Partners in mystery solving & in life, PJ & JP are solving the most difficult problem of their home remodeling TV series yet. A house rumored to be haunted by a 25 year gone dead beauty queen to try and help her daughter learn the truth.

I wanted to like this because the mystery was really interesting. And the uncertainty about the ghost really kept me guessing.

But all the characters were flat and vaguely cartoonish, the tone of the writing felt really off to me, & the flashbacks really killed the flow of the story. The final resolution was interesting, with the combination of the reveal about the “haunting” and the ghost and the motivations, but the real culprit didn’t feel set up particularly well.

I did really appreciate the little addendum at the end of the book about DIYing your own haunted house, and I actually used a couple of the tips in my own Halloween decorating this year.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this arc.

This is my first time reading this author. It did take me a bit to get into the story, but I really wanted to find out how it all came together.

Thankyou to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Haunted to Death by Frank Anthony Polito

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½

Hey folks! So, I recently had the pleasure of reviewing Haunted to Death by Frank Anthony Polito, and let me tell you, it was a perfect October read. This book is the third installment in the Domestic Partners series, and it’s just as engaging as the previous ones. If you’re into cozy mysteries with a sprinkle of ghostly charm, keep on reading!

A Quick Summary

This Halloween season, our favorite home renovation duo, Peter (PJ) Penwell and JP Broadway, find themselves in a bit of a spooky situation. They’re tasked with restoring Woods Hall, a gorgeous old manor in Pleasant Woods, Detroit, that has a chilling backstory. Picture this: 25 years ago, during a Halloween party, the glamorous Emma Wheeler-Woods—dressed in a stunning wedding gown—plummeted from a balcony. Was it an accident? Or did someone give her a little push?

Now, Fiona Forrest, Emma’s daughter and an indie music star, has inherited this haunted beauty and is determined to restore it. As PJ and JP dive into renovations, things start to go bump in the night, and they can't help but wonder if they’re dealing with a ghost or something much darker. With a Halloween deadline looming, they juggle renovations, a haunted house, and the mystery of Emma's death—all while trying to keep their reality show on track.

My Thoughts

Okay, let’s talk about PJ and JP. DIY experts; they’re also life partners. Their dynamic is just so charming! PJ is the anxious one while JP is the brave heart—together they make quite the team. It’s like watching a perfectly balanced recipe come together.

This book has that delicious Halloween vibe, especially with the backdrop of an old mansion filled with secrets and possible curses. The back-and-forth storytelling really kept me hooked; it was like peeling back layers of an onion (a spooky onion!). You get to meet some of the townsfolk who were around during Emma's tragic party, and their insights add depth to the narrative. Plus, Fiona’s celebrity status throws in a nice twist to the mix!

I loved how the author paints PJ and JP’s everyday life. They’ve got rescue dogs and their own lovingly restored home that feels so relatable. It’s cozy in all the right ways. And let’s not forget about their sleuthing—while they might be nosy (who isn’t?), their gentle probing feels appropriate as they try to uncover the truth behind Emma’s death.

By the time I reached the end of this book, I felt a genuine affection for these characters. They’re endearing enough that I’d happily join them for a cup of coffee in their craftsman-style home! If you’re looking for a fun read that combines humor, mystery, and a touch of the supernatural, I’d say give Haunted to Death a shot.

Overall, while I didn’t find it to be absolutely perfect (hence the 3.5 stars), it certainly delivered some cozy vibes and kept me entertained. I’m already looking forward to seeing what PJ and JP get into next!

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

Haunted to Death is the third book in the Domestic Partners in Crime Mysteries by Frank Anthony Polito. This is a Halloween themed mystery and much of the action takes place at a lumber baron's mansion that PJ and his partner JP are renovating for their TV show "Domestic Partners." The new owner of the home is Fiona Woods, who only recently discovered that her mother was a famous model who died at the home 25 years ago on Halloween night. While PJ and JP are skeptical that Fiona's mother may be haunting the house but it's hard to hold on to disbelief when mysterious things start happening. Many of the characters from previous books are back to tell what they remember about attending the Halloween party where Fiona's mother died. Some of the stories are told in flashback style, which felt a little jarring since the stories are told from PJ's point of view. I really like PJ's voice and what his character brings to the story. But I can understand that memories of an event that far in the past might have worked better when told by the characters who experienced them. All in all, this third book in a solid entry in the book. It has me hoping that there will be a Christmas book in the series' future.

I picked this up hoping it would be the kind of cozy mystery where you can start at really any book in the series. Unfortunately, it was not. There was nothing at all to make me care about the main characters.

A home restoration project for a reality TV home renovation pair of guys coupled in career and life just got spooky when they learn of the death there and the seeming haunting events that are occurring in the present. Frank Anthony Polito’s Domestic Partners in Crime series is new to me, but the setting of my home stomping grounds, historic home restoration, and the paranormal vibes in a cozy mystery were too tantalizing to pass up.

