A classic girl goes missing, police looking for her, shady dudes doing messed up stuff and a good ending. Great for a quick, fast-paces afternoon read! Kept me interested from beginning to end!

If you like mysteries set in small towns enveloped by secrets, this one is for you. Is there anyone in Sandy Lake who doesn't have a secret? Well, you'll just have to read And There He Kept Her to find out. You certainly won't be disappointed. It's a well-paced debut with a good plot. I was pleasantly surprised. The final act is especially well done. This book displays enough promise that you'll come back for the next one. Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the advance reading copy! #AndThereHeKeptHer

I really enjoyed this book. Well, enjoy? I am not a fan of gore or violence against women but it was well done and kept me reading to see what happened next. I was most intrigued by the characters who were an very interesting group from Ben, the Sheriff to Emmett, the criminal and how the author developed the story and the characters. Most intriguing were their complex personalities and the struggles between good and evil, as well as their relationships with their co-workers, friends and family.
I look forward to the follow up novels!

ARC provided by NetGalley for an Honest Review
I am pretty taken aback by how quickly I was sucked into this book and how much I enjoyed it. This book felt just like watching an intense but horrifying episode of Criminal Minds. The author builds a dual perspective story told via the POVs of both the MC, the local small town Deputy (but really, acting Sheriff) and the villain. At times the amount of characters got a bit confusing but it didn’t take long once invested to differentiate between most. With the MC doing so many interviews and meetups with locals those minor interactions helped not only build the setting but also provide identities to a select few townspeople. I’m thinking a lot of this is also stage setting for a larger series, to which I’d be fully on board to read.
After a young girl and her boyfriend go missing MC Packard takes on the case working in lieu of the sheriff whose out while receiving cancer treatments. Packard is new to the town but visited when he was younger so he does have his own roots linking him to the town. What I really liked about Packard was his intelligence. His reasoning and on the job skills not only led me to see him as a reliable and trustworthy cop. Honestly the fact that the missing girl is his niece does little to challenge his perspective and he behaves like he gives every case his all.
The book does touch on heavy subjects so if you can’t even watch any crime shows on tv this will really not be for you. If you’re in the mood for an excellent detective novel, with adventure, mystery and some pretty creepy moments this should definitely, at the very least, land on your radar. Really intense and exciting read. Great debut and hopefully the first of many in a new series!

Wow! This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Hard to believe this is a debut novel by Joshua Moehling; it blew me away! It was fast paced, thrilling and wonderfully written. I loved the characters, especially Gary and Susan, they just added some humor to the mix, which was a nice addition to the whole story. I can't wait to see what the author has in store for us next, hopefully something more from our small town of Sandy Lake.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press Publishing for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Woah! This is a super creepy, dark and somewhat disturbing mystery/ thriller. In a small dusty town of Sandy Lake, two teenagers Jesse and Jenny break into an older man´s house in hopes of finding pills. They presumed he was as helpless as he was elderly. Holy smokes were they wrong. What happens next will have your jaw on the floor! We also meet the Sheriff, Ben and the story unfolds around him. There is so much suspense and on edge feel! I loved every minute!

Wow!  Joshua Moehling is a name to know!  And There He Kept Her is a suspenseful police procedural with a heart.  The novel's characters are fully outlined and people you can know and love after just a few pages.  I am very glad this is the start of a new series because I want to read more by Moehling about Packard and Sandy Lake.

This book had me hooked from page one. Every character comes alive on the pages. The main character seems to be someone I want to read more about. The story progressed quickly and is a real page turner. You find yourself absorbed in the pages and hoping for the best outcome A well
Written mystery that the author weaves easily and keeps the reader wanting more. Run out and get this one. You won’t be sorry. .

When you explain the book out loud, the synopsis sounds great. But once I started reading it fell flat for me. A lot of smaller details and un-needed information was thrown in there and made the story line drag out. I usually get a book done in a day or two but this took me so long. I didn’t look forward to picking it back up and had to push myself through it.

And There He Kept Her by Joshua Moehling grabbed my attention from the first page and did not let go. Hard to believe this is a debut novel! As you can tell from the dark cover, its a thriller/suspense that is perfectly creepy. It begins with two teens breaking into a house in search of narcotics, little do they know the homeowner is there and he doesn’t take kindly to these kids invading his space…. and the story is off and running!

Here’s what you need to know:

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.

Coming out in June.

337 pages

5 stars

Emmett Burr is hiding a big secret. This book contains vignettes describing Emmett and his actions. Emmett also has a quasi friend or partner of sorts.

Acting sheriff of Sandy Lake Ben Packard catches the case of two missing teens. Alerted by his estranged cousin, Susan, she reports her daughter Jenny missing. Following up on leads, Ben knows that she and her boyfriend Jesse left together - and without their cell phones.

