Thanks to Dreamscape Media for the copy of this book!

I really enjoyed And There He Kept her - it was so spooky and a really well-paced thriller. Where the Dead Sleep is Ben Packard Book 2, so I was very excited to read it, but unfortunately, it's just very slow. DNF @ 20%.

Where The Dead Sleep is the second novel in the Ben Packard series. Sure you can read it as a stand-alone and totally know what’s going on. BUT if you want to emotionally attach yourself to the main character, Ben, I suggest you read And There He Kept Her. It is an excellent book, and introduces you to the town, friends and back story of Ben Packard.
This book seems to be more police procedural then the last book. I totally get it, I mean Ben is acting sheriff. It’s his job. He’s a detective at heart and wants to find the murderer. The mystery and chase in this book is good, with some unexpected turns that you don’t see coming. The conclusion is perfect.
I found I was more interested in Ben’s life then the mystery or thriller aspect of the story. Ben is a gay officer, in a rural town. Now he is caught up in a town election, which is hard for a man who likes to stay private. He is a strong, determined man, but his insecurities start to show. I am totally loving his character and need more! Oh and more of three legged corgi, Frank, please.
I did jump between audio and print of this book, like I did with the first. The audio is fantastic, giving a voice to Ben. I think it helps form that bond with him. Listening to him, with emotion in his voice ( done very well by the narrator), really brings him to life. I will continue to read the series in audio and print, it just works.
I definitely recommend this book if you read the first. The ending is a giant cliffhanger, so I’m confident there is a third book. And if it’s solely about what is hinted, it has potential to be the best of the three.

Situated in a quiet town in Minnesota, it's a detective mystery story. Deputy Packard has a murder to be investigated and retracing the last few days of Bill's life is not really leading anywhere. Amid the investigation, more people are dying and an attack on the detective's life hints to him he is on the right track.

The book had so many people with motives but not enough opportunities. While the one that did have an opportunity had no motive (or any motivation towards life too). Without naming the character, let me tell you one of them was the most boring. People who appear doing everything right outside are often like ducks in the water—paddling anxiously underneath!

The book did manage to keep me off the trail while still hinting it could be anyone. The suspense building, the way it leaves you with a few unanswered questions to think about - was definitely my favourite about it all.


Thankyou @netgalley @sourcebooks @jmoehling @dreamscape_media for the Digital ARC

Genre: #mystery #thiller #adult
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

I am liking this series. The crime was way less creepy than the first book. Love the side characters, can't wait for it to continue

Thank you NetGalley for this digital free ARC. The narrator Linda Jones does a great job, and I enjoyed listening to this ARC immensely. This is a true page-turner that keeps you hooked and hard to put down. The characters and well developed and you truly want to know what’s going to happen to them. I love the Ben Packard series! The series is one of my go-to series to recommend to patrons when they come in looking for a well written mystery. This series is amazing and so well written, I can’t wait for the next one. I recommend this book and series to all.

Sheriff Ben Packard is back (woohoo!!!!!) in another gripping and hard to put down book which takes place in a small town in Minnesota with big secrets. This is the second book in a fabulous and exciting new series featuring acting sheriff Ben Packard and it does not disappoint. This can be read as a stand-alone but do yourself a favor and read the first book, And There He Kept Her. You will be happy you did!

Deputy Ben Packard received an early morning phone call that brought him to a crime scene where Bill Sandersen was found dead in his bed after being shot. Thus begins an investigation that will have Packard wading through family secrets, lies, deception and a slew of suspects.

Packard also must make a tough decision in this book- to step down as acting sheriff or enter the election to become the next sheriff. Moehling did a great job showing Packard's reasons for stepping down and his concerns about running. I could feel Packard weighing his options while I read.

This was a riveting book, and I was lucky enough to have the audiobook as well which made for an immersive reading experience. I thought the narrator did a fantastic job and put me right there in the action working the investigation along with Packard.

Like the first book in the series, this was a well written, well thought out, perfectly paced police procedural that kept me engaged and turning the pages. I can't wait for the next book in the series!

#wherethedeadsleep #NetGalley #JoshuaMoehling #PoisonedPenPress #DreamscapeMedia

Where The Dead Sleep is the second book in the Ben Packard series by American author, Joshua Moehling. The audio version is narrated by Linda Jobes. Two deaths in Sandy Lake in early September keep Acting Sheriff Ben Packard busy in entirely different ways. Sheriff Stan Shaw, the man who appointed him, has finally succumbed to cancer, and the chair of the board of county commissioners informs Ben that his position will be up for election in November.

