You won't want to put this book down! The author used vivid descriptions to bring characters to life. The storyline kept me turning pages right through to the end. Joshua Moehling accurately depicts life in a small town with it's share of mysteries, secrets and lurking depravity. Five stars for this book. Looking forward to more by this author.

If you enjoy a good thriller with likeable and hateable characters then give this a read! The book has a great pacing and I loved Sheriff Packard with his own personal struggles but ability to be a good guy throughout. A side character Gary would be someone I'd like to know if this was real. Caring, funny and unapologetically gay. There is a couple strong female in the story that I also liked. The kidnapped teen Jenny was cowed but also smart, trying to survive her ordeal. And the female cop. The bad guys (their was quite a few involved in the entire Domino situation) one or two are bad due to circumstances and the author did a good job of getting the feels in for wanting something good to come out of them. >>There is a few triggers to be mindful of but it is a thriller book and if you read the summary you know some. Kidnapping, Sexual & physical abuse, verbal abuse, homophobia, murder, drug use.
I could see this being turned into a series featuring the Sheriff Packard but the story did end.
I am thankful to Netgalley for the arc edition of this book to read and this was my thoughts on the story.

Excellent debut book by Josh Moehling! Loved how the author showed compassion in the midst of evil. The inner struggle to want to do the right thing even when you can't. It all came through in the way Emmett wanted to care for Jenny even while keeping her hostage.
Loved the character development and would read more books if he decides to continue this story line with Packard as an investigator.
Thank you to @netgalley for this ARC

Worth the read!
Excellent thriller story!
Thanks to Netgalley for the book to read and review!
(This review is short and to the point on Goodreads and amaxon)

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me to receive an arc in exchange for my honest review, all thoughts are my own!


A debut novel for this author, and a good one at that! Seems like it’ll be more to a series so I’m anticipating those.

I really enjoyed this book! It hooked me from the very first chapter, and kept me hooked the entire time!

- The synopsis of this books says it all. This book almost got me in a reading slump. The plot was compelling and interesting. I saw the potential from the beginning, I was intrigued and then, I felt like it dragged me all the way until the end. I truly wanted to know how it was going to end but felt no need to rush through it like my most beloved thrillers or crime fiction books. I enjoyed how everything ended up nice and tidy. I would’ve like it better if the bad guys would have suffer more.


3.5 ⭐️

And There He Kept Her follows the story of detective Ben Packard, who finds himself acting Sheriff in Sandy Town. We initially read about two teenagers who break into a house in order to steal prescription drugs alongside learning about the strange character Emmett Burr who has a questionable past.

I really enjoyed reading about Ben Packard and hope that this is the first book of many about him. I feel that there is a lot more character development that would easily lead to a series.

The book was fast paced and flitted between numerous different characters, keeping me gripped throughout.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review.

And There He Kept Her is an engrossing thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Two teenagers break into a house of a sick older man to steal his prescription pain medication and get much more than they bargain for. It takes place in a small town in Minnesota and the characters feel authentic and relatable. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC.

I have to say for being a debut novel... Kudos. I loved it. I enjoyed the different themes explored, especially for a small town setting.

I will definitely look forward to any more books by this author.

Wow! What a terrific debut novel by Joshua Moehling. Ben Packard has returned to his hometown of Sandy Lake to serve as interim Police Chief. Sandy Lane is a pretty quiet town until two teenagers disappear without a trace, or their cellphones. We know right away what happens to them and the horrible situation they find themselves in. Unfortunately the depravity of the “kidnapper” goes beyond the walls of his house and involve more people of this quiet town. It is Packards job to find the teens while rumors of his life and why he came home spread among the townsfolk. The ending left room for a follow up book as Chief Packard moves forward with other cases and the one from his past involving his brother. I hope the author chooses to make this the first installment of a new series.

Thanks to the author, Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this advanced readers copy for my opinion.

