A Long Time Gone

I had the absolute pleasure of being able to read this book early thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

A Long Time Gone is an extraordinary tale that grips you from the very first page and refuses to let go. The story centers around Ben Packard, a deputy haunted by the disappearance of his older brother many years ago. As he grapples with a a new set of circumstances, new clues surface regarding his brother's fate, reigniting a decades-old mystery.

Moehling's masterful storytelling weaves together layers of intrigue and emotion. The character of Ben Packard is exceptionally well-drawn, his determination and vulnerabilities making him a protagonist you root for relentlessly. His quest for answers leads him not only to confront his own past but also to unravel a web of deceit and danger surrounding a suspicious death. The plot twists and turns with every chapter, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the final revelation.

"A Long Time Gone" is a testament to Moehling's skill in crafting both suspenseful crime fiction and deeply resonant human drama. It's a novel that lingers in your thoughts long after finishing, leaving you yearning for more from this talented author. Highly recommended!! I cannot wait to read more about Ben Packard!

First of all I had no idea that this was the 3rd installment, so once I found that out early on I was a little worried I wasn't going to be able to really get into it not knowing the characters or the history but that was not the case. Honestly, this could be a stand-alone book as author Joshua moehling still goes into detail about everyone and what happened. 2nd of all I was on edge as Ben while he was suppose to be on leave discovers body after body while stumbling upon another case that calls for his attention while also trying to uncover the truth of his missing brother. This twist in this book literally made me turn to my husband and say "WHAT"!!! I'll definitely be reading the other 2 books!

Thank you so much for publisher Poisoned Pen Press, Author Joshua Moehling, and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book! Make sure to grab it when it comes out February 4th, 2025!

A Long Time Gone by Joshua Moehling
Well Joshua Moehling knocks another one out of the park. This is his third book in the Ben Packard series and I can’t get enough.
Ben Packards brother went missing when he was 17 years old and never found. They assumed he drowned in the lake after a snowmobile accident but his body was never found. Ben, now a deputy in the sheriff’s department in the same county his brother disappeared from stumbles across a few recent disappearances/deaths that don’t sit right with him. He starts digging deeper along with always trying to find his own answers about his brother. This was a great read. I love how Joshua Moehling tells a story. Easy to follow and attention grabbing. 5⭐️

I read Joshua Moehling’s first novel, “And There He Kept Her” and I was so enamored with the central character Ben Packard, a guy worth rooting for, that I mentioned that Ben deserved a series. I got my wish when Moehling wrote “Where the Dead Sleep” last year and Ben is back in “Long Time Gone,” as well as Frank, his adorable 3-legged Corgi and pre-rinser of dishes.

Ben was the likable acting sheriff of Sandy Lake County in Minnesota, an otherwise sleepy place with underlying mysteries. He’s a gay man, but that’s his private business. Unfortunately, after the sheriff died, Ben was defeated in the county election by an incompetent but politically connected underling, Howard Shephard, who is taking out as much petty revenge that he can on Ben, starting with assigning him to court bailiff duties. The supposedly boring job takes a turn when there’s a fatal shooting and Ben gets put on administrative leave. This gives him time to investigate his teenage brother Nick’s disappearance nearly 30 years ago when he receives a partial case folder and unusual letter via the late sheriff’s widow.

It’s a steady procedural, unfolding as Ben re-examines his brother’s disappearance and the case gets more complicated as Ben realizes that his old home is really the scene of a murder, dismissed, of course, by the bumbling, mean, new sheriff who investigated it when was Ben’s deputy.

If you’re like me, I really love these types of police novels, especially when the central character is someone you trust and someone you’d like to know better.

I loved this third installment and I want more of Ben Packard. It’s great to see Ben grow within his community, expand his circle of friends, and prove to be a lawman with integrity. 5 stars!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): None again this time (there was the requisite girl with green eyes in the first book of the series). The only weird green thing we’re the margaritas that taste like green Jell-O.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): None noted.

This is the third installment in the Ben Packard series and it holds it’s own against the others. Moehling is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Packard has been on the search for what happened to his brother when he was just a child and we finally have the answers in “A Long Time Gone”. Moehling’s pacing and character development are spot on and you will feel like you know them all by the end.