While many in the town expect he will put himself forward as a candidate, campaigning as the new, gay guy, kowtowing to the commissioners for funds if he wins, and being at the whim of the voters at the end of each term, doesn’t appeal; he’d prefer detective work to paperwork; bureaucracy and personnel. But the pressure from colleagues and friends, including Stan’s widow, intensifies when their worst-ever deputy, a lazy man whose only encyclopaedic knowledge is town gossip, throws his hat in the ring.

The shooting of Bill Sanderson keeps Ben and his team well occupied: within hours he realises he has a case involving two sisters, a family fortune, a shared husband and an angry best friend. He’s also trying to discover what the victim did with the twenty thousand dollars he withdrew from a joint account.

He gets to do plenty of detective work, but despite potential suspects having alibis that are shaky, vague or non-existent, there’s nothing solid enough to pin down any of them. But as bits of information slowly filter in, Ben is quite convinced that the widow knows a lot more than she’s telling. A narrow miss at an expensive lake residence has Ben wondering if the bullet might have been intended for him. And then there’s another murder…

Sequels can be hit or miss, but Moehling is on a winner here: this one is tightly plotted, includes money and gambling and theft and infidelity, and has enough red herrings and distractions to keep the reader guessing right up to the dramatic climax. Ben Packard is a complex and appealing character, a diligent cop who acts with integrity while trying to keep his sexual preferences and a certain traumatic family incident under the town’s radar.

Moehling again gives the reader plenty of support characters with good intentions tempered with very human flaws, and a couple of really nasty characters whose attitude will chill to the bone. Mentions made of the case in the series debut will count as spoilers for first-time readers of Moehling’s work.

There is a generous dose of humour, some of it quite dark, both in the dialogue and the people and situations Ben has to sort out. The final pages will intrigue the reader into eager anticipation of the third book, on which, it is fervently hoped, Moehling is hard at work. Addictive crime fiction.
This unbiased review is from an audio copy provided by NetGalley and Dreamscape Media.

While this is the second in a series, of which I don’t read the first book, I will absolutely be awaiting the next book!!

Packard is the interim sheriff in town, but he has always enjoyed just being a detective. When the murder of a man in his bed comes across his desk, it takes Sheriff Packard through a twisting maze of possible murderers.

Bill led a simple life on paper, but having been married to a party animal, divorcing her only to marry her sister, a woman completely opposite to his previous wife, there is a lot of animosity there.

I enjoyed the investigation at the center of this book, and also the side stories happening in the meantime. I found myself compelled by Packard’s character and immediately found myself rooting for the man.

This book also gives glimpses into the previous book, which I will be reading for sure, and hints at what is to come in the next book. I personally cannot wait for more.

Great book! I listened to the audiobook and was hooked from the beginning. Finished it in 24 hours, and even though I read the second installment before the first, I could follow and understand the story well.
The mystery and its unravelling was interesting. I guessed some parts and was surprised by others. Packard is a good detective/police officer and a nice man. There were some loose ends that I hoped are explained in the next book! My only question is regarding the title... I honestly did not understand how it connects to the story, if anyone would like to enlighten me.
5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for an advanced copy.

I love Ben Packard and his corgi so much. Ben is just a good person, good morals, wants to do right by others but still has a backbone. He’s great. However, I felt totally unattached to this slow burn mystery and all the other characters. Unlike the first book, I just wasn’t quite hooked.

The narrator is great, though. She helped me along with some of the slow parts that I couldn’t focus on when trying to read in physical format.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

When a call brings Deputy Ben Packard to a home invasion, he finds Bill Sanderson shot in bed. Bill is a well known local and everyone has a story about him but no one has a clear motive to want him dead. Packard has a choice to either step away from the job or run for Sheriff amidst tragedy in the department while the small lake town’s secrets turn deadly.

Unfortunately I didn’t get attached to the MC of the story and it certainly took me far too long to get through the book. At no point was I invested in what was happening or why. Maybe I should have read the first book but it didn’t feel like you needed to read the first one to be able to understand what was happening in this one. It did not work for me but that doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.
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I had the chance to read & listen to it and my opinion did not change after listening to the audiobook.


Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an audio ARC for an honest review