Joshua Moehling, Where the Dead Sleep

“This is another good new series set in small town America, this time Minnesota and perfect for fans of William Kent Kruger. Ben Packard was a cop in Minneapolis until a personal tragedy caused him to relocate to the small resort town where he used to spend summers and holidays with his grandparents. Now he’s the interim sheriff and vacillating between running for the job full time or not. He’s a good cop but there are some jealous of his fast rise through the ranks while others don’t like that he’s gay. Then a home invasion goes wrong, a well-liked local is killed, and the spotlight of scrutiny shines brightly upon him; and those who don’t like him are sharpening their proverbial knives. This is the second in the series and an incident in his youth where his older brother disappears helps propel the series forward; but Ben and his fellow cast of characters really don’t need that help to bring us readers back for more.” — Pete Mock