Two teens, Jenny and Jesse, go missing after they break into a man's house in an attempt to steal prescription medications.
Ben Packard, the new acting Sheriff in Sandy Lake, Minnesota, is tasked with finding the teens while dealing with losses of his own. Packard is a really interesting character who is complex and real. I'd like to see this become a series with Packard as the lead.
Readers know where Jenny and Jesse are and who has them. There are no real twists or surprises, but it's interesting to follow the leads Packard gets to solve the case.
Sometimes dark and disturbing, I would recommend this debut novel to readers who like police procedurals.

*ARC from Netgalley for an honest review*
And There He Kept Her is pretty much a typical thriller. It was a good book and kept me hooked, but it was not a fresh idea. It was very similar to the Don't Breathe movie with a side quest of seeing the detective's side who is trying to find the girl being held hostage.
Two teenagers break into a home to steal Opioids when things turn bad for the two. They end up being in Emmett Bur's house, a grumpy old man who has some secrets, particularly in his basement. (Sound familiar)? I did appreciate the depth that the author created for Emmett. He had real feelings and emotions where he played bad guy, but also kind of a good guy. I also appreciated the real-life possibilities that occurred. It was not one of those books that make it so unbelievable; there was a lot of attention to detail.
The story is intertwined with sheriff Packard who moves back to the town to solve the case of the two missing teens and a prescription drug scheme. While I appreciated his story, I would have preferred less of it. I hate thrillers that include any type of love scene. Can we please just leave it as a killer/thriller book and not add in completely unnecessary parts. I chalked it up to the author's dedication to details. It was a pretty fast-paced book, and maybe the ending was a little too quick, but overall, it was a great cat & mouse type book. I will definitely check out what else Moehling has to offer.

A disturbingly dark read, which I couldn’t get enough of. It was so unpredictable and gripping, and had me hiding behind my fingers at some parts! So good.

Jesse is breaking into a ramshackle house through the basement, his penlight shining on an inexplicable pink room, odd furnishings, decrepit conditions. As he climbs the steps, Jenny joins him, trying to get him to drop the plan but "he" has threatened Jesse's sister. As they start up the steps, a fat naked man with a double barrel shotgun confronts them and everything goes to hell.

And There He Kept Her is a fast paced, well-written thriller about a small tourist town's seamy side. Ben Packard, the Acting Sheriff of Sandy Lake, Minnesota left his twelve year career as a Minneapolis police officer after Marcus was killed. Who Marcus is and how he is connected to Ben develops throughout the novel. We quickly understand that Ben's job is varied. It ranges from helping people confronted by an aggressive bear, to serving legal papers, to mediating a dispute between a gay man who stayed in his mothers home after she died and his pious neighbor who wants him out for who he is. The central theme of And There He Kept Her is the disappearance of two high school students who are in a relationship, Jesse and Jenny. That Jesse and Jenny. Ben starts an inquiry a little more quickly than he might because Jenny's mother is Ben's cousin. They are not close. When a detail comes up that makes it clear that the pair did not intend to be gone so long, the inquiry becomes a desperate search.

There are ways this is a classic story in a classic setting. For those who find stories about sexual deviants and violence problematic, this is a trigger warning. Don't read this. For those who appreciate incredibly well drawn characters, with strong background stories, interconnections that are endemic to small towns, problems that are universal, lost people, good people and more this is for you. The plot is well written, the ending uncertain and the danger real. Highly recommend this debut writer and plan to look for sequels.

And There He Kept Her introduces us to the new sheriff in the town of Sandy Lake, Minnesota. Ben Packard's family used to summer vacation in the little town, up until the moment his big brother drowned in the local lake. Or apparently drowned. His body was never found. This ended the family's vacationing in this spot, and eventually ended his parent's marriage. They never returned to the town and the only family member left is Ben's cousin Susan and her daughter. Susan runs a local restaurant and his first case on his new job involves a search for Susan's missing daughter and her friend.

The reader knows from the beginning what has happened to the two young people. An air of suspense and mystery is maintained through the sheriff's slow but steady unraveling of the disappearance. We know that Emmett Burr is a more dangerous threat than the two teens realize. To them he's just a morbidly obese old man with a lot of pain pills to steal. They don't realize that he has a dark and dangerous past.

I thought the author did a really good job fleshing out his characters in this book, both the good and the bad. He even gives his main "bad" character, Emmett, flashes of humanity, even though he is definitely not a good person. He makes Sheriff Packard a sympathetic and intriguing character. He is a handsome gay man, living in a small, conservative town where it is impossible to keep secrets. I thought the author really captured the feel of these small towns, riddled with drug use and not a lot of opportunity available to the young people.

I have read several mysteries lately where the two timelines are employed to tell the story. While that can be a very effective device, it was enjoyable to once again read a story with a linear timeline. I think the aughor has more plans for Sheriff Packard, and I for one would look forward to his next case!

I would rate this 4.5, but I'm going to give it 5 stars because I think it's a great effort for a debut!

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Let me preface this review with the comment that everyone of my friends reviewed this book as 4 stars. For me, I couldn’t get past the stereotyping of the characters. The story itself was not horrible however the cliched characters did me in. I simply couldn’t get past it and it made this a very difficult read. There are zero reasons it should have taken me to read this book. It really wasn’t that long.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

Jesse and Jenny break into a house hoping to score some pain killers but instead are unexpectedly met by the owner of the home, Emmett, who is armed and ready to protect his turf….and his secrets.

When it’s noticed that the two teenagers are missing, the Sheriff knows he must work quickly to try and find them.

