A Long Time Gone Summary, Characters and Themes

A Long Time Gone by Joshua Moehling is a small-town mystery that blends past trauma with present-day crime. 

At its center is Deputy Ben Packard, a man haunted by the disappearance of his brother decades ago. When a courthouse shooting and a cryptic letter from a former sheriff bring buried secrets to the surface, Packard finds himself unraveling a decades-old mystery. All the while, he navigates the political and emotional fallout of a deadly incident. Moehling crafts a layered, character-driven narrative that explores grief, identity, and corruption. In this town, secrets are kept close and scars even closer.

Summary

Deputy Ben Packard, recently demoted after losing a contentious sheriff’s race, is working court security when a land dispute erupts in violence. Robert Clark, emotionally unstable over the relocation of his wife’s ashes, opens fire inside the courthouse.

Packard shoots and kills Clark, but a juror is also killed in the chaos. Though Packard acted in defense, the incident sparks controversy.

Due to a malfunctioning body cam and intense media scrutiny, he’s placed on administrative leave. Sheriff Shepard—his political rival—seems more concerned with optics than truth.

The shooting reawakens personal trauma for Packard. He is still haunted by the mysterious disappearance of his brother Nick 30 years earlier.

A posthumous letter from former Sheriff Stan Shaw includes a hand-drawn map. It hints that Nick may be buried near their old family cabin.

Packard and Deputy Colleen Thielen search the snowy woods. However, they are forced to delay when weather conditions make the search impossible.

Returning to the lake house with his mother stirs painful memories. They discover subtle clues that suggest their neighbor, Louise, might have known something about Nick’s fate.

Louise had died from a suspicious fall. An old photo album and a sealed letter intensify suspicions.

Packard begins building a new case file on Nick’s cold case. He learns more about Louise’s secrets through her lawyer, Raymond Wiley, and his daughter, Lisa.

They uncover a journal with cryptic entries about a boy who “died because of love and fear.” Meanwhile, a man in a nearby mansion appears to be watching them.

Louise’s fall begins to look less like an accident. Neighborhood oddities mount as Packard digs deeper.

The girl in an old photo with Nick is identified as Carrie. Now living out of state, she agrees to meet with Packard.

In a powerful emotional exchange, she reveals they had a romantic relationship. They were afraid of how the town would react.

Packard, who has also struggled with his sexuality, realizes Nick may have been targeted due to homophobic prejudice. The realization is both heartbreaking and galvanizing.

Greg Hanson, a volatile former friend of Nick’s, enters the spotlight. He has a violent past and unresolved resentment.

After an intense confrontation, Greg admits that he and two others confronted Nick the night he vanished. What was meant to be intimidation turned violent.

Nick was struck in the head and never seen again. His death had been covered up for decades.

With help from Thielen and a cadaver dog, Packard returns to the lake property in the spring. The dog alerts to human remains at the spot marked on the map.

Forensic analysis confirms the remains belong to Nick. He died of blunt force trauma and the case is officially classified as a homicide.

With new testimony and physical evidence, one of the attackers is arrested. Investigations into the others begin immediately.

Simultaneously, Sheriff Shepard’s corruption is exposed. He had tampered with reports and suppressed evidence to protect the town’s image.

Shepard faces an internal investigation. Calls for his resignation grow louder.

The Bureau clears Packard of wrongdoing in the courthouse shooting. Community opinion begins to shift in his favor.

Especially after the painful truth of Nick’s murder becomes public, many rally behind Packard. At a lakeside vigil, he and his mother finally confront their loss.

Reinvigorated by justice and personal resolution, Packard decides to run for sheriff again. With a restored sense of purpose and community support, he looks ahead with hope and integrity.

Characters

Deputy Ben Packard

Ben Packard is the protagonist, a seasoned deputy sheriff dealing with significant emotional turmoil and a troubled past. After being demoted due to a failed election for sheriff, Ben’s character is shaped by a deep sense of guilt and unresolved grief.

