While the main focus is Packard and the mystery at hand, other contemporary issues are surfaced. Foremost is lingering stigma aimed at LGBTQ+ people like Packard, but Moehling also shines a light on COVID-relief fraud, police brutality, long-term issues springing from combat and PTSD, work-life balance, gun ownership, and even the Paris trash strikes.
All the while, wry humor and Midwestern witticisms pepper the novel with levity.
Moehling’s third novel cements the Ben Packard series as a must-read for anyone interested in crime, thrillers, or small-town novels. This big-hearted, fast-paced finale has enough context built in that it could stand alone, but the excellent writing, thrilling cases and bursts of action make it worth starting at the beginning. A Long Time Gone brings it all home for an emotional, deeply satisfying conclusion.
‘A Long Time Gone’ by Joshua Moehling is out now, via Poisoned Pen Press.