Haunted to Death is the third of this paranormal cozy mystery series. I had no trouble reading it as a standalone as the partnership was all settled as was their work and the mystery was standalone.

Peter and JP have a Reality TV show called Domestic Partners where they renovate homes around the Detroit area. They get offered the intriguing job of restoring a 1913 estate of a popular singer who recently learned she’s the heiress. The home has a dark history with a death occurring there during a Halloween party back in the nineties. Accident or murder? No one knows, but Peter and JP need to figure it out quick if they want a successful reno and show.

Haunted to Death was a slow go for the start. At first, I was into the book with the details about the characters, their show, the area, their cute rescue dogs, and their new project. But the details just kept a’comin’ shall we say that it slogged down the pace. I started skimming and considered stopping, but then about the second half things finally got going. Mystery was at the forefront and still all the good extras with it.

But, while it didn’t grab me at first, it did give me all for which I was hoping- Detroit area love aboundeth, home reno descriptions galore, cute pets, community of people and solid romantic and work partnership, and an intriguing historical, haunted house. Halloween vibes and the fall were fabulous. I’d be interested in trying out the other books in the series. As to recommends, this is for those who enjoy strong and diverse LGBT+ rep, coziest of cozy tone, home reno description, pets, and a mystery percolating in the background then coming to the forefront.

Having found success renovating homes for their Domestic Partners show on Home Design Television, bestselling author PJ “Pete” Penwell and his partner JP Broadway are taking on the challenging 1913 manor built for lumber baron William Royce Woods. Infamous for a family curse that has been passed down and led to deaths of many of the Woods family, this renovation has been planned to coincide with Halloween in their hometown of Pleasant Woods, Michigan. In an opening flashback scene to Halloween 1997, former model Emma Woods is seen being devastated by a revelation about her husband. While her marriage of convenience was meant to combine her family’s wealth with Bill Wood’s IV’s inherited money, learning of his betrayal has Emma furious has her in tears. What isn’t explained is how Emma, dressed in her wedding dress as a costume tribute to the late Princess Diana, fell from the balcony to her death. Now Fiona Forrest, one-half of the indie music band Low-Fi, has come to claim the manor after discovering that she was Emma’s secret daughter and the heir to the Woods family manor.

Fiona and her bandmate/fiancé Finn Lowenstein have agreed to be filmed as JP and Peter renovate the manor for their television show, but Fiona also has an additional request. Knowing that JP and Peter have previously solved several murders, Fiona asks the couple to investigate the mystery behind her mother’s death. In the small, very diverse and inclusive town of Pleasant Woods, everyone seems to know or be connected to everyone else, so it doesn’t take long for them to learn of Bill Woods IV’s affair with his housekeeper, possible illegitimate children, and Emma’s own secret relationships. When not investigating Peter and JP still must work on the renovation that is to debut on Halloween, this despite Finn’s disinterest in getting his hands dirty or having anything to do with the project at all. When their contractor falls off a ladder and blames it on seeing Emma’s ghost and not the beer bottles scattered around him, Peter and JP find themselves consulting a psychic along with the assortment of the 1997 partygoers who still happen to live in town.

This series is needed now more than ever, as it features a community filled with biological, adopted, and found families. Nearly everyone in Pleasant Woods is part of or adjacent to someone from the queer community, and seeing how natural and welcoming they are to one another is a genuine delight. Introverted Peter even gets drawn into a Queeraoke performance, with the Drag Mother playing a critical role in their investigation. Dogs are also a vital part of their families as well, with nearly every household a forever home for a pooch from the Home FurEver dog rescue. Nearly as important as solving a 25-year-old mystery is finding a Fur Baby for Peter’s mother, one who will fit into their family alongside JP’s and Peter’s beagle-pit mix Mr. Clyde Barker and terrier Lord Jack Strohein, aka Mr. Fuzzy Face. This is a very entertaining mystery filled with witty humor, and the skillfully plotted conclusion leaves readers more than ready for the next installment.

Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me. I didn’t realize it was the third in a series until after I started, but I’m not sure that reading the first two would have changed my opinion much.

One of the things I struggled with was the overwhelming amount of detail. The descriptions of homes, interior design, and daily routines felt repetitive and dragged on without adding much to the plot. As someone who’s #TeamCat, I found the frequent focus on the dogs distracting and, frankly, annoying. I didn’t feel like the attention on the dogs contributed to the mystery or overall story.

The multiple points of view also fell flat. Instead of building suspense, they made the story feel disjointed and diluted the tension that should have been there in solving the mystery. There were also moments where the point of view switched within a scene, which made the narrative confusing.

