4 – 4.25 STARS

Set against a small Minnesota town backdrop, “And There He Kept Her” is a dark and disturbing story centering around two teenagers who unwittingly fall prey to a serial killer while in the act of their own criminal wrong-doing.

The investigation into the teens’ disappearance is led by the troubled and emotionally distraught acting sheriff, Ben Packard, who has a familial connection to one of the missing youths.

While the central characters are well-developed, the pacing of this complex, lackluster thriller is extremely measured, drawing out the events a little too slowly for my personal tastes. Still, I found the overall premise quite intriguing, and I was drawn into the story from start to finish.

I liked the concept but the execution fell flat for me. I was hoping for more excitement but it never came.

Ben Packard moves to a small town to escape his past. Acting as the temporary chief of police, Ben’s cousin’s daughter goes missing. But can he find her before it’s too late?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ACR in return for an honest review.

And There He Kept Her is a debut psychological thriller by Joshua Moehling, based in the small town of Sandy Lake, Minnesota. The book begins with Jenny and Jesse being caught in a home robbery and then going missing from there. Bring in the small town police officer (Ben Packard), the missing teens families, a serial murderer and small town drug corruption and the story takes off from there.

The first part of this book spent a lot of time setting up the characters and background story and I found there were a lot of characters and had a hard time keeping them separated. Once the characters and their histories were set, the book started to flow well and was fairly easy to follow.

This book had some underlying themes of violence, abuse, homophobia, substance abuse and sexual assault; however, the story only briefly touched on these themes.

This book had a similar feel to it as We Begin At The End by Chris Whitaker.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC version of this new release in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Two teens break into a home believing it will be a quick in and out job but it turns into a nightmare for everyone. The old man who lives there has been keeping secrets and he’ll do anything to protect them. Ben Packard is running the sheriff’s department and goes on the hunt for the missing teens. In a race against the clock and lacking more clues, Packard might be forced to reveal his own secrets to save the teens.

•Told mostly from the detectives and old man’s POV
•Marketed as a mystery/thriller but I really call the genre Suspense
•beautifully written

This debut novel by Joshua Moehling was beautiful written and had a good flow. I enjoyed this one but I would say it’s more of detective novel then thriller. And there isn’t really a mystery because the reader knows what happened to the teens the whole time. It’s more suspense in if the detective can crack the case in time. The perspective from the old man is definitely creepy!

Thank you @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress . And ThereHe Kept Her comes out June 14th, 2022!

This book had me hooked from the very start! I thoroughly enjoyed it. As the connections were being made in the later chapters, I was squealing and smacking my husband because I didn't see some things coming and I was SHOOK! One thing I really appreciated about this book is the representation. I felt like it was done really well, it felt very genuine and organic. Gary was a hoot and a half! I would read a prequel that just follows Gary through his prime years haha. I really hope this ends up being the beginning of a series because I would LOVE to read more. This has been my go-to recommendation for library patrons for the past few weeks! We had one patron come in recently who had also read an early copy and she & I were raving about it to my coworkers, both of whom put it on hold to read when it comes in. Fantastic book!!

Wow, I can’t believe this is a debut! I am definitely looking forward to reading more from Joshua Moehling.

When two teenagers go missing, the acting sheriff Ben Packard, is called to investigate. He grew up in this small town of Minnesota and knows what it is like to lose a loved one. He throws himself head first into this case and it takes him on quite a journey.

This story was intense and full of suspense. If you enjoy dark crime/thriller books, this is the one for you. I’m thoroughly impressed by this debut. I’ve heard rumblings this may become a series and I’m here for it. Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for this ARC. This one is available 6/14/22.

And There He Kept Her is a dark and disturbing thriller..

On a frigid, rainy night, two teens attempt to break into what they believe is an unsuspecting senior’s home. What they do not know is that Emmett Burr has decades-old secrets. Secrets he would kill to keep.

It is up to acting Sheriff Ben Packard to find these teens as quickly as possible.

This suspenseful and well-written thriller shifts perspectives between Emmett and Packard. After the first few chapters, there are no shocking reveals. The reader merely has to wait for Packard to piece all of the clues together, which he does smartly and intuitively. There is a nice buildup of tension as the story progresses. Even though there are no big twists, the story never felt boring.

It was refreshing to see a detective-type main character that was not the usual cishet male that typically saturates this genre.