The shooting incident at the courthouse, which he is involved in, brings additional complications to his life, further isolating him. He is haunted by the disappearance of his brother Nick thirty years ago, and this personal mystery drives much of his actions throughout the book.

Ben is a man of strong convictions, though often conflicted by his professional duties and the personal consequences of his investigations. His loyalty to his brother and the need for closure pushes him to revisit painful family memories and uncover buried secrets.

Despite his flaws, Ben is empathetic, determined, and willing to confront uncomfortable truths, making him a complex and relatable character.

Sheriff Shepard

Sheriff Shepard represents the embodiment of political corruption and negligence. He is portrayed as self-serving, more focused on his image and political maneuvering than on justice.

His rivalry with Ben, whom he demotes, and his deliberate hindrance of Ben’s investigation into the cold case demonstrate his morally dubious nature. Shepard’s role in suppressing evidence and manipulating the truth about the deaths in the community highlights his willingness to protect his own interests at all costs.

As the story progresses, his actions become more transparent, making him a central antagonist to Ben’s quest for justice. Despite his authority and influence, Shepard’s character ultimately unravels as the layers of deception are peeled away by Ben’s relentless pursuit of the truth.

Deputy Thielen

Deputy Thielen is Ben’s loyal partner, providing crucial support throughout his investigation. While she works within the confines of the law, Thielen shows a quiet resilience and dedication to uncovering the truth alongside Ben.

Her willingness to help Ben, even when the case puts her at risk, speaks to her character’s integrity and courage. Thielen is practical, grounded, and acts as a steadying influence on Ben, particularly when he is consumed by guilt or emotional turmoil.

Her trust in Ben and her covert assistance make her one of the few figures in the narrative who genuinely stands by him, even when the community and political forces turn against them.

Louise

Louise, the elderly woman whose mysterious death becomes a pivotal element in the investigation, plays a key role in the unfolding mystery. Her death, initially thought to be an accident, is later linked to the disappearance of Nick.

Louise’s character is shrouded in secrecy, and her hidden past slowly unravels throughout the novel. The journal she left behind, mentioning a boy who died “because of love and fear,” ties her death to the broader story of Nick’s disappearance.

Louise’s character represents the idea of buried secrets, with her past relationships and concealed fears driving much of the mystery that Ben unravels.

Carrie

Carrie, the woman in the photo with Nick, becomes an essential part of solving the cold case. Her past relationship with Nick, which was both secretive and filled with fear of discrimination, brings emotional depth to the story.

Carrie’s eventual confession about her relationship with Nick and the threats he faced adds a layer of vulnerability and fear to Nick’s story. Her character represents the painful realities of small-town prejudice and the emotional consequences of living in fear.

She not only provides crucial information about Nick’s life but also helps Ben understand the emotional struggles that shaped his brother’s life.

Greg Hanson

Greg Hanson is a former friend of Nick’s, whose actions and motivations become central to the investigation. Initially evasive and hostile, Greg’s eventual confession reveals key details about Nick’s disappearance.

His role in the conspiracy surrounding Nick’s death highlights the darker, more violent aspects of small-town life, where intolerance and fear can drive people to commit heinous acts. His eventual breakdown under pressure reflects the weight of his involvement and adds a sense of justice as Ben pieces together the truth.

Raymond Wiley

Raymond Wiley is the lawyer connected to Louise’s estate, whose knowledge of Louise’s life and secrets becomes instrumental in Ben’s investigation. Although his role is somewhat secondary compared to the main characters, Wiley’s insights into Louise’s past and his connection to the broader community provide Ben with critical information that pushes the investigation forward.

Wiley’s character underscores the theme of hidden histories and the way people’s lives can be shaped by secrets, both personal and professional.

Themes

The Struggle Between Personal Redemption and Public Perception

One of the central themes in A Long Time Gone revolves around the dual battle between personal redemption and the often overwhelming pressure of public perception. Deputy Ben Packard’s journey is a quest for justice—not just for his missing brother, Nick, but also for his own sense of identity and professional honor.

