Acting Sheriff Ben Packard, a former of the Minneapolis PD and a former detective in the Sandy Lake MN PD, is called to the scene of a murder of a member of a disfuctual family member. His early investigation is not short of suspects. His task is complicated by trying to determine who is lying and who is not. Complicating matters is he's asked to run for Sheriff of Shady Lake. Packard does not want the Sheriff's job permanent but wants to remain a detective. In addition to his current investigation Packard wants to solve the death of his brother from years ago in Sandy Lake. I throughly enjoyed this books and will be seeking out the first book in the series. ( )

Acting Sherriff Ben Packard of Sandy Lake, Minnesota, has his hands full solving the murder of a man who was shot to death in his own bed as well as running for the position of Sheriff after a tragedy leaves the position vacant.

Bill Sanderson’s death is surrounded by a cloud of lies, deception, and family secrets. Bill had gambling debts, was investing in a business venture with a friend, and his personal life was complicated, to say the least, and Ben discovers in the course of the investigation. Who wanted him dead and why? Was it a burglary gone wrong or was the motivation more personal? The narrative follows Ben as he tries to unravel small-town secrets and find the killer all the while trying to navigate the internal politics within his department and people who would rather see him fail at his job.

Joshua Moehling’s Where the Dead Sleep is a well-paced and tightly plotted police procedural. The author does a wonderful job of setting the scene with the small-town secrets, an interesting cast of characters and quite a few surprises along the way. Though not entirely unpredictable, I enjoyed the build-up to the finale. This is the second book in the author’s Ben Packard series. As in And There He Kept Her, I really enjoyed the procedural aspect and liked how the protagonist’s character arc is being developed. In fact, I enjoyed this installment more than the first book in the series. I look forward to the next book in the series, especially for the unraveling of a decades-old mystery from Ben’s past.

Though this book is the second in a series, it would work well as a standalone.

I paired my reading with the audiobooks narrated by Linda Jones, who has done a decent job of voicing most of the characters. I do think, however, the narrator was trying a bit too hard while voicing the Indian character. But I guess that’s more of a personal observation and overall, I did enjoy listening to the audiobook.

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy and to Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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Where the Dead Sleep by Joshua Moehling
Ben Packard #2

Intricately plotted, well crafted, excellently written police procedural and murder mystery that allowed me to catch up with Detective Ben Packard as he navigates the waters of being acting sheriff in a small town with more than one person who would rather not have him in the position. As Ben works to find and then put the puzzle pieces of the case together, he runs into many clues that may or may not be important in determining who killed the first victim. Doggedly he pursues the clues with the assistance of his team making diagrams and notes to try to put it all together in a cohesive manner.

When a bullet comes through the window of the house he is visiting, he wonders if it was meant for him or someone else and was the shooter the same person that killed Bill or someone else? Who is telling the truth and who is not? What facts are important? Who is the killer and what is the motivation? And…where is that key to the puzzle that will ultimately cause all the pieces to finally fit together perfectly to expose every aspect of the case that begins with the death of Bill Sanderson?

Detective Ben Packard is an intriguing character. He has suffered loss, works hard, is a good friend, great team player, has a strong moral compass, is compassionate and kind to underdogs, is great at puzzle solving, knows who he is, is invested in settling in Sandy Lake as he rehabs the home he purchased, grew up in a loving family, Lost his brother decades ago…in Sandy Lake…and would love to close the old cold case for his family, owns a three-legged Corgi named Frank, is doing his best to be an efficient and effective acting sheriff.

The way this all came together with the clues, hints, twists, turns, assaults, dysfunctional family issues of the Gherlicks gradually being exposed, and other pertinent matter being unearthed in a complex crafty way had me eagerly waiting to see who the bad guy was and then wondering if perhaps there was more than one. The ending is not a cliff hanger, but it does have me eagerly waiting to read book three in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks-Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars ( )

While this is the second book in a series, I didn't have any difficulty getting into the story. I liked the character of Ben Packard and his friends and colleagues, but found the main plotline 9nly so-so. This wasn't a bad book, but I never got into the investigation. I'm not giving up on this author or character and will look into the first book.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for access to a digital ARC on Netgalley.com. ( )

“I wondered how long it would take you to figure it out,” said the voice from the shadows.

This is a set in a small town full of secrets Bill Sanderson was shot to death in his home. It quickly seems like everyone is a suspect. Deputy Ben Packard is thrust into the investigation as acting sheriff, something he initially doesn't want to do. Ben is gay, something which he thinks will always keep him from being fully welcomed in the town.

The mystery in this book was solid but what I really enjoyed were the well written characters, especially the acting sheriff. Almost everyone in this story has a strong personality and even more important, a motive to kill Bill.

I found out after finishing this book that this is the second in the series but I never felt like I was missing anything.

Thank you netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for giving me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )