I'm a big fan of the Ben Packard series, so I've been anxiously awaiting A Long Time Gone, the third installment. I'm happy to say it completely sucked me in! I'm pretty sure I listened to the entire thing in a day. We've all been waiting with bated breath for the mystery of Ben Packard’s missing brother to be solved, and we've finally got some answers! The way Moehling weaves Ben's foundational, traumatic mystery with the new one in this book is masterful. It’s like peeling back layers of a complicated puzzle, with twist after well-placed twist making you question everything.

I'm not sure if Moehling is going to continue this series or not, but I will come back for every single installment he decides to write. I love everything about this series. Highly recommend it for anyone who loves a good thriller with a personal twist!

Third installment in a great series by Joshua Moehling. Unfortunately, it has been my least favorite so far. I have wanted to know what happened to Ben’s brother, so the move in that direction was very satisfying. I don’t know why, but a lot of the action in the other cases involved dragged on. I kind of lost interest in the middle. I put it aside and read another book. I came back to this one to finish. It didn’t hold my interest for quite as long as the first two, but the beginning and end were solid.

Joshua Moehling is back with his third book, Long Time Gone, and it’s another outstanding addition to his collection. This time, we get to know Ben Packard on an even deeper level. His persistence and resilience are on full display as he continues his search for answers, no matter the obstacles that stand in his way. Moehling does a brilliant job of developing Ben’s character, making his journey both thrilling and deeply emotional. The novel is full of suspense, and the twists keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s a perfect blend of mystery and heart, and Moehling once again proves his talent for creating complex, compelling stories. If you’re a fan of character-driven thrillers, Long Time Gone is a must-read.

A Long Time Gone is the third book in the Ben Packard series by American author, Joshua Moehling. The audio version is narrated by Linda Jones. Having lost the election for Sheriff of Sandy Lake in the previous November to his ignorant, lazy colleague, Howard Shepard, Deputy Ben Packard is no longer on the detective desk, but relegated to the menial duty of courthouse security. Until, that is, he shoots someone in the line of duty and is on administrative leave pending the BCA investigation and the county attorney’s ruling on a charge.

Armed with the map the late Sheriff Stan Shaw left him, Ben would use the free time to search for his brother Nick’s body, but it’s February so the deep snow prevents that. But when he Zoom-calls his family to reassure them about the shooting, he also reveals the new information about their son/brother’s fate: not drowned in Redwing Lake as first thought.

Despite his protests, his mother Pam insists on travelling from Arizona to help sort Ben out spiritually: ”Her spirituality was an ever -evolving casserole of new age, Wiccan , Native, Buddhist, feminist, sex-positive beliefs that only made sense to her”. After visiting the approximate location, they also call in at what was his grandfather’s house, where the family spent many vacations, and from where Nick went missing some thirty years earlier.

Pam and Ben are shocked to learn that the most recent owner died after falling down the basement stairs months earlier. But a second visit to house has Ben doubting that Louise Larsen died accidentally, and he decides to investigate, much to the dismay of his boss, who was the careless deputy on the case, and his close colleague, Jill, who signed off on the accidental death, and to the extreme irritation of realtor, Jim Wolf, whose plans to pull down and rebuild are suddenly delayed.

The further he looks into it, the more things niggle, and when he stumbles on another body, he begins to realise there’s nothing simple about this case.

Meanwhile, during his mandatory psych eval, the therapist notes Ben’s approach to dealing with his life trauma’s so far and insightfully asks “What are you denying yourself by staying in a constant state of motion, by always moving forward, not slowing down, not looking back?” Talking later to a former colleague, Ben observes: “Dealing with shit on our own is not how things are supposed to work. Staying so busy you don’t have time to feel anything doesn’t help matters either.”

Moehling provides another tightly plotted police procedural with some excellent deductive work, and a twist or two that will keep the pages turning and the reader guessing right up to the final resolution. The dialogue offers plenty of humour, some of it quite dark, and the conclusion to Nick’s story will put a lump in many a throat.