The story is written from Emmett and the Sheriffs POV. I found it more of a police procedural than a thriller. You pretty much know the basis of the plot from start, you’re just filling in what’s in between. There weren’t really any twists or unexpected occurrences. If you like police procedurals and aren’t looking for a thriller, then this book might work for you.

Thank you to NetGalley + Poisoned Pen Pages for the ARC. This released on 6/14/22.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved all the twists and turns and how it kept me on my feet. The storyline itself was done so beautifully. It flowed together nicely..
I'm a major sucker for serial killer stories and this is where this one was going for a minute . Overall the book kept you on your toes ready for more.

This book is shocking, creepy and disturbing … but I could not put it down. Brilliantly written and a great debut.

And There He Kept Her was thrilling and creepy. I could not wait to find out the ending and it was well worth the wait.

Loved this book from a new debut author. This book starts off where the reader knows who the "bad guys" are but the police are trying to figure it out. Two teenagers break into an older man's house and one of the teenagers is killed while the other is taken captive. From there the story unfolds about these teenagers as well as the police team trying to find them. You get many different perspectives throughout the book that are all intertwined. While this wasn't a slow burn, it also wasn't super fast-paced. I would say it falls somewhere in the middle. I kept reading because I wanted to see what would happen to the girl being held captive and the older man who killed her boyfriend. I definitely recommend giving this book a try as it was a highly enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more books from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Press Pen for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

Well written and suspenseful. I look forward to more of this author’s work.
Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

DNFed. For whatever reason, I couldn't get invested in this one. Fans of dark mysteries will enjoy this. It's a home invasion gone wrong story.

As a debut author, this was a serviceable thriller. However, as a seasoned reader, it didn't do much for me.

The story follows detective Ben Packard as he investigates the disappearance of two teenagers in a small town in Minnesota. The meat of the mystery - where are they and what happened to them - is downplayed by the fact that we see the story from dueling POVs - Packard's and that of the serial killer. All the mystery and suspense of the whodunnit is taken away. Once it is established who has the girl, all the tension falls out and things tend to fall flat. I did enjoy meeting the population of the small town, though. All the characters were their own special brand of odd that felt true to life in a small town.

I found this to be suspenseful enough.

Two teenagers break into the home of an older man with a bunch of health problems, many of them compounded by Emmet’s heavy drinking and terrible diet. He’s sickly, but he can still make terrible decisions.

There is more than one horrible human being in this novel, and I feel like the author tried to downplay the nightmarish behavior of what these people did. With Emmet, he’s in ill health physically and mentally, but he’s not a complete sociopath in that he sort of gets why his behavior is evil.

In terms of pacing, this novel works. Yes, the teenagers made a bad decision, but their punishment far outweighed the crime. I like the acting sheriff Ben Packard, who came to this small town to get away from bad memories. I also liked his interactions with reliable cops and a lazy cop.

What begins as a straightforward burglary when two adolescents steal into a home on a lonely lake in pursuit of prescription drugs quickly turns into a nightmare for everyone concerned. Emmett Burr has been concealing secrets in his basement for more than 20 years, and he will stop at nothing to prevent the revelation of his history. The distinction between the victim, abuser, and protector becomes hazier as he gains the upper hand over his captors. Ben Packard, a former police officer, has returned to Sandy Lake, a tiny town in Minnesota, in search of a new beginning following a personal tragedy. Due to a family connection, Packard, who is now a sheriff’s deputy, is in charge of the investigation into the missing teenagers. As time runs out to save them and leads to a lack of new leads, Packard is compelled to come clean about his secrets and delve deeply into the history of the area he now calls home.

I should start by stating that this novel is gloomy. To my taste, it’s not overly black, but it’s still very gloomy and unsettling. I liked the atmosphere. It takes place in a tiny town. And I always like the atmosphere of little towns. They are lovely. I adored Detective Ben Packard, who was our primary character. Ben’s perspective and the villain’s perspective are both used to tell the story. The way Moehling told stories was fantastic. For a first author, his writing is quite good because it is simple to read. I adored Ben, our primary character. His character grew tremendously over the entire novel. And he’s gay as well. It seemed to be the cherry on top.

The small-town dynamics and an intriguing array of characters, including two neighbors who need police intervention to end their feuds, help the authors expertly weave in some humorous moments in the story! Some of the scenes are more than a little unpleasant, but the book does touch on some significant subjects, like drug misuse among youngsters, senior citizens’ safety, kidnapping, and sexual abuse. I’m crossing my fingers that there will be other volumes and that this is not the final installment.

Trigger Warning: There may be scenes of extreme violence, rape, sexual or physical abuse, or other horrific events that are difficult to read.

This book is a thriller thats hard to put down. I read this a few months ago but was not able to post my review then, yet I still find myself thinking about this story. Overall, I do not want to spoil or ruin this book but I will say it was great read and I recommend it for fans of thrillers and mystery. I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. 5 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
And Their He Kept Her by Joshua Moehling

2 teenagers decide it’s a great idea to break into the basement of an older drunk man in the middle of the night…..what could possibly go wrong?! Emmett has had enough and decides to take matters into his own hands. Ben, the local sheriff is tasked with finding out where the 2 missing teens have gone. Secrets are unraveled, captor becomes protector and lies are blurred in story!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book.

I DNF'd at about 40% I believe. Unfortunately, there was no mystery to this book. Since we follow both the main officer on this case as well as the 'serial killer' we already know what is happening with the girl that he is trying to find. Therefore, there was no sense of urgency or appeal to the mystery. I liked that we saw into the mind of the killer, but it could have been done in a way where we have that sense of panic or urgency for the well-being of the girl that gets captured. The killer also seemed like a cartoon villain in some instances.....lol.

The officer himself was kinda boring to read and the book in itself felt very lacklustre. The story was very slow with little to nothing actually happening.