One of the best thrillers I've read lately. The depth of character development, which is very important to me, alongside a plot that never plods yielded an extremely satisfying read.

I loved the inclusivity and variety of characters. I didn't like how the only Native character was also the one on the sex offender list. But it made more sense later as to how some people are unfairly targeted.

My litmus test for a great book isn't always how I feel immediately after finishing the read. It's also how the story and people linger days afterward. What has stayed with me is how the acting sheriff finally realized he had built a relationship up in his mind and worshipped the idealization of it, which kept him from opening up to those around him. Also, the one who seems to be purely evil could be a protector too. These are people I would love to see carry on with their lives in other books. I would love to see how they grow and change.

Kudos to the author!

Just because a homeowner is a senior doesn't mean that it is safe to break into their home. Jesse and Jenny thought that this would be a perfect break in for the drugs that were in the house b/c Emmet Burg at the age that he was on prescriptions but little did the robbers know that he was home at the time. Emmet confronted them and this is when all the problems started more so for the robbers than Emmet. Would these teenagers get out alive or will Emmet have the last laugh. Who do you root for the Emmet or the robbers. A page turner for sure.

This book left something out for me. There was another main event that happened that was never resolved but discussed often. I feel like that could have made this book twice as interesting. It was a fine read and I liked the officer but it definitely could have been more.it was odd we found out the bad guys so quickly without a major twist but still a decent read.

3.5 stars rounded up. Entertaining in a way but dark and moves with a rather slow momentum. I was interested to see how the story unfolds since you know the kidnapper from the beginning. The whys were definitely interesting but not enough for nothing major to happen. Liked the premise just needed more intense dialogue than we were given.

Happy Sunday! What is everyone reading this weekend? If your looking for an intense and disturbing thriller you need to get author @jmoehling’s debut thriller 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐻𝑒 𝐾𝑒𝑝𝑡 𝐻𝑒𝑟.

I still can’t believe this is a debut novel, it was so good- from the storyline to the silky flow of the writing, everything was just on point. Now this is not a thriller with tons of twists and turns. It is not a mystery. We know who the psycho villain is and we know his plans (for the most part), we are simply just following this creepy story and hoping for the best outcome. I think that’s one of the main reasons I loved this one, it’s unique that although there are some surpsies it’s not a whodunnit and it’s still so addicting!

The plot is heavy and very disturbing, the characters are all so uniquely interesting- especially main character officer Packard. His personality is everything and I love how we see him grow throughout the story. The author did a great job making character Emmet Burr disgusting and terrifying, I promise this character will give you nightmares.

𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝐻𝑒 𝐾𝑒𝑝𝑡 𝐻𝑒𝑟 is easily a FIVE star read, @jmoehling please give us more!

✨special thanks to @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for the gifted copy ! Available JUNE 14✨

SYNOPSIS: “ 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.”

Wow I loved Ben! What a fantastic character! Overall the story kept me reading and entertained! 4 stars!

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of And There He Kept Her by Joshua Moehling. This is Moehling's first novel and he knocked it out of the park. I read this in one day. It's an intense thriller/mystery and grabs your attention from the first page. He creates some diverse characters and a story line that isn't too complex to follow but not predictable enough that I could guess it before it happened. I have read many true crime stories that have similar elements so that made this fictional plot seem all the more real. Can't wait for his next book!

Ben Packard, a deputy sheriff, is the main character in And There He Kept Her. (What an awkward title!)
Ben Packard is just about the only likable character in the novel, although some minor characters had their moments. I hope Frank is featured more prominently in the sequel.
Author Joshua Moehling does a pretty good job of pacing the plot and developing the bad guys. The book held my interest throughout. There was not a lot of suspense despite the despicable nature of the crimes being committed..
Making Ben a gay character was a bit awkward, but I commend the author for making his unusual situation believable while stereotyping Gary, the other living gay character, who has a porn/prostitute past and odd affectations that are not applicable to most gay people.
Seeing the mindset of Emmett as a character who might have been a decent person in another life was interesting.
The interactions between Ben and his cousin Susan were not all that credible and contained some pretty lame dialogue.
Finally, after the novel finishes we are given book club questions that presume a lot, and then a conversation with the author that seems more designed to tell the reader what he or she or they should think of the novel. Not fair!
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC. 4.5 stars.