Ben Packard is a complex and appealing character, a diligent cop who acts with integrity, and if they are to say goodbye to him in this third instalment, readers will certainly miss him and his well-intentioned, if humanly-flawed support cast. This is addictive crime fiction and anything further from Joshua Moehling will be a must-read!
This unbiased review is from an audio copy provided by NetGalley and Dreamscape Media

Thanks to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for the book #ALongTimeGone by #JoshuaMoehling. This third book on the Ben Packard series has me enthralled and I could not put it down. I absolutely loved it! Ben has received some new information into his missing brother’s case and sets off to find answers. This case seems to enter-twine with another case he is working in and leads down a dangerous road. An he find what happened to his brother and put his and his families suffering to rest?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Linda Jones does a fantastic job narrating this story and making it come to life!

This is book 3 in the Ben Packard series and its by far the best of the three! Ben is working security in the courthouse, a biting demotion after losing the sheriff election to his new "boss", who is incompetent and lazy. He is on duty in the courthouse when a party in a heated case presents a weapon and Ben is forced to fire and kill Robert Clark. Now, on administrative leave while the shooting in the line of duty is investigated, Ben is thrust back into his own past and must deal with some personal wounds that never healed. Ben's older brother Nick disappeared at the age of 16 and new evidence has come to light indicating the possible location of Nick's body.

I really enjoyed this installment as its well written and the characters are very well developed and relatable. The mystery is multilayered and well done. With 2 plot lines, a lot of authors would not be able to handle the challenge but Moehling does an excellent job. This can be read as a standalone as well.

Very interesting read...
Smallish town Sheriff is involved in a fatal shooting and needs to take some time off while the case is investigated/closed. So, he returns home to smaller town MN.
While there he hears about an old woman who fell down her stairs, apparently, while drinking...
As he investigates this (not his case, as he's not at work, but still...) he finds some things he does not like and thinks it might NOT have been an accident... But, every step of the way, he feels like he is being blocked...by one person or another...
As he starts to discover more deaths, he becomes more invested...

And then, there's the case of his little brother's death, MANY years ago...
This has always haunted him, and he's now looking a little bit deeper into this too.

And, the things he discovers, on both cases...just...might...shock...you!!

#ALongTimeGone by #JoshuaMoehling and narrated nicely by #LindaJones.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!!
Of Note: This is book #3 in the series, but I did not know that, and did not feel like I was missing out on any info...

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for an ARC of the audiobook which was recently released on 2/6/25, so you should be able to find it on shelves now!!!

Thanks so much for checking out my review!!
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I didn't realize I was jumping into a series at book 3, but it turned out to be a really great read without the first two. This book was exciting and had a clever twist that tied back to something right at the beginning of the book. Now I want to go back and read the other Ben Packard stories!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

"Sometimes taking a risk was the only option."

"A death under mysterious circumstances. An empty bank account. A missing employee. These were not coincidences."

Ben Packard couldn't help himself. Though on administrative leave after a shooting incident at the courthouse, the clues to a death in his old house, the last place he saw his brother Nick alive over 30 years ago, had him investigating a closed case classified as accidental.

So begins the extraordinary 3rd, and I hope far from the final book, in the Ben Packard mystery series, A Long Time Gone. Since book 1, genius author Joshua Moehling, has intricately crafted, not just detailed suspenseful mysteries, but a beloved grab your heart character in Ben Packard.

Ben's been demoted to Deputy from Sheriff after losing the election in his small conservative town. He knew a gay sheriff would be a hard win this time around. But he's distracted, not only with a suspicious death, but with new leads to what happened to his brother the night he disappeared. There has been hints in the previous 2 books, but when the truth is revealed, it's one of the most heartbreaking moments I have experienced in literature.

I am so grateful that voice actress Linda Jones is once again our guide for the author's masterful storytelling. She knows Ben and relays his pain with raw emotion.

