Can imprisonment, torture and murder be classified as karma for two dumb kids breaking and entering and stealing? Probably not... Jesse and Jenny break into Emmett's home to steal painkillers (as part of a yet-to-be-discovered ring of drug distribution amongst the town's youth) and Jesse is killed, leaving Jenny - a diabetic - to be locked away in a room to fight for her life. They severely underestimated Emmett's capabilities. Emmett has secrets of his own; Jesse is not the first person to be held against her will in this room. As Emmett's secrets unravel, so do many others, including how the sheriff and acting sheriff play into all of this. A thrilling page-turner! #netgalley #andtherehekepther

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.

Whoa boy! The dual POV was exciting and stoked to hear this is the first of a series!
Nitpicky issue I had, narrator sounds Southern, I kept forgetting it was set in MN.

Thank you to Netgalley, Joshua Moehling, and Dreamscape Media for an advance listening copy of this debut novel in exchange for an honest review.

Where to start?! I love police procedurals that also double as a thriller so this book was right up my alley. I CANNOT believe this was a debut and im so impressed with the authors writing. Ben Packard gave me Will Trent vibes and I need more of him in my reading life. I also loved that this was told from both POVs (the deputys and the perps!) Im a born and raised Minnesotan so I loved all the nods to Minnesota and obviously the setting- the author did a great job bringing small town MN life alive to his readers.

I also appreciate that this book featured a LGBTQA+ main character as I feel like we dont see alot of these characters represented in a big way in novels. I hope we get to explore more of this aspect of Ben the next time we meet him again (wishful thinking here). This one comes out on 6/14/22 and you just have to add it to your summer TBR.

Two teens breaking into a seemingly abandoned home find way more than they're looking for, and their disappearance ends up in the lap of Sheriff's Deputy Ben Packard, who has recently returned to Sandy Lake himself.

This book has all the trappings of a good thriller-- a small town with dark secrets, missing kids, well written characters, and writing that takes you along on the investigation so you're rooting for Packard to find the kids before their time runs out. It's definitely a quick read!

I absolutely loved the main character and the way he struggles with his past and returning to Sandy Lake after so long. I also loved how Moehling manages to write in such a way that the small town gets beautifully fleshed out and feels so authentic. Fans of Linwood Barclay's 'Promise Falls' series would absolutely love this!

Highly recommended for people who like a seedier story, and anyone who loves a good page turner! Would love to read more from this author!

Breaking and entering is always wrong.... but when you break into the wrong home you will pay the consequences!

Looking for prescription drugs to sell, Jenny and Jesse, break into a remote home hoping to hit pay dirt. What follows is a nightmare. Emmett Burr has dark secrets that he is willing to protect no matter what.

Ben Packard, the Sheriff's deputy, has moved back to his hometown after a personal tragedy. He is leading the investigation into the missing teens. Will he be able to crack the case?

This was a such a gripping and captivating book! I was full invested in the story from the first page. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Readers know more of what is going on than some of the characters but that will not hinder the enjoyment of this book in any way. I enjoyed knowing what was going on and watching to see Packard investigating.

This was brilliantly written, and the author did a great job at transporting me to Sandy Lake, Minnesota. The descriptions in this book are both vivid and disturbing. There is a clock ticking in this book which heightens the tension and had me worried.

I am hoping with my fingers crossed that there will be more books and that this is not a stand-alone book. I enjoyed Ben Packard's character and hope to read more about him and future cases. (hint hint, nudge nudge).

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a fantastic job.


Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Joshua Moehling and Poisoned Pen for early access to this Audio book! These are my opinions, freely given.

And There He Kept Her is a thriller/mystery. We jump right in to a dark scene where two teenagers have broken into an old man's house on a remote lake to steal his prescription drugs. But the old man, Emmett Burr is not to be underestimated because he's got secrets in his house, ones that he'll kill to keep hidden.

When the two teens, one (Jenny) who is a type 1 diabetic don't come back home, the search begins. Lead by Ben Packard, who recently moved back to Sandy Lake after a personal tragedy, he makes promises to Jenny's mom that he will find the missing kids.

The journey that Packard takes has many twists and turns, most that we see coming since the story is written from both Emmett's POV and Packard's. But this did not take much away from how great the story was. As the reader you meet many supporting characters, all that are well introduced to us, some that you will cheer for their success and others, their demise. Most of all, you'll cheer for this story!

While listening to And There He Kept Her, I audibly gasped multiple times. This story was delightfully creepy and horrifyingly thrilling. Joshua Moehling takes you through the ringer, with glimpses of triumph through character development, and investigation development. I thoroughly enjoyed this Audio book and recommend it to anyone who loves mystery/thriller/crime books with multiple POV's.

Grab your copy on June 14th, add this to your GoodReads account and check out my bookstagram at @margiebythebookcase.

When Deputy Ben Packard moves back to his home town in Minnesota he's hoping to quietly rebuild his life after losing his spouse. When he's made acting sheriff his hopes of peace and quiet are ruined as two kids go missing, there's an ongoing battle between two very outspoken neighbors, and missing cars and drugs seem to all be part of the problem. This is a well-written, well-paced thriller that seems to be asking for a sequel.

