Featuring a gay lead character, Joshua Moehling’s Ben Packard series is written like fine literary fiction full of complexity and atmosphere. The latest installment is BENEATH A BROKEN SKY, and the small town of Sandy Lake, Minnesota, has been suffering from the effects of a tornado that swept through the county.

The Prologue paints a picture of the destruction and recovery that Sandy Lake is going through and how the sight of so many devastated trees can take a person’s breath away. This subtle inclusion of dynamic imagery is not just to bring readers inside the natural landscape of the area. It also serves as a symbolic clue to the murder mystery that is about to be presented. Each chapter opens with a comment about the air quality and how it is getting increasingly worse as wildfires approach.

"BENEATH A BROKEN SKY is a cerebral suspense novel that will satisfy the thinking-person’s summer beach read thriller fix and is difficult to shake."

Ben Packard is still reeling from losing the election for town sheriff and had to work his way back into the detective ranks after the newly elected sheriff banished him to the position of courthouse security officer. It is not long before Packard and his colleague, Reynolds, are thrust into a murder case --- which is relatively rare for the area --- when a housewife and mother is found stabbed to death.

The only information about Ashley Turner of recent note is that her gay son had been badly bullied and had his car vandalized by school ruffians, which led to her publicly battling the school board. Despite his personal feelings, Packard does not think this had anything to do with her murder. After learning that Ashley’s husband was having an affair that she eventually found out about, he follows this line of inquiry but doesn't believe it has any impact on the case either.

As Packard and his team scramble to think outside the box and create a picture of who else could have inserted themselves into Ashley’s life, their search leads them to a myriad of outsiders who have scattered the landscape of Sandy Lake in the wake of the tornado. Groups of strange men have been brought into town --- from tree trimmers to landscapers to insurance inspectors --- and it might have been one or more of them who preyed on the unsuspecting Ashley.

During the investigation, Packard is forced to reconcile some past feelings over the death of his boyfriend, Marcus, when Marcus’ sister, Symphony, shows up seeking to learn more about him. Marcus had written her off due to a tragic event whereby her mental issues caused her to drown her own child in a bathtub. She breaks parole to visit Sandy Lake and is in disbelief when she learns about her brother’s lifestyle. This visit opens the door to Packard and makes him reconnect with another former lover, once again putting his sexual identity under the microscope in a part of the country not known for its tolerance and open-mindedness.

As the case and the wildfires grow more intense, Packard and his team, along with the citizens of Sandy Lake, are pushed to emotional extremes and danger in both human and natural forms that threaten them all. 

BENEATH A BROKEN SKY is a cerebral suspense novel that will satisfy the thinking-person’s summer beach read thriller fix and is difficult to shake.