Where The Dead Sleep

Last summer I read and loved the first book in this series - And There He Kept Her - and continue to recommend it to my library customers. This second installment in the series features a great main character in police detective Ben Packard, but this small-town suspense story it fell short of my expectations.

This wasn't a slow burn read. Instead, I'd describe it was more of a story that took waaay too long to get going because it wasn't until almost 50% in that the story took off. There were some good twists, but the storytelling felt convoluted with too many subplots and extraneous secondary characters. I wasn't drawn into the suspense, and it ended up being a book that took me a long time to finish.

Thank goodness for main character Ben Packard because he was the highlight of the book for me. He's a good guy and a good cop who just happens to be gay and I will read the next book in this series simply based on his character. 

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for the complimentary digital copy of this book which was given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Joshua Moehling

Genre: Suspense

Type and Source: ebook from publisher via NetGalley

Series: #2 in the Ben Packard series

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

First Published: August 15, 2023

Book Description from GoodReads: A small town's dark secrets turn deadly...

When an early morning call brings Deputy Ben Packard to the scene of a home invasion, he finds Bill Sandersen shot in his bed. Bill was a well-liked local who chased easy money his whole life, leaving bad debts and broken hearts in his wake. Everyone Packard talks to has a story about Bill, but no one has a clear motive for wanting him dead. The business partner. The ex-wife. The current wife. The high-stakes poker buddies. Any of them—or none of them—could be guilty.

As the investigation begins, tragedy strikes the Sheriff's department, forcing Packard to make a difficult choice about his future: step down as acting Sheriff and pursue the quiet life he came to Sandy Lake in search of, or subject himself to the scrutiny of an election for the full-time role of Sheriff, a job he's not sure he wants.

There's a hidden history to Sandy Lake that Packard, ever the outsider, can't see. Bad blood and old secrets run deep. But an attempt on Packard's life means he's getting uncomfortably close to the dangerous legacy of the quiet Minnesota town. And someone will do anything to keep it hidden.