If you have read or listened to the previous books this story is essential. If this is a new series for you, enjoy bingeing the life of this gentle giant and his 3 legged Corgi, Frank. I just hope it's not a long time gone before my next Ben Packard fix.

Book 1. And There He Kept Her
Book 2. Where The Dead Sleep
Book 3. A Long Time Gone

I received a free copy of this book/ audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair & honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a book #3 in a series but it did not throw me off at all. It was very good and it was great as a stand alone. Reading this book does make me want to go back and read #1 and #2 though! Super happy I was able get this because it will go down as a favorite of mine!

★★★★★ 5 star review!
𝑨 𝑳𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝑮𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒃𝒚 𝑱𝒐𝒔𝒉𝒖𝒂 𝑴𝒐𝒆𝒉𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈
Book 3 of the Ben Packard Series

✦ 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 :
-police procedurals + crime fiction
-3rd book in a 5☆ series
-well developed characters
-LGBTQ+ rep
-witty, likable MC
-meddling moms
-3 legged corgi named frank 🐶

✦ 𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 :
There’s a new sheriff in town, but it isn’t Ben Packard. I absolutely loved returning to Sandy Lake, Minnesota. This third installment picks up right where the 2nd left off, with the perfect combination of mystery & small town drama.

Ben Packard is one of my most favorite main characters to read about. He is so easy to root for. I love his dry humor & his honest, straightforward approach to his police work. We get introduced to some interesting characters too - I loved his mom & of course Frank the 3 legged corgi!

You wouldn’t expect for the end of a crime thriller to give you the warm & fuzzies, but there’s just something about Ben Packard & Sandy Lake that just feels comforting. I loved the way this story came together. Although the ending was very satisfying, I really hope we get another book!

I have to mention - these are some of my favorite crime thriller audiobooks. Linda Jones is the perfect narrator for these stories, I loved listening to every one of them.

Dare I say 𝑨 𝑳𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝑮𝒐𝒏𝒆 may be my favorite of the series? Granted, all them were 5 stars, but still!

Thanks to @netgalley, @poisonedpenpress, @dreamscape & @jmoehling for the opportunity to read + listen to this arc!

I didn’t dislike this book but I wasn’t crazy about it either. I just felt like the multiple separate crimes being investigated made the story choppy and they didn’t blend together well. I was engaged enough in the story to finish, but not so engaged that I really cared what happened as it went on. I do like Packard as a character and the writing/narration was good, but the story itself just didn’t really do much for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This was such an interesting story. I love the detective and both cases that were being worked. The ending had me in tears I can't imagine waiting that long to finally find out what happened to your sibling. This was a great detective book and I highly recommend it.

I was intrigued by the premise—a haunted past, a missing brother, and a detective forced to confront old demons—but unfortunately, *A Long Time Gone* doesn’t live up to its potential. While Joshua Mowhling sets up an atmospheric winter backdrop and hints at a complex web of secrets, the story drags along more than it thrills. Deputy Packard’s internal struggles and the connection between the past disappearance and a new suspicious death feel underdeveloped, making it hard to fully invest in his journey. The pacing is uneven, with too many slow, meandering moments that dilute the tension rather than building it. Ultimately, despite its promising concept, the novel falls short of delivering a tightly woven, engaging mystery. Two stars for a story that might have been better executed.

Ben Packard lost the election for sheriff to his nemesis - the well-connected but lazy and clueless Shepherd - who demotes Packard to courthouse security. Packard must step in when a courthouse visitor brandishes a weapon, and now a long-time resident is dead at the hands of Packard. Never mind that, in doing his job, he saved the life of a town VIP. Now Packard is on leave so he decides to look into his brother’s disappearance. Plus, his mother, Pam, comes to see him. When they visit the house Packard’s grandfather built, there’s police tape up. The elderly woman who used to live in the house is dead from a freak accident. Or was it? Why didn’t Packard even know about this seemingly open-and-shut case? It was Shephard’s of course. Something about the stairs leading to the basement doesn’t sit right with Packard. But he cannot officially re-open and investigate this case…
Nor can he find out why that old man planned to open fire in the courthouse. I was almost as frustrated as Packard! There are a lot of story lines packed into this audiobook, which definitely keeps things interesting. More realistic too, because who has the luxury of working on only one thing at a time? I am already looking forward to the next installment (#4) in this terrific series!
My thanks to the author, publisher, Dreamscape Media, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #ALongTimeGone for review purposes.

