This book was just strange and creepy, and at first it was a good thing but the more I kept going, the more it just didn’t hook me.

Ben Packard is back!!

I enjoyed reading Moehling’s debut last year, And There He Kept Her, and was excited to learn that we’d be getting more! Ben is such a well written and well rounded character and his dry humour provides some incredibly entertaining comedic relief!

While this one is the second of a series, this procedural can easily be read as a standalone, but I do encourage you to read the first as it was impressive!

In this small town mystery, we get an intriguing crime that seems to be surrounded by an abundance of secrets.
Someone is murdered, and his wife’s sister happens to be his EX wife? This one was juicy!! I’m well get more in the near future!

Another great book in this new series! I really like Ben and all the side characters. Ben is a small town deputy, he came here for a calmer life but when events happen that puts him in a different position and having to deal with small town politics it just may take Ben in a new direction.

I enjoyed this mystery and all the other stuff going on with Ben. (no spoilers).

Linda Jones once again does a great job at the narration.

I can't wait for the next installment of this series!. Highly recommend this one!

4 Stars

I received this book from the publisher Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

When I started this reading I didn't know that there was already a first volume about Ben Packard. I chose this book from the Neygalley catalog because of its cover and title. I didn't read the synopsis. Sometimes I do this, just to see how much I can be surprised. The first lines weren't convincing me, but I decided: I'm not giving up now, after the first chapter I saw that it was worth continuing. Well, it was one of the best decisions I made. This book is a police novel, and there is a murder that needs to be solved, so far nothing special. What made this book remarkable was the character Packard. He is memorable. What the author has done here is incredible. I ended the book with this sentence in mind: I want to be friends with Packard. Masterfully crafted characters is the phrase I use to describe this book. That yes, makes this book stand out from the rest of the genre. I will be reading volume 1 in the near future, and I'm biting my nails waiting for the next one. What I least liked was the fact that I still don't have the next volume of the story in my possession.
Thank you so much netgalley and dreamscape media for this fantastic opportunity.

#wherethedeadsleep, #joshuamoehling,
#policenovel, #netgalley, #dreamscapemedia

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"You're confusing longevity with competence."

Acting Sheriff Ben Packard has become one of my all time favorite and very competent mystery detectives. In the intriguing Where The Dead Sleep by breviloquent author Joshua Moehling we get a murder mystery, corrupt small town politics and a no nonsense sheriff with a lot of personal baggage.

After a steamy night with a sexy drummer Ben is awoken early about Bill Sanderson found shot dead in his bed. He was a local hustler who everyone had a story about so there's no shortage of suspects, from the current wife, the ex wife (who is the current wife sister!), the high stake poker players he probably tried to cheat, and any number of people he might have ripped off at one time. But something smells fishy to Ben about all the red herrings he is catching on this case.

Then there's the pressure being put on him to run for permanent sheriff. He isn't sure it's worth the fight trying to be the first gay sheriff in this small gossiping not trusting outsiders town. But he's not ready to leave either. He still has his own personal agenda surrounding the death of his brother in this very town years ago.

Just bravo to narrator Linda Jones for her ability to bring out the charm of the matter of fact Ben. She makes you root for him more than solving the murder. Also, she's got a handle on all the crazies this writer created to make our head spin, our bellies laugh and our eyes bug out.

I enjoyed the author's first book introducing Ben Packard, And There He Kept Her, but I really appreciated him this second time around. Where The Dead Sleep can be enjoyed as a standalone but why not also enjoy the introduction of a new kind of sheriff and rest well knowing he knows where the dead sleep.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

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.

Police procedurals and small town setting are two things I love and Where the Dead Sleep has both! I did not get a chance to read the first book in this series but this one worked well as a stand alone. Ben Packard is an interesting and complex character. The multilayered mystery was suspenseful and twisty. If there was already a third book I would have started it immediately!

I really like the character of Ben Packard but other than that, Where the Dead Sleep fell a little flat for me. This one won’t stick with me and I think the mystery was very forgettable. Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley and Libro.fm for the free ebook and audiobook.

