Is there something wrong with me when I say that I enjoyed this dark, gritty thriller? Did I mention dark?? Every minute I had available I was trying to fit in as much as I could and hated to put it down.

Two teenagers break into a desolate home in hopes of scoring some rx drugs. Things take a quick turn for the worst when we realize very quickly that the homeowner isn't a disabled old man in the least. We then switch gears to acting Sherriff Packard who is trying to hunt down the missing teens.

We switch POV's between the homeowner and the Sheriff which I thought was done really well and enhanced the story to see both point of views. While this isn't as much of a mystery to figure out who and why it is something that captivated my attention to figure out how it would unfold.

I'm hoping there is another book coming with Sheriff Packard, I really enjoyed his storyline and think there could be more of his life explored in a future novel.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read an advanced copy. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Wow, this is a truly brilliant debut thriller!
I made the mistake of starting it late at night, and finally fell asleep only a hour before my alarm went off - because i couldn’t put it down!
Flawless!
Easily worthy of 5 stars.
I genuinely hope the sequel is out very soon!

Sorry, this turned into a DNF for me. I couldn't get into it and gave it a good try but just was not interested.

I’m definitely in the minority with my 2 star rating but this story fell flat for me and I could not connect with any of the characters. DNF at 30%. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my review.

And There He Kept Her is a fantastic thriller featuring Ben Packard a police detective who has come back to his small town where he is now the acting sheriff.
His current case involves two missing teenagers, one of which is the daughter of his cousin. The young girl has diabetes and doesn't have enough insulin with her. As Ben works this case he'll learn more how it's changed since he left.
His search for these teens will have him questioning half the town, he doesn't realize how close he is to a truly dark secret that has been lurking.
Time is running out for this girl if she's still alive, Ben must intensify his search quickly if there is any hope.
The end is packed with action and horror that you don't want to miss.

Thank you #NetGalley #PoisonedPenPress #AndThereHeKeptHer

And There He Kept Her is a dark psychological thriller. While it was well written and a quick read; I could see the draw but it just wasn’t a must read for me. Not enough twists and turns when you find out ‘whodunit’ at the very beginning of the book.

Ben Packard is the new sheriff in Sandy Lake. His first big case is two missing teenagers, one of which is his cousin’s daughter. While he chases the clues, he gets led down a very dark path that brings him closer to solving the case. Will he be able to save the teenagers in time?

Thank you to #NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Joshua Moehling for an e-ARC of #AndThereHeKeptHer in exchange for an honest review.

Two teenagers break into the remote lake house of an old ailing man, in the middle of the night in search of prescription drugs. How difficult can it be, the man is helpless and right? Or so they thought.

Ben Packard is the new Sheriff's Deputy in Sandy Lake, a small town that he has a secret and sad past with. A personal tragedy sent Ben back to this 'safe haven' and now he has been tasked with finding the two missing teenagers.

What is going on at the lake house, where are the teenagers and will Deputy Packard be able to uncover what is going on before it's too late?

Sounds good right?? Well that's what I thought too... I was wrong. I am in the minority on this one but as much as I wanted to enjoy it, it got more and more frustrating for me and I just wish I had never read it to begin with.

Let's start with what was good about the book, it was quite well written and easy to follow, the story follows two main POVs which I enjoy and I really did like Ben Packard. He is a likeable character that if given the right storyline I would definitely want to read more about him. I also really enjoyed Gary's storyline and felt it added a bit of humour into the mix which was welcomed.

However, you basically find out who the bad guy is from the outset, which if done correctly is fine. This was lackluster and quite frankly boring. There was no real point to the whole thing and nothing really came of it. Even when there was some dare I say 'excitement' it was definitely not thrilling or shocking. It was an endless search for the missing teens and a POV of an old man that was supposed to be a scary old guy that really just had no substance.

To know who the bad guy up front you really need to pack a punch when it comes to dark and twisty. It didn't do it for me, it bored me and I found myself speed reading through it to get it over and done with, which is never a good sign.

If you are looking for a psychological thriller I don't think this has what is takes. If you are looking for a thrill ride, again look elsewhere. I wouldn't rule out reading another one of the authors books due to the quality of writing and the well written Deputy however, if it was going to be sold as a thriller it would need to step it up a few notches.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and the author for an advance reader copy for my personal honest opinions of this book.

Jesse and Jenny break into old man Emmett Burrs house intent on stealing some narcotics. What they didn’t expect is for Emmett to be home when they did it. This is when it gets crazy. Emmett seems like a harmless old man however, he has many secrets buried in his basement and he is determined to keep them hidden.

Simultaneously, sheriff’s deputy Ben Packard is a friend of the family of one of the missing teens and is put in charge of the investigation.

I don’t want to give to much away but I thought it was an interesting read. I liked the different perspectives of the characters and I was fully invested in the deputy finding the missing teens.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book took off immediately and kept me hooked the whole time. I really enjoyed all the different perspectives as well - from the sheriff, to the captor to the captured. While this story was thriller and action packed, it also had great character development and I really enjoyed learning more about each character as an individual as well. 10/10 recommend to my thriller lovers!