A family mystery that has been looming over Ben for over thirty years, when he was a kid, his teenage brother disappeared and they never had closure nor did they find out what happened to him. Then, while on court duty, a man attempted to shoot another, so Ben reacted as trained and shot him before he could hurt anyone. The police department placed Ben on leave while they investigated the shooting. While on leave, he starts following leads that he recently received on his brother's case and he finds out a friend of the family had passed away, however, the friend of the family's death was suspicious, so Ben decides to investigate both.
I loved the mystery, the interconnectedness of everything, and the assembly of the pieces. This was a police procedural type of book, it's well-written and it keeps your attention!
They gave me the audiobook to listen to and review! The narrator brought the story to life with the tone and the voice fit the story! This was a great way to spend an afternoon enjoying the mystery as it unfolds and seeing how all the pieces fit together!
The story is a great mixture of family drama and mystery! It's engrossing grabs your attention, keeps you engaged, and piques your curiosity!
Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen and review this one!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

This was my first from this author, and it was a nice mystery thriller type detective story. While it wasnt my personal favorite style, i did enjoy piecing it together and how the layout of the investigation and conversations was.

I would definitely read another from this author.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a chance to listen to this novel and provide my view.

This was my first read of this author and I was impressed. Usually with a series I find you need to be invested in some of the characters, you want to know about their lives enough to keep reading. It’s a hard task blending that whilst also allowing readers to jump in to the third novel in a series and have similar connections to the characters.

The story surrounds a young detective, recently demoted from chief who is now working court security. A fairly mundane role until one day a man pulls out a gun in an attempt to shoot his opponent, fatally injuring others instead and facing his own timely demise at the hands of Packard. Whilst on leave, he utilises his time trying to figure out what exactly happened to his brother all those years ago. Whilst in the midst of this he stumbles across more and more crimes which are all intertwined. There were plenty of characters, lots of progression and movement without being too much to be confusing. The balance of his personal and profession life was well done I felt. I truly wasn’t sure where the story was going to lead but I enjoyed the journey. The overall ending of his brother’s story was frustrating to me, in some parts it felt a little simplistic and twee but it did fit the narrative of the character.

As an audiobook I enjoyed the narrator. As an American story, although a British voice it lend itself well to the telling. I personally am a fan of the British narrators over American ones.

Overall I enjoyed this book and would definitely listen to future instalments. If you enjoy a sort of police based crime story you may enjoy this one.

Another excellent entry in Joshua Moehling’s Ben Packard series. A Long Time Gone finds Ben demoted to court house officer checking women’s purses and briefcases, when he is forced to shoot an elderly man who starts shooting. While on paid leave during the shooting investigation Ben investigates his older brother’s disappearance that occurred when Ben was 12.
Fast paced, witty, and a thoroughly satisfying mystery.
I highly recommend this excellent series for all mystery readers.

3.5 Stars – A Solid but Conventional Thriller

I went into this book with high expectations based on the hype and glowing reviews, but I have to admit I was a bit underwhelmed. That’s not to say it was a bad book—far from it. The plot was well-constructed, the pacing kept me engaged, and the ending wrapped things up neatly. However, as a police procedural thriller, it was very familiar, and nothing about it truly stood out as exceptional.

The snowy, small-town setting adds to the atmospheric tension, and the intertwining of past and present crimes creates an engaging narrative. While much of the story followed a well-worn path, it did have a nice twist that added some intrigue. If you enjoy solid, traditional crime thrillers, this one delivers. Just don’t expect it to break new ground.

Thank you, NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Poisoned Pen Press, for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.