Damn, this book was phenomenal! I'm a huge fan of Ben Packard's character, and this is one of my favorite series. I've been in a huge reading slump with eyeball-reading (nonaudio books), and this book got me out of it.

The story begins shortly after the events of the second book (Where the Dead Sleep) ends. Packard lost the sheriff's election and is now working as court security. After events transpire at the courthouse, Packard finds himself in the middle of multiple mysteries that lead him down a rabbit hole of crime, secrets, and murder. I know that Packard is a fictional character, but if I was ever in trouble with the law, I would want him on my side. He will do anything to uphold the law and bring justice to those that are cut down by people in power. Also, we get to meet Packard's mother, who quickly became one of my favorite characters.

Joshua Moehling's writing is a tour de force! He is one of the best best mystery/thriller authors writing today. I'll read every book this man writes. He has this ability to hook the reader from the very beginning and keep their attention through the book's entirety. He has created something truly wonderful with Ben Packard. As a reader, I feel completely immersed in this world almost like I'm part of Packard's inner circle. I always feel like I'm riding a rollercoaster of emotions reading these books to the point where I am fully invested in the lives of Packard and those close to him, which I believe is a testament to how talent Moehling truly is. I highly recommend this book and this series. If you are not reading these books, then you are totally missing out on something truly great. Read it now!

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Joshua Moehling for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was phenomenal. I love this series. Love Packard and so glad he finally got closure about the mystery of his brother. I'm going to try to wait patiently for the next one. I gave this 5 stars and I recommend this series to everyone. If you haven't read them, what are you waiting for? Run out and get them now.

Book 3 did not disappoint! This was one of my favorite books of the series so far! Ben Packard.....Secrets that keep you hooked to find out the truth! Edge of your seat read!

Another fabulous edition to the series. I’m so glad the family mystery was tied up in 3 volumes and wasn’t dragged out any longer. The light hearted banter between Ben and others made this mystery quite realistic and enjoyable. I’d read more by this author, no hesitations.

When I first met Ben Packard in 2022, I said he was one of my favorite characters of all time. And then I reiterated this fact in 2023. And now I will again in 2024. He is unflappable. His humor is spot on. He is so endearing and relatable. And this is coming from someone who cannot stand police procedural thrillers. This book, and Ben Packard, are that good, that I have had no choice but to change my stubborn ways lol.

I fell in love with Joshua Moehling’s writing with And There He Kept Her, and it has gotten better with each book. A Long Time Gone has to be my favorite of the trilogy so far (please write more).

On top of crafting one of the best characters, I felt a Midwest kinship with Moehling himself, because he featured winter as its own character in this book. After some pretty tame winters in southeastern Wisconsin, it was like a breath of fresh stabby winter air to read about something so familiar and nostalgic: the bitter cold and the snow. This book truly made me crave winter. I could envision stepping outside, seeing my breath in the air, inhaling it in like a cold glass of ice water. Reading this book was like coming home to the Wisconsin winters that shaped me.

I loved how layered A Long Time Gone was. It wasn’t twisty and turney like some thrillers try to be, because it didn’t need to be. It was multifaceted, intelligent, intriguing and realistic. There was often empathy and viewpoints interwoven that made me appreciate the book on a deeper level.

I feel like I’m rambling here. The point is, you need to meet Ben Packard to experience him yourself. I love these books so much. All the pressure, Joshua Moehling, please keep writing.

𝐎𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝.

Ben Packard is one of my favorite fictional characters, and in this third installment, we see him at his most vulnerable. While Ben is licking his wounds after losing the election for sheriff, he's involved in a shooting that places him on administrative leave. He gets restless with too much time on his hands, but for the first time in years, new information about his long-missing brother has surfaced that may finally lead him to a body.

As he begins to investigate this case that is so close to him, he becomes involved in a separate case involving a suspicious death. The two cases don't appear to be related, but as he starts to dig, he is met with such fierce resistance that he knows he's on to something. And Ben Packard has never backed down from a fight.

The character building has been absolutely phenomenal, and with each new installment, I grow closer to Ben despite how closely he guards his heart. There was a lot of quiet emotion in this book that I wasn't expecting, and the author explored the flaws that come with nostalgia beautifully--do we remember the past the way it really was, or do we remember the way that we wish it were?

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC. At the time this review was written, this title was slated to publish February 4, 2025.