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judithdcollins 's review for:
Where the Dead Sleep
by Joshua Moehling
Joshua Moehling (favorite author) returns following his smashing debut, where he wowed us with And There He Kept Her (5 stars) with the introduction of the popular intriguing hunky Deputy Ben Packard #1 and a cast of unforgettable characters.
The author returns with Ben Packard #2, WHERE THE DEAD SLEEP (5 stars)— a complex action-packed crime thriller with scandalous small-town secrets, a wealthy family, murder, and more in the rural lakeside town of Sandy Lake, Minnesota—leaving readers salivating for #3 and more Ben!
I love this series!
After a long summer, Deputy Ben Packard is back, tying up loose ends from the Emmett Burr case (from book #1). He is the acting Sheriff for Stan Shaw (currently elected sheriff of Sandy Lake County), who has cancer.
Ben (gay) is finally getting some action with a hot drummer, Brad, and hopes for a leisurely morning. However, it gets cut short when he is called in on a murder case—a dead body. The victim is William (Bill) Sandersen, husband of Carolyn (Carrie). Second marriage-two years. She has twins- grown children from her first marriage.
The case is not straightforward. William was shot twice while in bed, and his wife claims she was in the other bedroom since her husband has sleep apnea. Bill worked at Sandy Lake Auto. He also liked to frequent casinos.
His wife is the CEO of Gherlick Family Trust. She is the one with the money in the family. William (Bill) had gone out to meet his friend, Roger Freeman, a man he was to go in the chicken wing business with.
However, Ben soon discovers Bill has a thing for the sisters, as he was previously married to Carolyn's sister, Sherri. He divorced her to marry Carolyn. Carolyn dated him back in high school.
But Carrie and Bill liked to party and blow money at the casinos. The mom cut off the money, so I guess he decided to marry for more money, but Carolyn does not readily hand out the money. The girls had over a million dollars each, but that was before Sherri and Bill gambled it all away.
Is Carolyn smarter than her sister? And why did the perp murder Bill and not Carolyn?
Suspects:
The business partner, Roger
The ex-wife, alcoholic, Sherri.
The wife, Carolyn.
The high-stakes poker buddies.
Or someone else?
In the middle of the investigation, a tragedy occurs. Ben is left holding the bag and must make some big decisions. Should he run for Sheriff? He likes being a detective and not sitting behind a desk dealing with politics.
However, Marilyn, Stan's wife, is backing him and many others. If he does not run, it is Barney Fife Deputy Shepherd (which is pretty much worthless except for gossip).
Then another murder and the plot thickens, plus a mysterious hummingbird pin and a letter.
Packard soon discovers there is a hidden dark multi-generational history to Sandy Lake. Bad blood and old secrets run deep. And someone will do anything to keep it hidden. Before the book ends, someone is shooting at Packard. Is he getting too close to the darkness of Sandy Lake?
Moehling serves up another excellent suspense crime novel that will keep you riveted. There is action and suspense around every corner in this multi-layered mystery crime thriller—readers, if you loved Ben Packard #1, you will devour #2.
In addition to the mystery, danger, and double murders, there is the upcoming election to stress over, and as we were introduced in Ben Packard #1, there is the cold case mystery of Ben's older brother, Kyle. There is new evidence, and it ends on a cliffhanger. We can only hope #3 comes soon!
WHERE THE DEAD SLEEP is a killer whodunit crime thriller! Based loosely on a Minnesota true crime and switched out with a victim that might have made enemies or people who wanted to kill him.
Ben is a fantastic character and has grown since the last book, where he tried to outrun his past. In WHERE THE DEAD SLEEP, he takes center stage, claims his identity, and does the right thing, even when it's not in his own best interest, all while trying to solve a murder, dodge bullets, and uncover the truth of what happened to his missing brother years ago. He is getting anything but a quiet, laid-back sleep town and no hiding out here.
You will be turning the pages into the wee hours of the morning! A massive fan of the author, Joshua Moehling, from his debut; he is a rock star, and if you enjoy small-town funny, larger-than-life characters, riveting suspense crime thrillers, and superb writing blended with dark humor with a highly relatable, smart, leading man—the Ben Packard series is for you.
WHERE THE DEAD SLEEP is for fans of authors: Lisa Gardner, Karin Slaughter, Heather Gudenkauf, Karen Katchur, Allen Eskens, C.J. Box, and William Kent Krueger.
Joshua and Ben are here to stay! Bingeworthy and prime for the big or small screen. Top Thrillers of 2023!
MOVIE CAST: Now, if there is a movie or TV series, My vote for BEN PACKARD is the hunky, CHANNING TATUM! I pictured him when reading, whether straight or gay, who does not LOVE looking at this man in a cop uniform (or nothing at all). I concur with Lisa Gardner; Ben is my new favorite deputy!
AUDIOBOOK: I read the e-book and listened to the audiobook narrated by Linda Jones for a superb performance for all voices! An engaging listening experience. By the way, you must get the hardcover copy. Look at the cover - STUNNING! Sign up for Joshua's newsletter (website) to get all the latest details.
Special thanks to Mandy at Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC and the author for an autographed hardcover copy with swag. Also, thanks to Dreamscape Media for an ALC via NetGalley.
Check out my #AuthorElevatorSeries Q&A with Joshua with AND THERE HE KEPT HER, where we go behind the scenes of the book & the author!
Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDColins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars +
Pub Date: Aug 15, 2023
Aug 2023 Must-Read Books
Top Books of 2023
The author returns with Ben Packard #2, WHERE THE DEAD SLEEP (5 stars)— a complex action-packed crime thriller with scandalous small-town secrets, a wealthy family, murder, and more in the rural lakeside town of Sandy Lake, Minnesota—leaving readers salivating for #3 and more Ben!
I love this series!
After a long summer, Deputy Ben Packard is back, tying up loose ends from the Emmett Burr case (from book #1). He is the acting Sheriff for Stan Shaw (currently elected sheriff of Sandy Lake County), who has cancer.
Ben (gay) is finally getting some action with a hot drummer, Brad, and hopes for a leisurely morning. However, it gets cut short when he is called in on a murder case—a dead body. The victim is William (Bill) Sandersen, husband of Carolyn (Carrie). Second marriage-two years. She has twins- grown children from her first marriage.
The case is not straightforward. William was shot twice while in bed, and his wife claims she was in the other bedroom since her husband has sleep apnea. Bill worked at Sandy Lake Auto. He also liked to frequent casinos.
His wife is the CEO of Gherlick Family Trust. She is the one with the money in the family. William (Bill) had gone out to meet his friend, Roger Freeman, a man he was to go in the chicken wing business with.
However, Ben soon discovers Bill has a thing for the sisters, as he was previously married to Carolyn's sister, Sherri. He divorced her to marry Carolyn. Carolyn dated him back in high school.
But Carrie and Bill liked to party and blow money at the casinos. The mom cut off the money, so I guess he decided to marry for more money, but Carolyn does not readily hand out the money. The girls had over a million dollars each, but that was before Sherri and Bill gambled it all away.
Is Carolyn smarter than her sister? And why did the perp murder Bill and not Carolyn?
Suspects:
The business partner, Roger
The ex-wife, alcoholic, Sherri.
The wife, Carolyn.
The high-stakes poker buddies.
Or someone else?
In the middle of the investigation, a tragedy occurs. Ben is left holding the bag and must make some big decisions. Should he run for Sheriff? He likes being a detective and not sitting behind a desk dealing with politics.
However, Marilyn, Stan's wife, is backing him and many others. If he does not run, it is Barney Fife Deputy Shepherd (which is pretty much worthless except for gossip).
Then another murder and the plot thickens, plus a mysterious hummingbird pin and a letter.
Packard soon discovers there is a hidden dark multi-generational history to Sandy Lake. Bad blood and old secrets run deep. And someone will do anything to keep it hidden. Before the book ends, someone is shooting at Packard. Is he getting too close to the darkness of Sandy Lake?
Moehling serves up another excellent suspense crime novel that will keep you riveted. There is action and suspense around every corner in this multi-layered mystery crime thriller—readers, if you loved Ben Packard #1, you will devour #2.
In addition to the mystery, danger, and double murders, there is the upcoming election to stress over, and as we were introduced in Ben Packard #1, there is the cold case mystery of Ben's older brother, Kyle. There is new evidence, and it ends on a cliffhanger. We can only hope #3 comes soon!
WHERE THE DEAD SLEEP is a killer whodunit crime thriller! Based loosely on a Minnesota true crime and switched out with a victim that might have made enemies or people who wanted to kill him.
Ben is a fantastic character and has grown since the last book, where he tried to outrun his past. In WHERE THE DEAD SLEEP, he takes center stage, claims his identity, and does the right thing, even when it's not in his own best interest, all while trying to solve a murder, dodge bullets, and uncover the truth of what happened to his missing brother years ago. He is getting anything but a quiet, laid-back sleep town and no hiding out here.
You will be turning the pages into the wee hours of the morning! A massive fan of the author, Joshua Moehling, from his debut; he is a rock star, and if you enjoy small-town funny, larger-than-life characters, riveting suspense crime thrillers, and superb writing blended with dark humor with a highly relatable, smart, leading man—the Ben Packard series is for you.
WHERE THE DEAD SLEEP is for fans of authors: Lisa Gardner, Karin Slaughter, Heather Gudenkauf, Karen Katchur, Allen Eskens, C.J. Box, and William Kent Krueger.
Joshua and Ben are here to stay! Bingeworthy and prime for the big or small screen. Top Thrillers of 2023!
MOVIE CAST: Now, if there is a movie or TV series, My vote for BEN PACKARD is the hunky, CHANNING TATUM! I pictured him when reading, whether straight or gay, who does not LOVE looking at this man in a cop uniform (or nothing at all). I concur with Lisa Gardner; Ben is my new favorite deputy!
AUDIOBOOK: I read the e-book and listened to the audiobook narrated by Linda Jones for a superb performance for all voices! An engaging listening experience. By the way, you must get the hardcover copy. Look at the cover - STUNNING! Sign up for Joshua's newsletter (website) to get all the latest details.
Special thanks to Mandy at Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC and the author for an autographed hardcover copy with swag. Also, thanks to Dreamscape Media for an ALC via NetGalley.
Check out my #AuthorElevatorSeries Q&A with Joshua with AND THERE HE KEPT HER, where we go behind the scenes of the book & the author!
Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDColins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars +
Pub Date: Aug 15, 2023
Aug 2023 Must-Read Books
Top Books of 2023