Throughout the novel, Packard contends with the aftermath of a courthouse shooting that sparks widespread media attention. His actions, though defensive, lead to a suspension and public scrutiny. As he dives deeper into investigating his brother’s disappearance, Packard finds himself at odds with a community eager to cast judgment and a political system that prioritizes optics over truth.

His personal quest for closure and the restoration of his career become intertwined as he navigates a world where his every decision is dissected by the public eye. The theme highlights how the need for self-redemption is often complicated by external forces, forcing Packard to confront not only his past mistakes but also the larger societal and institutional failures that have shaped his life.

The Corrosive Effects of Small-Town Secrets and Corruption

The theme of small-town secrets and corruption is prevalent throughout the novel, especially as Packard uncovers layers of deception tied to his brother’s disappearance. The novel explores how deeply ingrained societal structures can conceal dark truths.

As Packard delves into the mystery surrounding his brother, he uncovers a pattern of political cover-ups, particularly within the sheriff’s office. His investigation reveals how Sheriff Shepard and other key figures in the community intentionally suppressed vital information and manipulated public records to maintain power and avoid scandal.

The tension in the town is palpable, as the loyalty to family and tradition often clashes with the pursuit of justice. This theme paints a portrait of how corruption within small communities can fester unchecked, creating an environment where truth becomes subjective, and those who dare to uncover it risk alienation or worse.

Packard’s journey is an attempt to disrupt this cycle, seeking not just personal closure but a broader sense of accountability within a society built on the erosion of truth.

The Personal Toll of Trauma and Loss

The theme of trauma and loss is explored deeply in Packard’s personal history, particularly in his relationship with his brother Nick. Packard’s grief over Nick’s disappearance has never truly been resolved, and as he embarks on his investigation, he is forced to confront not just the pain of losing his brother but also the unresolved guilt and emotional scars that have shaped his life.

The novel examines how unresolved trauma can subtly influence a person’s decisions, relationships, and actions. The emotional toll on Packard is evident in his nightmares and the weight he carries from both the shooting incident and his brother’s disappearance.

His struggle is not only with external adversities but also with his own unresolved grief. This theme reflects the complex nature of trauma—how it doesn’t just go away with time but instead waits to be unearthed and addressed in the most difficult of circumstances.

The emotional weight Packard carries ultimately shapes his motivations and his determination to uncover the truth, even when it risks further personal anguish.

The Silent Struggles of Identity and Acceptance

Packard’s investigation into Nick’s disappearance also brings to light another deeply significant theme: the silent struggles of identity and acceptance, particularly concerning sexuality. As Packard uncovers the hidden past of his brother, he realizes that Nick may have been targeted because of his sexuality—a revelation that hits home personally.

Packard, too, has struggled with the pressures of conforming to societal expectations and hiding parts of his identity in order to fit in. The novel subtly addresses the emotional toll of living in a small, conservative town where people’s differences are often stigmatized.

Packard’s realization that Nick’s death might have been the result of his sexuality forces him to confront his own internalized fears and the ways in which his community has cultivated an environment of intolerance. The theme speaks to the broader issue of how identity—whether it is related to sexuality, background, or personal belief—can be a source of both internal and external conflict.

The novel touches on the idea that true acceptance, both from oneself and from others, is one of the most difficult challenges a person can face.

The Search for Truth and Justice in a Broken System

At its core, A Long Time Gone is a narrative about the pursuit of truth and justice in a system that often seems designed to obscure them. Packard’s relentless search for answers about his brother’s death, despite the institutional resistance and political interference, highlights the theme of fighting for justice in a broken system.

The plot revolves around Packard’s determination to uncover the truth, even when faced with misleading testimonies, destroyed evidence, and corrupt officials. This pursuit of justice is not just about solving a case but also about righting the wrongs within a flawed system that privileges power and cover-ups over truth and accountability.

Packard’s journey is a testament to the idea that justice is not always served by the legal system but through perseverance, courage, and the willingness to challenge authority. The theme reinforces the notion that the quest for truth often requires an individual to operate outside the confines of the law or societal expectations, pushing for justice in ways that are not always legal but are morally imperative.