And There He Kept Her by Joshua Moehling
Published: June 14, 2022
Poisoned Pen Press
Pages: 337
Genre: Thriller
KKECReads Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.
Joshua Moehling works in the medical device industry by day and writes at night. And There He Kept Her is his first novel. He lives in the Twin Cities.
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.
“There was no hurry.”
Ben Packard moved to the small town he visited as a child and worked as a sheriff’s deputy. It is a long way from the streets of Minneapolis, but he was drawn to the area, despite the traffic loss he experienced there. When his cousin’s daughter and boyfriend go missing, it’s a race against the clock to find the kids alive.
I loved this book so much. There were so many beautiful themes and scenes. The plot moved quickly, the characters were bizarrely human, and the twists- honey!
I adored meeting Packard. I loved the weight of his past trauma mingling with his current woes. I loved that while he is a gay man and accepting of that, he isn’t ready to be out for fear of how that could impact his career.
I found the way Joshua humanized each of his characters absolutely brilliant. From our hero, Packard, to the villain.
I enjoyed the alternating narrators and the fact that there was humor woven throughout. The storyline was feasible. Having lived in a small midwestern town (I went to college in Grand Forks, ND), I found the descriptions accurate.
I always enjoy reading novels that take place in places I have been, and this was no different. From the way the town is described to how the small town folk behaves, the accuracy was spot on.
I loved that we knew who was the guilty party from the start. That aspect added such a twisted sense of shock to the storyline.
I would love to see this become a series. I loved Packard and think he should get his happily ever after. Also, we have to hear more about life with Frank!