ARC Review: Ben Packard #3

A Long Time Gone by Joshua Moehling

Publication Date: February 4, 2025

Summary from NetGalley:

It’s time to put the past to rest…

Ben Packard was just a boy when his older brother disappeared. Ben watched him walk out the back door of their grandparents’ house and into the cold night.

His brother was never seen again.

Decades later, Deputy Packard finds himself with too much time on his hands. A shooting has him on leave and under investigation, and all he can do is dwell on the past. For the first time in years, new information about his brother has surfaced that may lead them to the location of a body.

The midwinter ground is frozen solid. Worse, Packard is cut off from department resources. As he strikes out to finally uncover the truth behind his brother’s disappearance, he stumbles on a separate, suspicious death. A tenuous connection exists between the two cases, and as Packard starts to dig, he meets fierce resistance from friends and foes alike who want him to stand down.

The winter is long and cold. By the end of it, Packard will risk everything to catch a killer and reveal the shocking truth about his brother.

ARC provided by Poisoned Pen Press via Netgalley for an honest review.

Confession:

This third installment in the Ben Packard series was just as good as the first two and in some ways even better. This is a twisty police procedural with a great cast of suspects and finally we find out what happened to Ben’s brother when he disappeared decades ago.

Ben is such a great character. He is complex, diligent and has a lot of integrity. He follows his moral compass to find the truth even when that jeopardizes his job. He is also good at paying attention to details which is what makes him such a good detective. But he also questions himself at times which makes him work even harder to overcome his doubts about the investigations. The memories of his brother are woven into the story in such a way that makes them heartbreaking. I also loved his relationship with his mother, who is a bit much, but wants what is best for her son.

This book has three plots interwoven together to form a very interesting story. The book opens with Ben being involved in a shooting, which puts him on leave. This means he has a lot of time on his hands. He ends up looking at a death of an elderly woman more closely. These two stories intertwine with the mystery of what happened to Ben’s brother. All of the stories will keep you guessing as to what is really going on. The suspects are well rounded and written in a way that makes you think they are all guilty of something. The pacing is a little bit slow at times, but the characters keep you interested in knowing what happens. The truth of what happened to Ben is gut wrenching but gives the story closure.

I am hoping that this is not the last book featuring Ben Packard. I love the small town feel to the story and Ben is such a great character that I am not ready to say goodbye to. His fellow sheriffs are also a fun bunch to hang with. The mysteries are also well done and are twisty enough to keep you guessing until the end. This is a series I highly recommend.