“And There He Kept Her,” by Joshua Moehling, is a wonderful murder-mystery novel that engaged me immediately into this heart pounding story. How could it not, after the disabled homeowner opens the cellar door and without warning pulls both triggers on his double-barreled shotgun with the intruders falling backwards down the stairs to the cement floor. Moehling nailed it there! I was glued to the story, his great characters, and the unique plot. Anxiously, I clicking my e-reader forward to find more excitement in a well described narrative to the last page. Well done, Joshua—five stars!

My thanks to the author, Joshua Moehling and to Net Galley for the privilege to independently review this outstanding novel.

Drugs and murder. In a small Minnesota town there is a new sheriff in town. Packard is a hardworking gay man, trying to forget his painful loss. Two teenagers go missing and Packard is on the casein this suspenseful page turner.

This book grab me from the 1st page. A gay police officer, returning to his hometown. A town that his brother went missing years ago. Now his niece and her boyfriend are missing. A serial killer that’s over 300 lbs and a assortment of characters you won’t soon forget. I would recommend this book for a fast easy great read.

And There He Kept Her is a phenomenal debut thriller full of twists, turns, and murder! Moehling blew me away with this novel. You are immediately drawn in with the first chapter actually revealing what happens to Jenny and Jesse, but don't let that deter you! Throughout the novel you follow Sheriff Ben Packard as he tries to solve the mystery of the missing teens (there is a dual perspective aspect to this novel, but it only enriches the story and I won't spoil anything by mentioning the other narrator by name).

If there's anything to say about this book, it's this: And There He Kept Her is an all-encompassing, terrifying, wild ride from start to finish and is sure to entertain any Thriller lovers.

Free ARC from NETGALLEY

To all you Jesse and Jenny's out there, the Mr. Burr's are waiting and there are a lot more of them than the Ben Packard nice guys! Creepy good, enjoy and fear!!

Joshua Moehling has written an enthralling mystery and character study that I hope is the start of a new series.

After his partner dies, Ben Packard returns to become acting sheriff of the small town that his older brother disappeared in years ago as a child. The book's main character is great, the mystery (which involves two missing teens, one of whom is related to Packard) is engaging from the first page, and the police procedural appears very well done.

I really enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it. I so hope there are more stories of Packard.

This book was a fast-paced read and I just could not put it down. The characters are well-developed and the POV changes throughout the book so you get a view of the entire story from every perspective. Moehling does a great job of keeping you engaged from page 1, and you just have to keep reading to find out what happens next. I really enjoyed this book!

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. I enjoyed Ben Packard and Susan's characters. This book is pretty fast paced with a few twists and turns. This book is set in Sandy Lake, Minnesota. It has good LGBTQIA representation within this thriller. This book will be in stores on June 14, for $26.99 (USD).

When teenagers Jesse and Jenny break into Emmett Burr's house, they're there for one reason only - to do a job and get out. But Emmett has been stolen from before and he's not about to let it happen again. Plus, no-one can discover the secret room in his house. One he's used more than once before. Now Jesse and Jenny are missing and acting sheriff, Ben Packard, is determined to find out where they disappeared to the night they snuck out of their houses. As he follows leads that take him on a mystery that runs deeper than he imagined, time could be running out.

And There he Kept Her is a suspenseful and thrilling ride, that drip feeds the reader clues in a way that brings the already known 'who' to the 'why'. It was quite unique in the way there were no huge twists - we already knew who the villain was and even most of why he was doing the things he was doing. The twists had to be discovered by the acting sheriff, but we the reader were already privy to them!

Ben Packard was a fantastic character with an interesting back story. I do wish an old intertwined mystery in the story was solved at the end, but I guess not every mystery can be solved. Emmett and his associate were truly scary people and made this an extremely dark and horrifying read. As disturbing as it was, I found this one hard to put down and kept wanting to return to the story.

I also have to mention Gary. Gary was a side character but one of my absolute favourites. He added some real fun to a serious book!