Where The Dead Sleep is perfectly set for reading right now, it covers the time span from Labor Day to early winter in Minnesota's North Country with the temperatures going down first to fall then early snow.
An early morning call brings Acting Sheriff Ben Packard to the scene of a home invasion, he finds Bill Sanderson shot in his bed, his wife unharmed. Bill had a tendency to chase easy money his whole life, leaving bad debts and broken hearts. Everyone Packard talks to has a story about Bill, but no one has a clear cut motive.
There's the business partner, the ex-wife, the current wife and ex-wife's richer sister, the high-stakes poker buddies. Any of them-or none of them-could be guilty.
The supporting cast of characters is well drawn, they are true people with good intentions and very human flaws nothing is all good or evil ..
Aside the ongoing investigation Packard's role as Acting
Sheriff is coming to an end he'll have to make up his mind on whether to run for sheriff, does he want the job ? He also has doubts about his electability - is Sandy Lakes ready for a gay sheriff and does he want to put his life up for scrutiny ? An interesting sideline...
This is a suspenseful, wry, deeply clever mystery, it is tightly plotted and includes a whole variety of motives - love and money being front and center. There are twists and turns and I found myself highly engaged till the dramatic finale. Ben Packard is a complex and appealing character, a diligent cop who acts with integrity and has his own traumatic back story that still needs to be explored further - the final pages give the reader an inkling the third book will tackle this backstory, now I am waiting ...

I was really looking forward to the next Ben Packard story. The first was so compelling. Ben returns to his hometown but doesn’t tell everyone why. He is acting sheriff in a town that may or may not be ready for a gay man leading the law.

The sheriff passes and an election is held to replace him before Ben can finish out the term. He doesn’t even want the job. But maybe he does.

Meanwhile, an overly tangled family begins to turn up dead. Sisters with names that are almost exactly the same. A man marrying two of the three. That man being murdered. A wife and an ex wife, sisters, hiding things. All while Packard tries to decide if he even wants this job.

I was hoping for a little more about the disappearance of Ben’s brother so many years ago. We get only a tiny bit more. The tease makes me part angry and part anxious for the next book.

I both read and listened to this book. The narrator became the voice I heard when I was reading in my head.

Ben Packard is acting sheriff in the small town of Sandy Lake, Minnesota. He is called to a murder scene where a man has been shot in bed while his wife was asleep in a separate bedroom upstairs. Was it a burglary gone wrong? A Home Invasion? As Ben investigates he stumbles on lots of people with motives and reasons to kill the victim. Additionally Ben is faced with a tragedy that forces him to think about his future and also his troubled past.

This was a fast paced story that satisfied my love of police procedural thrillers. It had a great cast of characters/suspects, it wasn’t predictable and had a really good subplot that added to the story. The author does a fantastic job building the story and putting the pieces into place towards a satisfying conclusion. This is a great series that continues to get better as the characters develop. This can be read as a stand alone but I have enjoyed both stories and would recommend reading them in order to anyone looking for a good mystery.

The audiobook was great!

4.5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review

.

3.75 Stars

*Can be read as a standalone.*

Deputy Ben Packard is currently investigating the homicide of Bill Sandersen. Bill was found dead in his bed, with two gunshot wounds. Could Bill's death have been the result of a dispute over money or was there something more nefarious at play? As a well-known gambler, it's possible that he was involved in some unsavory business dealings.

Although this crime novel had a slower pace, the author managed to capture and maintain the reader's interest throughout. Would recommend.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Joshua Moehling, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

so-so murder case, but good writing. i wasnt that interested in the case intself. found it boring, but Joshuas writing style was good and i enjoyed that ending.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media & Joshua Moehling for an audio arc of Where the Dead Sleep. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced, except for quotations.

"When an early morning call brings Deputy Ben Packard to the scene of a home invasion, he finds Bill Sandersen shot in his bed. Bill was a well-liked local who chased easy money his whole life, leaving bad debts and broken hearts in his wake. Everyone Packard talks to has a story about Bill, but no one has a clear motive for wanting him dead. The business partner. The ex-wife. The current wife. The high-stakes poker buddies. Any of them—or none of them—could be guilty.

As the investigation begins, tragedy strikes the Sheriff's department, forcing Packard to make a difficult choice about his future: step down as acting Sheriff and pursue the quiet life he came to Sandy Lake in search of, or subject himself to the scrutiny of an election for the full-time role of Sheriff, a job he's not sure he wants.

There's a hidden history to Sandy Lake that Packard, ever the outsider, can't see. Bad blood and old secrets run deep. But an attempt on Packard's life means he's getting uncomfortably close to the dangerous legacy of the quiet Minnesota town. And someone will do anything to keep it hidden."

I only liked the first Ben Package story so-so. This one was marginally better, but I think I'm just going to chalk it up to me not being a fan of this author. I've not really enjoyed anything he has written that much, so I feel like he's just not for me and not that his writing is bad. It happens sometimes.

The pacing in the beginning was slow, but picked up. As I didn't really connect with Packard in And There He Kept Her, I wasn't really connecting with him here, either. Again, this just wasn't for me. I do know many people loved this book & this author.

I read this book as a stand alone, though I realized quickly it was part of a series. This is book 2 and I didn't feel lost despite not knowing about book 1. This book was fantastic. It had great pacing, interesting characters, and beautiful writing. Honestly the end of watch scene had me tearing up. There were a few interesting phrases, like saying Ben "exhaled like a dolphin" which lead me down a google-rabbit hole, but I digress.

