As much as I loved the first installment of the series, I simply could not get into this one. It felt choppy and I didn't get much enjoyment reading it.

Ben Packard returns to the tense atmosphere of Sandy Lake as the town grapples with the shocking murder of Bill Sandersen. The hunt for the killer becomes a task of narrowing down suspects within a crowd of secrets and strained emotions. Packard’s familiarity with digging into small-town enigmas serves him well. This book is the second installment of a series, and although I have not yet read the first book, I definitely will add it to my TBR after reading this!
This book captures the essence of a police procedural that remains engaging while staying grounded in realism. Packard’s evolution and his dynamic with Sandy Lake’s inhabitants create a strong foundation for future installments. This book succeeds in delivering an exciting mystery that stands alone, yet teases intriguing prospects for what’s to come. As a procedural enthusiast, I’ll eagerly await the next book and will gladly recommend this series to fellow fans.
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I fully enjoyed this police procedural in which Deputy Ben Packard has to solve a murder while also running for a Police Chief. There are many twists and turns in this well written novel which held my interest throughout.

This is a wonderful drama. Packard is a detective acting as Sheriff in a small Minnesota town. When a murder occurs the investigation turns up several suspects. The plot will provide the readers many interesting moments. The characters are intriguing and all have varied motives for their actions. It will be interesting to see what happens next in the series.

Thank you to Libra.fm, Simon Audio, Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC/ALC!

Deputy Ben Packard is back, still acting as sheriff while his beloved mentor is nearing the end of his life. An early morning call leads Packard to Bill Sanderson shot dead in his bed. His wife, his ex-wife, business partner and poker buddies all have interesting things to say about Bill. Packard can’t determine if any of them are telling the truth or if none of them is. Meanwhile, an attempt on his life lets him know he’s getting dangerously close to the truth. While deep in the trenches of this crime, Packard is also forced to decide if he wants to step down from his position as acting sheriff or run in the upcoming election.

When I read Joshua Moehling’s previous book, And There He Kept Her, I was immediately drawn into the crime at the center of the book and more so, the character of Ben Packard. A gay police officer in a small, old fashioned town, Packard kept his personal life close to the vest. But in getting to know him - the simple life he lives with his beloved three-legged dog, his dedication to serving the people he has sworn to protect and now, the secret from his past - I may a bit in love with this character! Can you say “book boyfriend”?! LOL All of Packard’s fabulous qualities aside, the mystery at the center of this book kept me guessing - I couldn’t figure out who was responsible for killing Bill but it all came together brilliantly. And left on a bit of a cliffhanger, I hope there is going to be more Ben Packard in the very near future!

This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

When Bill Sanderson is shot dead in his bed in the small town of Sandy Lake in Minnesota, Acting Sheriff Ben Packard has too many suspects to investigate. There’s his ex-wife Sherri who he dumped when they’d finished spending her trust fund, her sister Carrie who he then married but refused to give him money to support his drinking and out of control gambling habit and his would be business partner whose money he stole from an account set aside to buy a business together. It’s a frustrating case with little evidence and suspects who are keeping secrets from him.

Ben also has to decide whether to run in the election for Sheriff. He was appointed as acting Sheriff six months ago when Sheriff Stan Shaw was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer, but not everyone was happy with that decision, since Ben is gay and not considered a local despite spending his childhood summers in Sandy Lake. The problem is he likes being out and about investigating in the field, rather than a sheriff sitting in an office, but neither of the other candidates running in the election would make a good sheriff and would make life difficult for him.

This is an excellent character driven police procedural, with a well paced and interesting plot that kept me engaged throughout. Much of the narrative is told through Ben’s voice, and he’s clearly a likeable man with a dry sense of humour and a good detective’s instincts for lies and new leads. Moehling has created a wonderful character in Ben and I hope to see more of him and find out what happens in the next phase of his life in the next book of the series.

Ben Packard is back to solve the murder of Bill Sanderson who was shot to death in his bed. Everyone is a suspect and Ben Packard will leave no stone unturned as he tries to follow the trail to Bill’s killer. Is it his ex-wife or the new wife (who happened to be sisters). Could it be his business partners or his high stakes poker buddies. No one has a clear motive yet everyone is a suspect.

This was a slow start and I didn’t love the narration at first but once the story got going I couldn’t put it down. The narrator grew on me too. She made me feel like I was friends with Packard. I grew up loving a good detective story and this one didn’t disappoint. I also love that the story takes place in a small town in Minnesota. This has plenty of twists I didn’t see coming and kept me guessing. I can’t wait for more novels with this detective. Did I mention he’s queer. I love queer representation.

This is the second in the series but can definitely be read as a standalone! This follows Deputy Ben Packard as he investigates another case in his town and must decide if he wants to run for Sheriff or have a more quiet life.

And There He Kept Her was one of my favorite mysteries of last year and I do enjoy Joshua Moehling's mysteries. I loved seeing more of Ben's personal life - learning more about the accident that destroyed his family growing up and also navigating being a deputy as a gay man in a small town. The whole case of his debut was very cut and dry - everything was laid out at the beginning and it was just seeing Ben solve the case. However this book was meant to have more twists and secrets and while entertaining, it also read a bit slower and more predictable to me. The ending is believable and I'm definitely going to continue with the series and with following Ben's story! Recommend if you enjoy police procedural stories.

I loved book 2 featuring acting Sheriff Ben Packard. The small town of Sandy Lake adds a bit more to this police procedural mystery. The added politics of a special election and a web of lies told by many, sorted by few, help move the plot in interesting directions. Looking forward to, at least I hope, a book 3 based on this ending!

Ben Packard is back in the second instalment in the series. After he suffers the tragic loss of his lover Marcus in Minneapolis, Packard returns to Sandy Lake, Minnesota; also, he has another reason why he returned.