Man I have been in such a thriller slump lately-almost to the point of giving them up for a while because they had become so predictable and meh but I gave this one a shot and holy moly! It took my slump and body slammed it to the ground and made it say uncle! I seriously hope there will be more books set in this sleepy little town and with these characters!
Ben Packard is moving back to his hometown, which he’s been away from for years because he doesn’t want ti relive the tragedy that struck there. But when the sheriff needs a replacement while he has cancer treatments, Ben decides it’s time to face his past. Little does he know that his past is the least of his worries. While the rest of his family has passed or moved away, his cousin Susan stayed in town and runs the local restaurant. While they don’t have much of a relationship now, when her daughter and her daughters boyfriend go missing, she’s relieved to see Ben in charge of the search. As Ben works the case, we see flashes of his past that have made him the way he is now and how he handles the dark people he meets through the course of the investigation. And when the “villain” is discovered, you find there is so much more to his story than meets the eye. There are so many layers to these characters and no one is all good or all bad and just when you think you’ve got it sorted-you don’t! The pacing is spot on and it’s a race against time to find the missing people before it’s too late.
This does tackle several complex issues and there are several triggers, but if you need a wild ride to keep you burning through the pages, pick this one up and thank me later.
Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Overall I enjoyed reading this book, even though the overall tone is pretty depressing. Just make sure you're in a semi-good mood before reading.

The character development was good and the author even had me sympathizing with the bad guy. The one thing that kind of bugged me was the number of times the weight of one character is mentioned. I get that the point is that he's old and gross, but it started to feel a bit mean and unnecessary. One line that especially bugged me was when he "itched where his fat rubbed together". It wasn't a major issue, but it was annoying.

Thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for an advanced copy of this title! Wow! What an unexpected great find! This book flew by! Readers can't help falling in love with the town of Sandy Lake & its quirky residents! Good from start to finish & readers will hope that there are many books in this series. It has been a long time since I liked a character as much as I liked (acting) Sheriff Ben Packard.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although it was not the suspenseful, edge of the seat thriller that I was expecting. , Instead it was a well written, character driven novel that was well paced and kept my interest throughout. Yes, there were a couple of kidnapped teenagers, some murders, and lots of individual secrets, but the reader was clued into these leaving few surprises as each characters' individual stories unfolded. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy.

Thanks to Netgalley for sending me the ARC! It was a fun mystery with a blah ending. I wanted more from the story. I rate it a 3.1

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have to say, this book started off pretty slow and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to finish it. But I pushed through and I am glad that I did. About 25% into it, it really picks up and doesn't stop from there. It was fast paced and not overly twisty, which can muddle up a good book. I've never really been in to police procedurals, but lately I've read some good ones and this was one of them. There were no discernable plot holes, which I find in a lot of books like this. So, if you're like me and you find the beginning of the story boring, please keep going. It's worth it. The opening scene of the book will suck you right in, but several chapters after that are just Packard's back story and while it's important, I don't think they needed to devote that much to it.

Sheriff Packard has returned to his home town as acting sheriff. Shortly after taking the job, two local kids go missing. One happens to be a family member.

The story reminded me a lot of the film Don't Breathe, which is one of my favorite horror/thriller movies. Two kids break into the wrong person's house and all hell breaks loose. Sheriff Packard has to find out what happened before it's too late. Joshua Moehling did a fantastic job of wrapping this story up but leaving it open ended enough for this to be the beginning of a series of standalone books.

The writing was phenomenal. The author actually managed to make me feel empathy towards the bad guy. I enjoyed the development of all of the characters and they felt authentic. Overall, this is a strong 4.5 star book. I would give it 5 stars if the beginning moved a little quicker.