Read this book. If you like police procedurals, read this book. If you like mysteries, read this book. If you like small towns, read this book. If you like well written characters, read this book. If you like cold cases, read this book. And if you don't like any of that stuff- still read this book.

Now please excuse me while I go find the first one so I can learn more about this small town

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good mystery. I really enjoyed Packer as the main character because his voice is unique. I loved that this book takes place in rural Minnesota and really captures small town life. I look forward to more books with Packer in the future.

“Where the Dead Sleep” is lighter fare vs the first book in the series “And There He Kept Her”. Our protagonist, acting sheriff Ben Packard is investigating the death of Bill Sanderson. He was found dead in his bed by his wife. The entire town is perplexed with who would want to kill the local car salesman with a penchant for gambling and drinking. This novel is a family mystery filled with manipulation, vengeance, and sisterly vindictiveness.

I would’ve preferred the plot to be a bit darker like the first novel. I really enjoyed the evolution of the northern Minnesota town towards members of the LGBTQ community. Ben Packard is smart, kind and a strong, moral character. Readers can’t help but like him and root for him.

My favorite part of the book is Sherriff Packard’s reminiscing about the death of his brother Nick who went out into the snow one evening and never returned. Moehling hints at a backstory that will surely develop into the third book in the series and I can’t wait. I’m ready for a twisted backstory for Nick. Moehling’s first novel was darker like Karen Slaughter and this second novel was closer to a plot line of a Megan Miranda book. Go darker with book 3, Josh. We can take it and will eat it up with a spoon. 3.75 Stars

The also listened to an ALA (advanced listeners audiobook). It was excellent. The narrator had a calming voice with good intonation. As a Minnesotan, I was very glad that she didn't "Fargo-esque" the voices and make the characters sound uneducated. It was a very easy listen and I didn't catch myself having to relisten to passages to follow along with the plot.

Acting Sherriff Ben Packard of Sandy Lake, Minnesota, has his hands full solving the murder of a man who was shot to death in his own bed as well as running for the position of Sheriff after a tragedy leaves the position vacant.

Bill Sanderson’s death is surrounded by a cloud of lies, deception, and family secrets. Bill had gambling debts, was investing in a business venture with a friend, and his personal life was complicated, to say the least, and Ben discovers in the course of the investigation. Who wanted him dead and why? Was it a burglary gone wrong or was the motivation more personal? The narrative follows Ben as he tries to unravel small-town secrets and find the killer all the while trying to navigate the internal politics within his department and people who would rather see him fail at his job.

Joshua Moehling’s Where the Dead Sleep is a well-paced and tightly plotted police procedural. The author does a wonderful job of setting the scene with the small-town secrets, an interesting cast of characters and quite a few surprises along the way. Though not entirely unpredictable I enjoyed the build-up to the finale. This is the second book in the author’s Ben Packard series. As in And There He Kept Her, I really enjoyed the procedural aspect and liked how the protagonist’s character arc is being developed. In fact, I enjoyed this installment more than the first book in the series, I look forward to the next book in the series, especially for the unraveling of a decades-old mystery from Ben’s past.

Though this book is the second in a series it would work well as a standalone.

I paired my reading with the audiobook narrated by Linda Jones who has done a decent job of voicing most of the characters. I do think, however, the narrator was trying a bit too hard while voicing the Indian character. But I guess that’s more of a personal observation and overall, I did enjoy listening to the audiobook.

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy and to Dreamscape Media for the ALC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book is about Deputy Ben Packard, who wakes one morning to a call about a possible home invasion with one dead victim. As his investigation of the death of Bill Sandersen begins, Ben learns that quite a few people that he interviews have some things to hide and some aren't telling him the truth. He discovers that the victim has quite a deep story- debts, bitter family members, ex family members, high-stakes gambling, and any of the locals could be involved in one way or another. One night, Ben attends a poker night at the home of a wealthy community member, as the victim had been involved in this high-stakes poker before he died. While at that house, an attempt is made on Deputy Packard's life, which deepens the investigation. Throw in small town politics, an upcoming election, and a whole bunch of small town secrets that some want to keep hidden, and Deputy Packard definitely has his hands full! Ben also has a secret as to why he has come back to Sandy Lake. The ending definitely left me hanging and I'm anxious for the next in this series to come out!
I very much enjoyed this book! In fact, I didn't even realize that it was the second in a series until I shelved it on Goodreads! Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC audiobook!
#NetGalley #WheretheDeadSleep

This was an intriguing murder mystery. Th e ending didn't necessarily surprise me but I enjoy following Ben Packard enough that I will continue reading these novels. I do really enjoy Moehling's writing as well.