Rating: 3
Author: Joshua Moehling

This one was okay. It wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t great. I feel like it was way too long even when I turned the speed up to 3.0 on the audiobook. The narrator felt one note which made it hard to connect to the characters. I never truly felt any emotion from anything happening in the story.

I think the main issue I have with this book is there is nothing to figure out and it has zero suspense. From reading the synopsis as well as the title of the book the reader knows what happened. The chapters switch between what’s currently happening with Jenny and the police officer Packard who is trying to figure out where she is. While I liked Packard’s character I didn’t care about his chapters. Again, I think it’s because as the reader I knew where Jenny was and so it made Packard’s chapters feel very repetitive. I did, however, find Emmett and Jenny’s interactions to be interesting. I feel as though if the story focused more on Emmett’s conflicting feelings then I would have enjoyed this one more.

Overall, it’s an okay book to read if you have nothing else going on. This is definitely one that you will have to try on your own. Just because it wasn’t for me doesn’t mean you might not love it!

Thank you so much @dreamscapemedia & @poisonedpenpress for the #gifted copy on #netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Whew! And There He Kept Her by Joshua Moehling was a page turner that left me breathless through all the sections with the teenagers who were missing. The narration of the audiobook was great.

The parts of the book with Ben Packard, sheriff's deputy/acting sheriff were not only well-written and entertaining, they explored facets of lives rarely explored; I am not going to spoil the specific issues Ben is facing in his new small-town, but I enjoyed thinking about it and pondering if small towns really are that much different from bigger cities in dealing with differences or if they are just magnified because of the size of the town making everyone's attitudes more on display. Though this isn't a typical book club type book, some of the community issues that were highlighted in the novel would certainly make for good discussion topics.

So the thriller portion of this novel revolves around two missing teenagers. In the first pages of the novel, the reader learns what happens to them: They robbed the wrong guy and paid a steep price for doing so. The book follows three different POVs: One of the two teenagers, the main police officer (Ben), and the old man who was robbed. Each POV was fascinating and made the story so much more well rounded than it would have been without it. In fact, in addition to the three narrators, I absolutely loved so many of the secondary characters in And There He Kept Her. The main standout for me was Gary, the LGBTQ+ truck driver/former porn-star/former prostitute/animal rescuer was a trip. He and his feud with his religiously zealous neighbor was a welcome comic relief.

All in all, I REALLY liked this book and would give it 4.5 stars for entertainment and enjoyment.

Attention thriller lovers.. pick this book up!! I am so thankful to Dreamscape media for the advanced listening copy of this amazing book! It is so fast paced, it grabbed my attention and I was literally finding any chance to listen! The characters are so well developed and complex! I loved the variety in them! And the point of view switching from the detective to the kidnapper was exactly what we needed!! It gave us so much insight into the thoughts and actions of this grotesque man! I just loved this book and cannot wait for the next on!

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced audiobook copy.

The narrator did an excellent job! The story was great

I absolutely love the idea behind this but it just didn’t work out for me! I love a “vigilante goes too far” tale because it’s an interesting thought experiment. How much is too much when someone has encroached upon your private property?

Well, if you want to know how much is too much, look no further than Emmett. He’s a tater head loser whose less tater-ish wife left him because he’s a gross tool.

One of my main issues with this book is the structure. I’m even having a hard time writing this review without it being a confusing flow of events, so I’m sorry for that.

So basically, two teens are missing. Jesse and Jenny. They’re dating. We know Jesse messes with drugs and Jenny is a diabetic who left her kit and phone at home so the clock is ticking.

Packard moved to this small town after a tragedy and is acting sheriff while the real one has chemo. Jenny is his cousin Susan’s daughter. At first he wasn’t worried but the more time that goes by and the more he learns, he’s becoming worried too.

We see at the beginning of the book a prologue of sorts that tells us a guy is hurting kids who snuck in his basement. This was just a mess structurally. The narration didn’t fit. The funniest part was that the kids have this secluded area they hang out called the Love Shack.

I love movies covering this situation but this just jumped between people too much without really telling what was going on and it got too frustrating. It was like it was somehow spoiling the story without even telling you the details.

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.
He audiobook is great as well. The narration is well done and kept me engaged all the way through.
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.

I was very excited for this book based on the cover and description, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. I made it halfway through and not much had happened.

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

For full disclosure, I toggled back and forth from the audio to print versions. This review is about the audio quality. My full book review will be quoted at the bottom.

The audio was great. I really enjoyed this narrator. I think I may have listened to her before, but I'm not certain. She did all of the voices fantastically. Great audiobook!

"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."

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!

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

This book is so good!! I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook. The suspense and mystery kept me listening till the very end.
The narrator, Linda Jones brought this story to life. The variety of tones and inflections used for a variety of characters. I was able to easily tell which character is speaking. Very well done.
The book has a satisfying ending for all involved. While this book is dark, and disturbing due to its content it is a well written book that kept me hooked till the very end. Very impressive debut novel. I hope there is more of Ben Packard mystery series.

Special thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the ALC.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! A dark and twisted tale of teenagers in over their heads, a man with a past , and a cop moving on after loss. There is a lot to take in with this book and the tension is real as a young girl fights to survive.