Book Review: Where The Dead Sleep
Book cover image from Amazon
Where the Dead Sleep by Joshua Moehling is gripping, and hard hitting from the first paragraph. It centered you squarely in Acting Sheriff Ben Packard’s life, and bed.
Ben Packard, has returned to the small Minnesota town of Sandy Lake as a Detective on the police force. A position he liked very much until Sheriff Stan Shaw became ill. Ben was placed in charge.
Then a home invasion murder occurs which involves one of Ben’s friends, and an important person in town. Suspects abound. Are all his friends complicit or is this the hand of an outsider?
As this is the second book in a series, and I hadn’t read the first, I had to get up to speed on the characters and their surroundings. It was not difficult, however, and this book could stand alone. Sheriff Ben Packard was a well-rounded character, and Moehling didn’t shy away from allowing us to see the sexual side of Ben, as well as the caring side.
I was looking forward to seeing how Joshua Moehling handled a gay Sheriff, and how the other characters in the book responded to his office. There was no special treatment given to Sheriff Packard regarding his orientation. He was gay…boom…move on.
Thank you for an honest portrayal. There were a few times I would have liked to have read book one, but the fact that I hadn’t did not ruin the enjoyment of this mystery. Am I being cryptic?
Yes, and all I can tell you is Sheriff Ben Packard is not afraid of conflict or using his gun. Because I live in a small town, I know these characters as if they were my own family. The infighting of this small town is familiar. Moehling did a scarily fantastic job with his cast of characters.
Once you start this book, you had better clear some time in your schedule to finish it. You will not be able to put this book down until its conclusion.
I kept jumping from suspect to suspect as I tried to solve the mystery. It will hold you in a vice-like grip until the end.
Moehling kept it true to life, which makes the story more relatable, albeit sad. There was a little goodie dropped at the end of the book. All I can say to Mr. Moehling is thank you and hurry with the next book in the series, please. I am hooked!
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Sue Cook lives in Freeport, Illinois with her husband Randy and two dogs. Her passions include assistance dogs, rescue dogs, music, acting, theater, poetry, and Doctor Who. She’s been in both film and theater and is a regular cast member of the podcast Doctor Who’s Line is it….Anyway? Sue is an advocate for the use of Service Dogs to assist their disabled handlers to maintain their independence. Quigley’s Quest, her first children’s book, addresses how a dog becomes a Service Dog.