Over the Labour Day weekend, Bill Sandersen is shot and murdered in his bed. Amidst the investigation, suspicions arise around Carrie. Bill's current wife is the CEO of the Gherlick Family Trust. Her father, Jack, started it thirty years ago. And Sherri, his ex-wife, who are the Gherlick sisters who both deeply disdain one another—that goes back to their childhoods. Their family has deep roots in Sandy Lake, MN. That goes back three decades. Both sisters will go to great lengths to ruin each other's happiness. After all, she married her sister's husband. That shows you her character. Their family has deep dark family secrets which run deep and cut deep.


Moehling crafts an atmospheric, tightly woven plot. The pacing is a slow burn picking up steam at 50% of the book, with well-timed twists and turns. The escalating tension between the two sisters adds to the suspense and maintains a sense of mystery, which was an engaging and satisfying reading experience for me.

I found this a gripping police procedural that delves into the rural town's dark secrets and possible corruption within the county government board, adding to its intriguing premise.

Sherri is genuinely convinced that her sister was involved in Bill's murder. She knows what her sister is capable of, but Carrie doesn't let the town see her true self; she has everyone fooled.


I found Deputy Ben Packard a relatable and compelling protagonist: his ethical code and determination to solve the murder that happened to Bill Sandersen. Readers will find this thrilling journey as Packard unravels a complex web of lies and secrets as he navigates through a long list of suspects, determined to find out who this killer is.

Combining plenty of unlikeable characters and a long list of suspects and mysteries adds to the story's complexity and depth. There were twists and surprising reveals I didn't see coming; that kept me immersed. I wanted to find out what happened. I was furiously swiping the pages late into the night. Not until the stunning final reveal. That had me rooting for Packard. I enjoyed sleuthing out the killer and unravelling the murder and mysteries.

I highly recommend this book to fans of police procedurals and those who enjoy delving into small-town with added mystery where the truth is as elusive as the secrets buried in the shadows.


I want to thank NetGalley and Poison Pen Press for providing me with the ARC of Where the Dead Sleep in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I can't wait till the next installment of the Ben Packard series is released. I would love to be auto-approved for the third book in the series.

I always like reading about a small town police investigation story full of lies and deceit. This was well written and kept me glued to the book the whole time! I enjoyed the story from being to end!

Ben Packard, gay acting sheriff extraordinaire, returns and we were able to get to see more of him as a person in this book, compared to the first in the series and I fell in love with him even more.

In a way, this could have been the first in the series, that I can now imagine becoming a lengthy police procedural series with a perfunctory thriller edge.

Stony Brookes town is shown to have an extremely wealthy community as well as a shady community and Ben is not only trying to solve a high profile murder, but his mentor and friend has passed and now he must decide if he should enter the race to become the official Sheriff in town.

This book captivated me from the start as it was not only full of thriller goodness, but it also contained the heart of what lays beyond Ben Packard.

Thank you PoisendPenPress for my gifted copy. Thoughts are my own.

In a small town, where an election is taking place, multiple murders are spanning the town. In a love triangle gone wrong, Packard has to figure out what happened and who killed who, all while running for sheriff.

Joshua Moehling did it again! The complexity of his main character Packard, is superb. Classic who done it with a psychological, pulse pounding flair. Fans of the first book will love the second in the series.

Joshua Moehling has once again brought together an interesting community. Within all the twist and turns you could get lost but you keep following the clues you might be surprised to see where they take you. Where the Dead Sleep keeps pulling you in, Thank you NetGalley for this interesting trail.

I. AM. ACTUALLY. SO. StUPID.
Where the Dead Sleep became available on Libro.fm and I was so confused the entire time... because I felt like I was missing something. turns out I was... because this is a freaking sequel. UGH. Dumb.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an advance reader copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

If the 2nd installment in this series is any indication of what to expect....I will be a raving fan for years to come. Moehling has created characters that I can wait to learn more about & a setting that makes me want to return soon! Certainly one of my top books of 2023!

Description
A small town's dark secrets turn deadly...

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.

With a mile-long list of suspects but no clear motive, Packard digs into the investigation to find himself center stage and a half step behind in a town where no one ever left. There's a hidden history to Sandy Lake that Packard, ever the outsider can't see. Here, bad blood and old secrets run deep. He’ll have to solve a high-profile murder and, as a gay man, offer up his private life for public scrutiny in a county election to keep his job.

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.

4.5! It's been a long time since I've read a thriller that has gripped me from start to finish, especially one where I didn't guess any of the outcomes. I loved Ben Packard as a main character, and I loved all the side characters he worked with. The Gherlick family was completely messed up and made me hate them all, which was exactly the point.

The plot was great! I felt invested from the start and was so curious where it was all going. I will say I didn't realize this was the second book in a series before starting it, so there were a few things mentioned that would have made more sense with the context of the first book. But I didn't actually feel like I missed out on anything vital. I'm still super interested in going back to read book one because I loved Joshua Moehling's writing. There are some spoilers in this book, though, so I recommend reading them in order lol!

My only con to this book was that it felt like a long read. The pacing was great, and I never felt like I was bored with the plot at all. There was lots going on to keep me invested, but not too much that I was overwhelmed by trying to keep it all straight. I just felt like it took me a long time to get through this book, especially because I was so curious about what was going to happen next! I also hated the cliffhanger ending, but I'm also so excited now for the next book in this series!

Overall, I loved it, though, and would highly recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Press Pen for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I had high hopes for this one but sadly decided to DNF at 170 pages. I kept pushing and hoping for it to get better but it was an extremely slow burn and felt like I was going around in circles.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press 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%.