A LONG TIME GONE is perhaps the most personal story in Joshua Moehling’s series starring Deputy Ben Packard, who already made a splash as an openly gay lead character. This time, it is not his sexuality that takes center stage, but his family’s haunted past.

After losing the local sheriff’s race, Packard is dealing with the harsh reality that he now has to report to his hated rival as he is demoted to the position of bag check scanner at the courthouse. Trouble always seems to find Packard, and his latest stint is no exception. He is on duty when one of the parties in a heated case presents a weapon, and he is forced to fire, killing Robert Clark before he can get off a third shot. Now on administrative leave while the shooting is being investigated, Packard is thrust back into his past and must deal with wounds that have never healed.

"Joshua Moehling is officially a force to be reckoned with, and A LONG TIME GONE proudly continues one of the best written mystery/thriller series on the market."

When he was just a boy, Packard’s older brother, Nick, walked out the back door of their home never to be seen or heard from again. He had been declared dead decades ago, but Packard and his family never recovered from the incident and experienced no closure. Suddenly new information arises that may indicate the location of Nick’s body. This brings Packard’s estranged mother back into town. They are both surprised to find that the woman who bought their old home recently died in a household accident when she was found on the floor with a broken neck. The death appeared to be suspicious, and Packard finds himself rooted in two separate but possibly related tragedies.

Something as innocent as a photograph of Nick swimming in a nearby lake with two old friends sets Packard off on a hunt for answers. However, everyone he encounters who may have been around Nick the summer he disappeared comes across as untrustworthy and unnecessarily elusive. As frustrating as this is, he is not swayed in his efforts to learn the truth, and the novel’s pace really picks up when he delves deeper into his past. The relationship between Packard and his mother is both stereotypical and comical, making for some welcome lighthearted moments amidst all of the darkness that the narrative brings.

Joshua Moehling is officially a force to be reckoned with, and A LONG TIME GONE proudly continues one of the best written mystery/thriller series on the market.