Judith D Collins
- May 16
- 3 min read

And There He Kept Her

By: Joshua Moehling

ISBN: 978-1728247892

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Publication Date: 06/14/2022

Format: Other

My Rating: 5 Stars +++ (ARC)

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A dark and complex mystery that will consume you, starring a protagonist who is equal parts quirky Milhone and steady Gamache."―Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Flight

They thought he was a helpless old man.

They were wrong.

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.

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Tags: #LGBTQ #thriller #suspense #literaryfiction #mystery #legal #copprocedural #criminal #humor #psychologicalthriller #crimethriller

About the Author

Joshua Moehling works in the medical device industry by day and writes at night.

He lives in Minneapolis.

His first novel, AND THERE HE KEPT HER, is forthcoming from Poisoned Pen Press/Sourcebooks in spring 2022.

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Praise

"There's a terrific new voice in crime fiction and it belongs to Joshua Moehling. And There He Kept Her is a taut, beautifully written thriller reminiscent of Karin Slaughter. A novel with heart, its protagonist, acting Sheriff Ben Packard, is the kind of hero we need today, a man wrestling with his sexual identity as he searches for missing teens in a small Minnesota town guarding secrets of its own." ― Jonathan Santlofer, author of The Last Mona Lisa

"Fans of Sue Grafton are going to love And There He Kept Her. Compulsively readable, Josh Moehling has crafted a dark and complex mystery that will consume you, starring a protagonist who is equal parts quirky Milhone and steady Gamache. In the wake of a tragic loss, sheriff's deputy Ben Packard has returned to Sandy Lake, hoping to start over with a blank slate. What he finds is a town populated with eccentric characters and its own dark secrets, proving that small town life can still add up to big trouble." ― Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Flight

"Joshua Moehling is a fresh, powerful new voice in crime fiction. His debut novel is a twisted ride with a detective you won't soon forget. This book isn't just unputdownable, it's the definition of the word." ― Samantha Downing, international bestselling author of For Your Own Good

“And There He Kept Her is a sharp, intense thriller combining a dark plot with a relentless pace. An absorbing, impressive debut."

― A. J. Banner, #1 Amazon, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author