I’ll also give the author brownie points for briefly touching on issues that affect Indigenous communities. But minus many brownie points for making the only Indigenous character in the book a sex offender. But I’m willing to move past it.

Overall, I did enjoy this, and I hope to see more of Sheriff Packard in the future. I can easily see this as the beginning of a new series.

I recommend this novel if you want a fresh spin on a police procedural/thriller.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com

And There He Kept Her
Joshua Moehling
Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: June 14, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jesse and his girlfriend, Jenny, break into an old man’s house to steal prescription drugs. As they creep up the steps, trying to remain calm and quiet, the basement door opens and a shotgun blasts them to the bottom of the steps. Are they alive or dead and why did Emmett Burr shoot so quickly?

Not knowing if they just ran away together as young lovers, or even if they are alive or dead, Acting Sheriff Ben Packard has to unpack mystery after mystery to find them in the small town of Sandy Lake.

Moehling’s debut novel is a page-turner! I could not put this book down! Each character added to the depth of the crime. Some quirky characters lightened the mood of the story. I encourage those who enjoy crime stories to read this asap! Get this one off your TBR!

Four stars

A young teenage couple, Jenny and Jesse, break into an elderly man’s home after midnight to steal his prescription pain medication. Unfortunately the old man, a 400 lb., once-upon-a-time, rapist and serial killer, hears them, kills Jesse and injures Jenny with a couple of shotgun blasts. The elderly man, Emmett, had built a room in his basement where in past years, young women were kidnapped, kept prisoner, sexually assaulted, and killed. Jenny ends up a prisoner in the locked room. The rest of the story is about trying to find the "two missing teens".

Lots of interesting side stories and plots in this book revolving around small town issues - drug dealing, family dysfunction, neighbor disputes, a gay temporary sheriff, etc. Overall, a pretty good book, but I had a couple of issues with it.

Given Emmett's past, it didn't make sense to me that he kept Jenny prisoner rather than just killing her. Also, I thought there was too much misplaced focus on gay subject matter given the premise of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

I enjoyed this story; unique twist on the serial killer plot. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for a honest review)

Publication date: 14 June 2022
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Trigger warnings: substance abuse, sexual abuse, kidnapping, blood, rape, gun violence

Plot:

An attempt to break into an apartment to steal prescribed drugs by two teens Jesse and Jenny ends with their disappearance. Sheriff's Deputy Ben Packard is then tasked to find them again as a series of events and secrets are revealed. Will the teens be found or is it just the beginning?

Thoughts:

I liked this book for a debut by the author, Joshua Moehling because it had a balance of both Ben's POV and the perpetrator's POV. The book wasn't too heavy to read and it took place in a small town with a tight knit of characters who supported Ben. However, it did not give the thriller aspect as the blurb described it to be but instead seemed like an adventure Joshua brought us along for - there were no worthy plot twists or mystery as the perpetrator is revealed from the start. Therefore it didn't keep me as excited throughout the book. At times it felt like I was rushing to get through the book just to complete it instead of wanting to read the plot because it was unnecessarily long. Please do check out trigger warnings before reading.

This book was a thrill ride from start to finish, I couldn't put it down. I loved the dual narration/perspective, it made for gripping pace and had me internally shouting at the detective to solve the case faster. I hope the characters continue in other books, I want to hear more about this town and these people!

This was a book that really surprised me! I felt that the beginning was a little slow but once I got into this book, I couldn’t put it down! The main character, Ben Packard, was very like-able and you wanted to root for him to solve the crime (of two missing teens). An interesting aspect to the story was the portrayal of the villain of the story, his thoughts and actions provided an interesting insight into the serial killers mindset. The story goes back and forth from characters points of views, which was nice and the story flowed well. I also am hoping this will be continued into a series because it does seem as that was how the ending and underlying storyline was set up.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

PUBLICATION DAY: June 14, 2022

Two teenagers go missing in a small Minnesotan town, and the new acting police chief will stop at nothing to ensure their safe return. Jenny and Jesse chose the wrong house to rob when they encounter the elderly, yet dangerous Emmett Burr. When the teens don’t show up the next day, Ben Packard resolves to follow every clue until he finds them. But what evil is lying beneath the surface of this small town? And how long has it been there??