Meanwhile, Jenny and Jesse break into an old ramshackle house in search of prescription drugs. Tragedy strikes.

Ben’s investigation leads him to a conspiracy of sorts. There is a group of people who break into houses and take mostly opioid drugs. When they start getting killed, Ben and his fellow deputies are continuing their investigation.

The plot of this book is complicated and fascinating. In between responding to the usual nuisance calls and auto accidents, the search for the killer intensifies.

Digging deeper into the conspiracy reveals secrets long held.

This book tells a story that is told on two levels. The investigation is one while on the other hand, we see what happens between Jenny, Emmett and his circle of acquaintances. The tension is palpable and slowly increases as the pages fly by. The conclusion of the story is exciting and well told.

There are bodies everywhere…

This is Mr. Moehling’s debut novel. It is absolutely great! It is very well written and plotted. The transitions are smooth and nearly flawless. I was very pleased at the well thought out and colorful descriptions of the characters and the scenery of the little town of Sandy Lake. I really liked Ben and hope to read more about him. I would have liked to know more about him, but that may come in future books.

I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for forwarding to me a copy of this remarkable debut novel for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.

I got this ebook from netgalley in exchange for a review! This book started out a bit slow for me but when I got to between 20-25% it picked up and it turned out to be such a good book ! A very fast paced book! The characters were great and storyline was too. I liked how the book ended , I'd definitely recommend this book even though it's not my usual genre.
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.

Unrelentingly suspenseful and written with a piercing gaze into the dark depths of the human soul, And There He Kept Her is a thrilling page-turner that introduces readers to a complicated new hero and forces us to consider the true nature of evil.

A small lakeside town which suffered from the disappearance of two women 20 years earlier, now finds itself without the Chief of Police when they need him the most. Newcomer to the squad, Packard becomes the acting Chief handling squabbles between neighbors, minor car accidents and general slow, small town crime. Thrown into the investigation of the disappearance of his cousin's 16-year-old daughter, Packard discovers a narcotics ring run by the grandson of the current Chief of Police. How the disappearance of Jenny is tied to drugs, murder and a secret kept for 30 years keeps the plot moving along. A personal secret kept by Packard is sprinkled throughout the story but does not add anything to the investigation of the crime itself. Various secondary characters are given minor rolls in the unraveling of the mystery. Enjoyable reading for the crime itself, but could have been tightened up a bit.

A dark twisty thriller set in the Northwoods of Minnesota. The book does take an unexpected turn at the end and your sympathies may waiver.

This was a debut novel. My usual complaints about debut novels was seen here, in that the author tried to include too much about what was going on socially at the time of the writing.. The plot was great, intense and very visual. Small town USA proves to have the same problems as large town metropolitan USA. Multiple medical issues, drug abuse, depression, issues with sexuality, depression, over bearing parents, and narrow mindedness just to name a few.

Two seemingly good high school kids disappear and newly moved to the area Ben Packard, acting Sheriff, must solve the crime. He is an intense thought provoking character who easily could become a series maker.

Highly recommend

3.5 stars

This is a good one, I enjoyed it. It's well-written and what I loved most about this book is the amazing and fair portrayal of the protagonist. And it's not just about the main character, each of the character has their own unique element that makes them interesting, I'd love to know more about Gary Bushwright, about Emmett and what happened earlier in his life, and Susan's unnatural quirks.

Looking forward to reading more from you Mr. Moehling.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of this book.
To be published: 14th June, 2022.

4.5 stars
This had a bit of a slow start for me but once it got going I was HOOKED. This is a mostly detective POV thriller which is usually not something I gravitate towards, but I really liked the detective we were following and the small town vibes were perfect - it reminded me a lot of Karin Slaughter’s procedural series

I really loved the cover. First 25% of the book kept me involved in the plot, but as the story progresses I started losing interest. I felt the story was dragging a bit. There were some graphic moments/triggers that kind of remind me of true crime stories. It is a edgy genre but may not be suitable for people who has trigger points.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book for honest review. This book started off strong but about a third of the way through it felt a little disjointed and honestly bored me. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and I didn’t understand how some parts of the story made sense or they weren’t believable. For example, the detective talking about adopting a dog in the middle of an intense high profile investigation just didn’t make sense to me. This book was just not for me. Interesting concept but failed on delivery.

Wow! I can’t believe that “And There He Kept Her” was a debut. I read this in about a day, couldn’t put it down. New to town, Sheriff’s Deputy Benjamin Packard is investigating the disappearance of a teen couple in the small lake town of Sandy Lake that triggers a deeply sinister series of events. What a well rounded and likable protagonist! I look forward to more of Joshua Moeling’s books.