I found this book to be just an average read. There really were no surprises or twists. I did like the main character, Packard and the story did keep my interest.

This was good for a debut and had some interesting characters, but overall the concept seemed a little farfetched and overdone.

If you enjoy reading stories from a cop's POV and feeling for the cop then this is one for you to check out. Personally, I think I'm that type of thing. Also, I wonder if the author knows any teenagers because man, the teens in this book are truly a different breed.

Don't let my "meh" review dissuade you. GIve it a whirl if you like detective and twisted killer stories.

This book was great! There were areas where I gasped as well as things I did not see coming. I enjoy the representation in the book as well.

This was a fast read, and a good one at that! I’m glad to see that Moehling is making a series out of the main character - he was definitely the best one in the book!

What a debut!!

It takes a talented writer to weave a complex story of murder, abductions, drug rings, and a small town cop. This may have been Moehling's debut, but you'd never guess it while being entirely consumed and enthralled by And There He Kept Her.

The writing in this novel was fantastic. I could see the story unfolding before me and I was on the edge of my seat wondering how everything would tie together, if Emmett would be caught, and if Jenny would survive.

It takes a true master at their craft to tell the story of a real monster and make the reader almost like him! Emmett was really well developed and it was easy to forget he was a deeply troubled man with a history (and present!) of murder and abductions.

I loved that Packard wasn't your typical cis male detective. The added layer of his being gay added a great depth to the story and to his character. However, reader beware, there are uses of a very derogatory and offensive word in connection with Packard's sexuality.

Another piece I really appreciated about this novel was the fact that more than just two missing kids was going on in the town, for example, there were unrelated car accidents and neighborly disputes. This added a great element of believability. So often in detective novels, cops are singularly focused on one matter and that just doesn't seem authentic to me.

I'm really looking forward to more work by Moehling and I will absolutely be recommending this one!

Thank you to Poisoned Press and NetGalley for the copy.

Whew! This one grabbed me at page one and held on until the last page. Characters were fully fleshed out and the moments of quirky humor made this murder mystery a really good read. I highly recommend you put this one on your TBR list.

Two teens break into a elderly mans home,what could go wrong!? EVERYTHING!!! This book held my interest, well deserved of the hype! Just when you get into one characters events, it goes to another, and that story line is just as exciting! Definitely worth reading!

DEBUT AUTHOR!!!

Two teenagers go missing while trying to steal medications from a "creepy" old man. This story follows deputy Ben who comes back to his hometown to work on this case while also looking for clues to his brother's disappearance.

I would categorize this as more of a crime-fiction than a fast passed thriller, which threw me off going into the book. I really like the diversity and LGBTQ plus themes weaved into the novel/story. Loved the characters but did not fully understand the plot.

Suspenseful and realistically creepy, this will keep you reading late into the night, even if you know you have to be up early the next day!

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For a debut novel, I think this was a good book. I quickly realized I was not really the target audience for it, but it was still an easy enough read I didn't want to DNF it.

Unfortunately, I found the book to be overall very emotionless and linear. However, I can see the talent Moehling has for telling a story and I do think that he will only improve with time - this was just a fairly basic debut novel.

The relationships between the townsfolk were really interesting and really painted a picture of a nosy small town which I thoroughly enjoyed, and it was nice to see Packard starting to grow from his past after all these years of hiding as well. Though you'd think he would have more care for the fact that the missing person is his literal relative and not just a random townsfolk.

The chapters with Emmet, however, mostly served to confuse me. There were times where it felt like Emmett and Jenny were just casually chatting in a way that felt unrealistic to the situation they were in... However Emmett's overall character was interesting. He never really felt like what he was doing was Wrong and felt he deserved some kind of sympathy or was Owed something because of his hardships.

Ultimately, this book was forgettable for me. It wasn't a bad book, and if it sounds interesting to you I think its worth checking out.