PROS and CONS:
This book is so well written, with a multi-layered plot and fabulous characters…and it’s Moehling’s first book??? What?? Ben Packard is a great main character, sensitive, smart and realistic…contrasting him with Emmett’s perspective that was much more painful and corrupt was genius. I enjoyed every minute of this one.

READ IT?
With a couple of unresolved points, I think (hope) I see a new series in the making and I’m here for it!

5 Stars

Great debut novel from this author.
So much going on in this small town.
I love anything serial killer reads I'm weird that way and this one was right up my alley.
So much going on and well written.
Looking to see more from this author in the future.

Thanks to the author the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

And There He Kept Her is a good book. Two young men break into a house and find more than they bargained for. Deputy Sheriff Ben Packard gets a call that his cousin is missing.
This book is interesting because you already know most of the details. But as Ben investigates, we find out details about him.
I like the writing. All the characters are well developed even the bad guy. I have not read many books when I already know the story. I think this book will be a hit.

Here is a new author, Joshua Moehling, with an exciting first crime novel. The book begins in Sandy Lake, a small town in Minnesota. As in most small towns, everyone knows - and judges- everyone else. There is drug use in the high school, drug dealers, unsolved crimes, dysfunctional families, small businesses, nosy neighbors, perverts, and colorful characters with personalities to match.
A young teenage couple, Jenny and Jesse, break into an elderly man’s home after midnight to steal his prescription pain medication. Unfortunately the old man is a serial killer, hears them, blasts a shotgun down the stairs, killing Jesse and injuring Jenny. The elderly man had built a small locked room in his basement where in past years, young women who were kidnapped, were kept, sexually assaulted, and killed. Jenny, who was injured in the shotgun blast that killed her boyfriend, is also a Type 1 diabetic with an insulin pump. She ends up a prisoner in the locked room and time is of the essence to find her and save her.
The town sheriff, who is undergoing chemotherapy, has turned over his authority to Ben Packard, a fairly new addition to the police department in Sandy Lake, although familiar with the town as he spent childhood summers there. The sheriff is a loner, but handsome, intelligent, intuitive and a workaholic. He delves into the case of the missing teens with a vengeance, and the majority of the book is about the twists and turns of his investigation. Along the way, the reader is introduced to a number of the town’s residents - Jesse’s alcoholic mother, Jenny’s mother, the sheriff and his drug-dealing grandson, local dog rescuer, Gary, who has a flamboyant past, and local criminals Emmett Burr, and his partner-in-crime Carl.
I found the characters disturbingly real, and the book had a good flow of action. Ben Packard skillfully investigated numerous leads that wove many of the town’s characters together, as happens in real life. The descriptions of Emmet’s life, his decrepit home, and his past and present murderous activity continually had my stomach in knots.
The events were, unfortunately, believable. On the other hand, Ben Packard, the protagonist, is handsome,, insightful and competent, but gives the townspeople plenty to talk about as he is also gay. The reader will wish the best for Jenny, the teen girl who ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time,
I received this digital ARC from Netgalley, but my opinion is my own. I welcome this new author of crime drama and enjoyed his first book. His style, word choice, character development, and storyline were all well done. He also set the stage for Ben Packard and Sandy Lake to be part of future books. Ben Packard has a connection to Sandy Lake, in that his brother went missing there years ago, and was never found. I’m looking forward to more from Joshua Moehling.

This book went from 2 missing teens to a serial killer to a sadistic rapist to drugs sold in school and more. All of this in a small town. I found myself feeling a little sorry for Emmett until I learned more about him. Didn't like Carl at all. This also had some neighbor drama and a temporary acting sheriff trying to run from his past. It's a perfect example of what people can hide behind their closed doors. I just wish we found out what happened to Ben's brother and what happened to the files from his case. I enjoyed this book.

I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Two teens go missing in a small town, with no clues at all as to where they’ve gone. When the police get involved, they really don’t have much to go on, but by a combination of chasing small leads and the process of elimination, they’re able to figure out where they might be. That’s the good news. The bad news is no matter how fast they work, they still might be too late to save them. Something about this book grabbed me right away and kept my attention throughout. Although the story isn’t necessarily a new one (even the book title seems a bit overused), I liked the way the author introduced his characters, giving the reader the chance to try and see the various POVs from all angles. I’ll read more by this author for sure!

Special Note: Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! I couldn’t put it down when I started it! I would definitely recommend this book!