Moehling is a Minnesota mystery author, and “Long Time Gone” is the third in his series featuring Ben Packard, set in the small central Minnesota town of Sandy Lake.

Ben had been a policeman in Minneapolis, but fled back to Sandy Lake when his partner was killed. His grandparents had a home in Sandy Lake, and his family had spent summers and holidays there.

The mystery of what happened to Ben’s older brother who disappeared almost 20 years ago from the grandparent’s home has been a recurring thread in his books, and in this third book it is finally wrapped up. Ben is on leave due to a shooting in the courthouse; he had to shoot a man firing on his opponent in a trial from the courthouse entrance. He is placed on leave.

However Ben is an obsessive detective, ferreting out details of events not even considered crimes: for instance, Louise Larson, the woman who bought his grandparent’s house years ago, was found at the bottom of her basement stairs, with a slightly elevated blood alcohol level.

Months later, while visiting the house with his mother before it was to be sold, Ben notices some blood and hair on the latch of the basement door and takes samples. Ben’s resourceful colleagues help him out, and try to hide his involvement from the sheriff.

Ben concludes her death was murder. Elderly Louise had also signed off on some odd expenses connected to some empty rental properties she owned in nearby towns. When Ben follows up he finds a suspicious amount of cash in her accounts, and one of the properties still has electricity running… for a freezer. Her property manager disappears, and might have embezzled some cash. His investigation possibly involves many locals, some quite prominent.

I was riveted by the suspenseful thrills involving a house fire, freezing water in a lake, random gun shots, and a state-wide FBI investigation.

I loved the characters. Ben’s mother and siblings are wonderful; his quirky mother comes from the Southwest with crystals and sage when it looks like they may find his brother’s remains, and urges him to find love. He never recovered from the death of his earlier partner, also a policeman, and had ignored stirrings of affection for a local brewery owner. The plot is convoluted with plenty of possibly guilty parties.

The first book in the series is “And there he kept her,” and the second is called “Where the dead sleep.”

Moehling will be part of the 2025 Club Book Library appearances and talks, and he will be at the Burnhaven Library, 1101 County Rd. 42W in Burnsville on Oct. 14 at 6:30 p.m.