This book had a well paced plot with solid character development. An quick and enjoyable read wi the multidimensional characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joshua Moehling for the advanced readers copy. Here is my voluntary and honest review of And There He Kept Her/

Two teens, breaking and entering, and drugs- what could go wrong? Oh, so much. This story was a rollercoaster ride, however I had higher expectations. The synopsis gave me all the creepy kidnapper vibes but what I got was a sweet, and caring kidnapper (which is quite common in the true crime world) but when reading a fiction psychological suspense, I don’t want the kidnapper to be caring. I was sick and twisted. I felt like the action and creep factor was lacking. The ending was anti-climactic in my eyes. It seemed quite slow, and the big reveal just didn't do much for me.

However, what saved this book for me was the police officer and his POV. His character was great, and I loved his passion for the case and his job. So as an aspiring lawyer, I love good Cop POV and all the case specifics and dramatics.

Have you ever seen an old man and wondered if that person is anything but an old man? You should, always.
And There He Kept Her comes as a breath of fresh air in the world of thrillers. Fantastic plot!!

This one was tough to get into. Not sure if it was the cast of characters in this small town. Or the pace. I pushed through but didn't enjoy.

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book took me a minute to really get into, and I think it's because the chapters are very long. That being said I am glad I stuck with this because I ended up really enjoying it.

Emmett is such a sad character, so much so that I began to really feel bad for him even though he's not a good man at all. He was so well written that I could close my eyes and actually feel like I was there in his (disgusting) house, watching things go down. I feel like this would make an excellent, creepy movie or show.

Some aspects seemed a little far fetched, but all in all this was a great thriller that once I got into, I couldn't put down. I would definitely pick up more from Joshua Moehling in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for a review.

I really liked this debut novel by Moehling. I particularly liked the main character, Ben Packard, who is the acting sheriff of the small town of Sandy Lake. You learned a lot about and including the fact that he's gay (which apparently netted some 1 star reviews from unsuspecting homophobes). I particularly enjoyed all the other characters that you can easily see coming back in a sequel, which I would love to see.

The plot centers around teenagers who go missing. We see this story from all sides so there are no big gotcha moments but quite a few a-ha moments of how pieces start to fall into place. I love that the bad guy is multi-faceted and while unquestionably a bad guy you see him questioning some of his life-choices. You see the victim using her wits to stay alive. And Ben Packard being emotionally and physically pulled in all directions just trying to do his best. And Gary, he is a peripheral character, but provides some great comic relief (he's also gay so be forewarned).

This book isn't really a thriller/mystery in the typical sense of the genre since you know the who and what but and you're learning the how and why of it all which depends on the diverse cast of characters that Moehling has put together.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. I usually stick to romance as my preferred genre to read but the title and cover caught my attention. To learn that this is the authors debut, I have to say I am quite impressed with his work and I can't wait to read more from him.

First of all, I could not put this book down. Living in a small town I could picture this story taking place. We really don't know who are neighbors are and sometimes even know who we live with. I loved all the characters in this story - well I guess not the bad guys. I think this was a little different because from the beginning we know who the kidnapper is when in other suspenseful books of this sort we are left guessing until the end.

If you are into thrillers or even if you aren't this is a great book to pick up and read.

I listened to this one on audiobook and it was a quick read that I couldn't stop listening to. The story starts off quick right away setting the storyline to come. You go back and forth from the cop investigating the missing teens to the monster that’s responsible. This one is disturbing in that you never know what monster is lurking behind a seemingly harmless face. It was gritty action packed and fast paced. I finished this one quickly. I enjoyed the characters and I also think this book can be turned into a police procedural series and I hope it does!

I sat down the other night to read this & before I knew it, I flew through the entire thing in a single sitting. It’s extremely bingeable as it’s got quick chapters, a very disturbing, yet intriguing storyline & I truly was so invested in figuring out how it played out.

While the cover is what initially grabbed my attention, this story grips you from the very first few chapters. It bounces back and forth between the perspective of sheriff, Ben Packard & villain, Emmett Burr, revealing secrets from both sides to keep the reader hanging on.

If you’re into crime thrillers, I think you’d enjoy this debut from @jmoehling!

Thanks so much to @netgalley for this e-copy! This one is out now! ✨