Two teenagers break into the home of Emmett Burr in search of his prescription drugs but Emmett is definitely not an easy target,his keeping secrets and he'll do anything to keep them buried.
Sheriffs Deputy Ben Packard is leading the search when the teenagers fail to return home.
Great characters who all have their own odd qualities.
A really powerful debut,a fast paced gruesome thriller that I highly recommend.
Looking forward to getting to know more about Ben Packard as I'm sure there is more to tell in the next book by this excellent new author.
Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen for the ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s actually hard to believe it’s Joshua Moehling’s debut novel. The characters are just the right mix of flawed human and relatable, and the character development over the course of the book is just at the right pace. There were enough small twists in the plot to keep you on your toes while still feeling like you know where things are heading.

Packard is really likeable in his earnestness and dedication and his personal life is something I think would be relatable to a lot of people. I’m looking forward to the next in the series, and really want to know what actually happened to Nick.

It’s small town life with the underbelly exposed in a thrilling race to rescue missing teens before the evil that they didn’t know was present wins out.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book!

This was spooky and chilling, and at times a little triggering for violence against women. Even still, perhaps because of it, this book was a great read! Twists, turns, suspicions, visceral sensations! This book had them all!

Wow, just wow! Solid debut novel. Well-crafted thriller. I cannot wait to see more from this author!

Two teens break into Emmett Burr's house, but they each got more than they bargained for when Emmett comes down the stairs with a shotgun. The teens are soon reported missing. However, as the story unfolds, the lines between victim and villain become blurred. Who is Emmett Burr really?

Ben Packard moved to Sandy Lake for a fresh start. He is the current acting sheriff and trying to keep the peace between the locals, especially Gary and Cora--neighbors who do not get along, However, when one of the missing teens is Packard's relative, he becomes invested in this case.

I really liked this protagonist, and oddly enough, I felt for Emmett Burr to a degree. Some lines got blurred there between victim and kidnapper. So glad I was able to read this!

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, and Netgalley for this digital ARC.

Always delighted to discover a new series, and I think Moehling will continue with Ben Packard. Loved the characters, the writing, the ambiguity of right/wrong, motives. It was by turns funny, horrifying, suspenseful. I loved that the villains do some good things so it's not entirely possible to hate them. So well done! Highly recommend.

"I look like Jackie Onassis, the nursing home years," she joked.

P.S. Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC.

“𝚆𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚜. 𝚆𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍.“

This debut from author, Joshua Moehling, is somewhat of a departure from what I’ve been reading lately. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this story, which is told in a fairly linear timeline with a few different POVs. Although we do hear from multiple characters, we really get to know Ben Packard, acting Sherriff in a small Minnesota town, and Emmett Burr, victim of a burglary and keeper of dark, twisted secrets. The reader is blessed with touches of mystery and suspense but what’s different here is an early reveal. From the very beginning, we know the who, the how, and the why.

“𝙷𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚒𝚝 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚣𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗‘𝚝 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚐𝚘.“

Moehling’s masterful use of descriptive prose creates a world that the reader can see,
 
“𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚐 𝚖𝚘𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚎𝚕𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚜𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚕𝚢𝚎𝚛.“

hear,

“𝙾𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚘 𝚊 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚍𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚊 𝚑𝚒𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚍.“

and touch.
 
“𝙰 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍, 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚑𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚕.“

Through a slowly building narrative, we are introduced to characters that we really get to know and appreciate. All are flawed, as is in life. Moehling deftly creates confusion and unease through shifting expectations of what it means to be a victim/a killer/a hero. None of these labels feel solid here and that throws the reader off balance.
 
“𝚆𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎?“

The conclusion of this story leads me to believe that a sequel is in the works. I hope this is the case because I look forward to another visit to Sandy Lake, Minnesota!

I finished reading the book at the 100th page. I'm sorry about that, because until then, the story was interesting, and the lead detective was sympathetic. However, both in real life and in books, I love human relationships that are authentic and acceptable to me, and not ones that I don’t even like to imagine, yet they push into my face. I know these human relationships are fashionable today and almost mandatory in every book and movie, but I prefer to avoid them. I may be conservative and not modern and liberal enough, but I reserve the right to read only and like only what is still acceptable to me. Therefore, although the publisher may not tolerate my opinion, I find this book unreadable due to the aforementioned problem.

The title alone had me hooked! This was a very well written book with lots of details and very interesting and sinister characters.
"They thought he was a helpless old man but they were wrong"
Dark and disturbing but definitely one of those books that you just cant put down.

In a boring tourist town 2 teenagers decide to break into an old mans house to steal his narcotics. But they are quickly face with the owner of the home and a shotgun. What happens after this sends Ben Packard the small town sheriff, who has secrets of his own.

Highly recommend! This book was thrilling and kept me on the edge of my seat. I read this in one sitting which is rare for me! The story is full of unexpected twists and I found it impossible to put this one down. My first book to read by this author but I cannot wait to read more!

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. Good debut book by the author. This book has some dark and disturbing parts. Unfortunately, the war on prescription drugs is very real in today's world, and I could see this book becoming a realty. Some suspense, some parts were slow. Almost hit too close to home for me though in my personal and work life.

Really enjoyed this book. I was gripped from the beginning. my only criticism was that i felt the last couple of chapters were rushed. highly recommended.