Jenny and Jesse made a huge- huge- mistake when they decided to rob Emmett Burr. He kills Jesse and puts Jenny into a dungeon of sorts where he's kept and tortured other young women. Ben Packard, the Sheriff. tells the story of his hunt for her alternately worth Jenny's story of the horrors. Packard has a tragic back story and is trying, without success to find love with a man who doesn't- and couldn't in any event- live up to his dead love. Much of this is familiar territory but the writing is good. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

TW: Murder, animal death, cancer, lose of parent, death of spouse, fat shaming, drug abuse, toxic parent relationships, language, sex workers

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book: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.
Release Date: June 14th, 2022
Genre: Horror-thriller
Pages: 320
Rating: ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
• The writing style was good
• Story flowed

What I Didn't Like:
• Will make you hungry for Hardee's/Arby's
• I was completely bored... Nothing happens
• All the pregnancy threats in this book
• Gary saying hunny too many times

Overall Thoughts:
Gary is treated like a stereotype of gay man. Down to calling people hunny, visiting bath houses, and people treating him like he doesn't belong.

Everyone has cancer in this town. This story should really look at if the coal mine/timber/random business is poisoning the water.

Most boring conversations with the man that kidnaps her.

She's so calm. She fights with him that she needs healthy foods and about her insulin too. Like dude is holding you hostage and you're over here telling him that he has to keep you alive. It was weird.

Everyone is so calm. Dan hears that his son is found dead and daughter is almost in coma but he doesn't seem at all affected. Emmett doesn't even tell Patty her son is dead but decides to tell her husband.

Reminded me heavily of Don't Breathe


Seriously nothing happens outside of the teen being shot and the girl being held in the room. He even gets her medicine and feeds her with no reasoning. He keeps saying he's going to let her die since he isn't a pedo, but he continues getting her things. And she isn't even freaking out while shes walking around naked. She's just throwing the towel over her shoulder and walking. Like wtf?

Everyone talking about getting pregnant over and over like it's a death sentance. It's insane.

It's odd to me that Packard didn't think to even ask if anyone had filled prescriptions for insulin even the over the counter.

No one found it odd that a man shows up for insulin and then wanting to get a copy from the library of David Copperfield, that all the seniors are reading....when a girl who's diabetic and a senior is missing.

Final Thoughts: Boring book. I thought things would happen but nothing does. You are never surprised with anything happened. Everything happens so straightforward that I just didn't care.

We never find out what happened to Packard's brother!

And There He Kept Her by Joshua Moehling. Pub Date: June 14, 2022. Rating: 🌟🌟🌟. If you’re looking for a chilling and creepy thriller, then this one is for you. Based on Minnesota, a young female and her boyfriend suddenly go missing one night. The local sheriff’s deputy, Ben Packard, is in charge of investigating and has a connection to the young girl through family. Throughout the novel, the reader unravels Ben’s emotions and current mental state with past history. It’s more of a police procedural type of novel than a “where are they” because the reader from the get go knows where they are. This novel was okay, but not mind blowing. Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley #poisonedpenpress #andtherehekepther

And There He Kept Her was hard to put down. I got so caught up in the story and loved every word. The characters were well developed and pulled you right into the story right away. I loved the main characters and the small-town setting. I would love to read more- Gary added so much humor and I loved his interactions with Packard.

Officer Packard has moved to a small town to escape his past. When two teenagers go missing it is Packard's job to find out what happened to them. During that search Packard finds out that the town already knows his secret.

Emmett has had his medication go missing a few times. When Jesse and Jenny go to his home to get his latest prescription, Emmett is ready for them. Read this great story to find out what Emmett does to Jesse and Jenny. Thanks netgalley I loved this one.

Two teenagers break into a house. One is killed by the person living there and one is kept there. When the local acting sheriff finds out that two teens disappeared he tries to figure out what happened to these kids. Little by little bits are revealed about the possibility of what might have happened to these teens. There is a cast of interesting side characters as well in this book.

This was well written and definitely kept me guessing as to the motives behind what was going on. I would highly recommend.