total stranger to Sandy Lake. Packard's cousin lives in Sandy Lake and runs a restaurant. When she comes to Packard and says that her teenage daughter has not come home, he thinks that it is just.a case of a rebellious teenager and decides to see what happens while beginning to see what he can find.

The characters in this book were a good variety of a little of everything. I enjoyed the suspense and kept wondering when things were going to happen. I enjoyed this read and thought that it was laid out well. The ending was not what I thought it was going to be, which made it even better. For a debut author, this was a good read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Solid 3.5 stars for me.

The writing was excellent and the story was just okay for me. I felt like I was forcing myself to get into it until the middle and then I finally got into it!

Thanks for the ARC copy!

This was a solid 3.5. Not bad but at times, I found Emmett’s actions illogical. The writing, however, was great. This may just not have been the thriller for me. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Overall I did enjoy this book, its very well written and I liked the premise but...I felt like it was lacking something. Maybe a twist or not knowing who the "bad guy" was from the beginning but that's just my personal preference! I love a whodunit so I'm always slightly disappointed when the baddie is revealed early on. Having said that I do think this book is very good and I would recommend others to read it. I also loved the cover and title! That was what initially made me request it! Very good for a debut novel.

Emmett Burr is a man with many secrets, mainly that he has a secret room in his basement where he has kept women as his prisoner, women that are never seen again. When his home is broken into by two teens, Jenny and Jesse, looking for pills to steal, Emmett feels that his basement room might come in handy again. He picks the wrong girl to hang onto though, because Jenny’s mom, Susan, has a cousin named Ben Packard. Ben is a police officer, having recently returned to the small town of Sandy Lake in Minnesota. Ben is determined to find Jenny at any cost, and has vowed not to stop until he brings her home. 

And There He Kept Her started off as a gripping story, but the events seemed to come to their conclusion too quickly; I wish the climax had been stretched a little more with more, or extended, conflicts. I liked the narrative–it had bits and pieces that reminded me of some true crime cases–as well as the characters, especially Ben and Gary. I appreciated that Ben is not a stereotypical cop and that he in fact challenges some of those stereotypes. Gary is easily my favorite character; I simply adore him. This novel also touches on some serious themes that are present in society today, such as substance abuse, kidnapping and sexual assult, double lives, and the victimization of seniors, to name a few. A fast-paced and captivating story, And There He Kept Her is an entertaining and twisted novel.

This was a fantastic read! The characters were wonderful! The pace and flow of the story was perfect. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough! Hopefully this is the start of a new series I'd love to read more about them. Fantastic read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was just fine. It took me a while to get through because it didn’t pull me to pick it up very often. It wasn’t a bad book at all, it just seemed like it took too long to get to any of the interesting parts.

I’ve seen mixed reviews so you should definitely give it a chance and see how you feel about it.

Unfortunately, this book really missed the mark for me. The plot was interesting enough, but I felt very detached and disconnected from the characters. I think it just wasn't executed well.

TWO-CENT TUESDAY

Below are a few (somewhat) brief $.02 opinions about books I've read or listened to recently but don't have the opportunity to review in full. Many of these titles I enjoyed as much or more than those that got the full court press. I hope you'll consider one or two for your own TBR stack if they strike your fancy whether they struck mine or not.

And There He Kept Her, Joshua Moehling

I wish I could remember where I heard about this book, because I would not have chosen it based on cover or title, neither of which I think do it service. Almost to the other side, as much as I like gritty stuff (see Pete Farris's latest, which starts with a great line about a woman being bound in a trunk), the toxic masculinity this title/cover combo bring to mind would have put me off. Which is really a bummer, because this book is fabulous. It's Moehling's debut, which makes it even more impressive. Yes, there is a woman locked up. Yes there are horrible people. But the plot is clean and moves swiftly, no extraneous fluff that got in the way. Best of all, Moehling's characters left me hoping the small historical backstory arc that doesn't get resolved means another installment of Deputy Ben Packard's story. Here, he's returned to the small lake town in Minnesota where he has history and some family. He's running from tragedy and himself (a trope, yes, but it felt authentic here, and I'm not going to give it away because the reveal should be experienced while reading. When two local teens go missing, including Packard's taciturn cousin's daughter, he takes a personal and professional interest. As he and his team investigate, coming into contact with some great (and not so great, and some morphing) colorful locals, time is running out for the woman in the locked room. Who is she and who has her? I highly recommend taking the time to read this one and finding out first hand.

this just … really wasn’t my cup of tea.

after reading so many rave reviews, I was excited to dig into it, but me being me and not reading book blurbs … that’s on me 🙃

the story line was one that was bland and unforgettable, not to mention dark af. this had a true crime feel to it but fell flat on the delivery.

for me, I think the story would have worked better if it was written as a mystery on who the kidnapper/murderer is versus a police procedural where the object is to find and charge the named person.

the author’s writing style itself was absolutely gorgeous - so I would definitely give another book by him another go! this one, sadly, was a miss from me.

please check out all of the trigger warnings prior to reading as this is a dark child kidnapping/murder pedophile type story. I was shocked at the amount of detail in this one 🥴

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 1.5 stars
wine pairing: california red blend

I enjoyed reading this suspenseful story. This is a new author for me which I enjoyed from beginning to end. This is a well written story about a burglury gone horribly wrong for all involved. A story full of secrets that you won't soon forget. This is a story you don't want to miss. I enjoyed how the characters pulled me into their story. They made me feel as if I was part of their world. They are connectable, strong, supportive characters. They add so much to the story that the story comes to life. The twists and turns had me turning pages fast just to see what would happen next. I enjoyed watching their growth as well as the growth of the plot. I really enjoyed this story and I highly recommend it.