Homicide for the Holidays

by Joshua Moehling

It's winter, close to Christmas, and Deputy Ben Packard should be relaxing, but he can't stop thinking about Daisy Morrow's husband. Oliver is a plumber who has been missing for months after trying to collect money owed him by his customers. His wife Daisy doesn't seem very concerned. His customers claim not to have seen him.

Someone's not telling the truth.

Packard will have all the answers he needs by the end of the night if hosting a dinner party with his closest friends and family doesn't kill him first.

HOMICIDE FOR THE HOLIDAYS is a 7000 word short story that features everything you've come to love about the world of Sandy Lake, MN. It's got humor, mystery, and holiday cheer. Some of your favorite characters return: Frank the corgi, Deputy Thielen, Gary Bushwright.

Packard's mom.

It's going to be a holiday to remember.

Available in digital and print formats via the author's website.

32 pages, ebook

Published November 21, 2025

Reviews

[Christina Faris (books_by_the_bottle) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this holiday novella as an early present for myself - what better way to ring in the holidays than with my book boyfriend, Ben Packard. Here, Ben is at a dead end in a missing person case, and in the spirit of the holidays, his mom has invited all the special people in his life to a Christmas dinner party. Filled with humor, love and mystery, “Homicide for the Holidays” makes the perfect stocking stuffer - and I can’t wait to see what is next in this series!

This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_ bottle) shortly :)

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love the way Ben Packard's mind works - he is always thinking his way through the crime, even when he is off duty. Homicide for the Holidays is equal parts crime solving and family time. This is a very short dose of Ben Packard and his friends and family. It's just enough to keep his fans satisfied until the next big mystery is revealed. I love Mama Packard, but she was over-the-top, too much in this appearance.

[Hot Mess Book Lover · Rating 5 out of 5]

8.5⭐'s 😜😜

"Homicide for the Holidays" is an exceptional work. Moehling's multifaceted talent is evident, and his wit truly shines in this piece. I found myself thoroughly entertained and amused. Moehling's characters are outstanding, I love Moma Packard, in particular. this is rich with dialogue and banter like no other! I eagerly anticipate future works from Moehling.

[Mikenzie Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Pam 😂 100% worth the read

[Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful short in the Ben Packard Series!

[Alyssa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nobody makes me crave the cold slap of winter more than Joshua Moehling and my favorite fictional character, Ben Packard. Just one state away, this world Moehling has crafted feels relatable and tangible in the best ways. I am such a sucker for Mother Nature as a character, and she always features in these novels.

Homicide for the Holidays is a short visit with Detective Ben Packard as his mom steamrolls his comfort to host a dinner party. This book is a testament to what a fantastic and immersive writer Moehling is. It felt like settling in on the couch, fire crackling, dog snoring at your feet. That annoyingly cloying smell of stroganoff cooking in the background (read it). Reading this felt like coming home. It made the wait until the fourth installment of this series (May 2026) seem so much farther away.

If you can’t tell, this series means the world to me. It’s just good. It really is. And Moehling’s humor in these books just gets better and better.

I cannot recommend this one enough, or the entire series, really. You’ll love Ben Packard and the beautiful glimpse of a Midwest winter.

[Carrie Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈.
"𝑰𝒇 𝑰'𝒎 𝒍𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒚, 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒂 𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒓," 𝑷𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅.

The Ben Packard series is one of my very favorites, and when I saw that the author released a holiday short story, I snatched it up. I was not expecting to cackle my way through it, but the addition of Ben's mother and all the off-color humor was a guaranteed good time.

Besides dealing with his mother's visit this Christmas season, Packard has a mystery on his hands. Daisy Morrow's husband Oliver is a plumber who has been missing for months. He was last seen trying to collect money owed to him by some customers. No one claims to have seen him, and curiously, Daisy seems to have embraced the single life and doesn't seem concerned about Oliver at all.

Even though Packard's time is mostly consumed with keeping his mom out of his personal life (and his dating profile) he manages to solve the mystery of the missing plumber and make it home in time for a holiday meal. This was a warm, festive little short with an ending that had me screaming with laughter. Subscribe to the author's newsletter so you can download your free copy!

[Melanie Ollila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the Ben Packard series so I couldn’t miss out on this holiday novella.

Ben’s mom is back in town, making him uncomfortable in the most hilarious ways, only as a mom can in front of his friends of course! She is one of my favorite characters out of all the books I read.

Ben is on a cold missing person’s case of a local man when the solve comes to him from a statement made over a dinner party, quickly solved, a surprise ending. Such a great mini mystery in such a short read!

[Gemini · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Great Snack

I love me some Ben Packard, so I was thrilled to get a holiday short about him. The mystery of the missing man was interesting. I loved how Packard connected the dots to solve it. The dinner party was fun. Packard’s mom was hilarious. The final scene was laugh out loud funny. It was nice to catch up with these beloved characters. I just wish Ben could find his happily ever after.

[Alexa | alexahasread · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

• holiday short story
• mystery meets dinner party
• winter vibes

I'm always here for more Packard! His mom is a hoot. I would say this is more winter than holiday, but nonetheless a nice addition to the series! Love these characters.

[Marla A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the perfect little book for an evening or snowy afternoon. Now that I know most of the characters from previous Joshua Moehling books, it felt like I was checking up on them to make sure they are still all okay. I am happy to report that they are doing just fine!

[Ellie Boe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I live for Mama Packard

[Melissa Brandts · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick little evening dinner party with old friends…Packard’s Mom, OMG. So good! Can’t wait for the next full length Packard book…only six more months 😬

[Tami Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious!!! Is there a word for Crime/Comedy genre, like there is for rom-coms? This short story was so funny, I was laughing out loud throughout. I loved every minute, and didn't want it to end!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ordered a special limited edition signed copy by the author. A quick holiday read about an impromptu dinner party. The lovable characters from the first three books show up and hilarity ensues.

[Meagan Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

How freakin fun and cute. I laughed out loud a couple times.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery, humor, mom Pam & Ben Packard!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pam for the win!!!!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I were Ben's mother, I would have hidden his cell phone for the day! Other than that, this was the perfect stocking stuffer to hold me over until the next book in the series!

[Joelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun lil story for the holidays that continued the Packard adventures! I really enjoyed reading this and just wish it was longer, but I guess i'll wait til the next book is out.
If you are looking for a short Christmas spirit/murder mystery, this is just waiting for you!