There was a character choice that left me uneasy—one that felt like a poorly thought-out stereotype, and it took me out of the story.

While I can see why others might enjoy this series for its cozy vibe, it didn’t hit the mark for me. That being said, I appreciate the opportunity to read an advance copy, so thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for that.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it has since come out. I'm sorry but I had just had to stop reading when I hit chapter 13. It was okay enough before that, but a completely random SA joke over "not being able to corrupt teenage boys" completely and utterly shattered any positivity about this book. It was jarring how casually this happened. Not cool.

This story was so much fun, from start to finish! I was lured in from mysterious deaths, ghost stories and family lore to the home renovation aspect of it all. It was fun and kitschy while maintaining a clue-who-done-it type of atmosphere. Some of the twists were fairly easy to see coming but that didn’t spoil the fun of it at all. I would definitely read more set in this universe.

The cover of this book is amazing, it’s what drew me to this book. Unfortunately I don’t feel the inside match the level indicated. I didn’t like the whole focus on the gayness of people, the gay bar, drag queens… it just didn’t need to be in the story. It has nothing to do with the plot, murder. Yeah, ok they’re gay, so what, move on. #HauntedtoDeath #NetGalley

thank you to netgalley for the eARC.

i was a little on edge when receiving the ARC since i didn’t know it was part of a series, but it ended up turning out okay. i was a bit iffy when reading the first chapter, but began flying through it after the third chapter. i finished it in three days, not including the day i read the first chapter.

though i really enjoyed the read, the pacing a bit strange. an example being jp and pj learn something one day, it seems like a few days have gone by and the person who’s supposed to know the information knows everything too along with having the source of the information in their possession. like when did that happen ?? it didn’t bother me too much though, it was just something i thought was an interesting creative choice.

as for the mystery itself, i love a haunted house concept. again with the strange pacing, it read like a mystery with several gaps in between each significant detail. i’m not sure if that makes much sense. as for the plot twist, i wasn’t surprised at all. i don’t really try to predict what happens next when reading, but i was able to figure it out a few chapters before the reveal. the reasoning for everything was definitely flimsy, but it was a really fun and quick read.

i might go back and read the rest of the series. it felt like a cozy mystery rather than one with thrills and jumps.

Peter and JP are back and preparing for Peter‘s first play at the local community theater. It’s an exciting time, until the b*tchy director has gone dark. The curtain may have gone down on Xander for the last time, Peter and JP and solving a murder to their already over loaded schedules. Can they solve the murder before opening night? Or will curtains be going down on them as well.

I really enjoy this series! The two main protagonist are my favorite and I love seeing them in each and every entry. This year is never gets old for me. It’s smart and well written, funny and endearing all at once. I cannot wait for the next entry in this series!

Haunted to Death is book #3 in the A Domestic Partners in Crime Mystery series by Frank Anthony Polito.

This was an enjoyable read. It had likable characters, pets, location with an interesting premise, and mystery that kept me guessing. This was the first book I’ve read in the series and I was able to read it as a stand-alone book.

Thank you to the author, Kensington Publishing, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Oooh a perfect book for scary season! I will admit, I jumped into this series blind with this book. However, it was instantly cozy and the characters was so easy to connect with that I had no problem diving right in like I was part of the crew. I am a sucker for any home reno books and shows so the combo here was great and so well written. Plus the haunted house vibes walked a perfect line of believable, but leaving room for skepticism. I love that the MCs were pragmatic without being totally dismissive of the possibility of a ghost. Also the handled Fiona with so much care as they investigated her mother's death and reveal many buried secrets. Plus they have the most adorable pooches as companions in this book and I enjoyed the side stories with their family and their doggos. Overall this was such a fun and cozy story with a shocking ending!

I wanted so badly to love this series. (I didn't realize until after I requested this ARC that it was the third in a series, so I checked the first two out of the library before reading this one.) But the overdone detail about homes/interior design that was understandable—given the protagonists' interests—and quirky in book one is tending toward tedious in book three. The overdone detail about everything else (attire, food, people's backgrounds that never became relevant, etc.) was tending toward tedious from the beginning. And in this book I noticed extensive repetition of sentences/descriptions from the earlier books that was redundant if you'd read them and spoilery if you hadn't.

The choice to present scenes from multiple POVs can be valid, but in this series it seemed to me to simply sap any tension from the "solving" of the mystery. And that's to say nothing of the occasional POV jumps within a given scene/paragraph. (Also, if my friends were as willing to suspect me of murder as these guys are to suspect their friends, I... would find different friends.)

I'm not a dog person, so I probably shouldn't opine about the dogs in this, but they read to me as poorly trained/socialized animals, which definitely isn't cute in the long run. And the way the animal shelter person handled adoptions seemed lackadaisical verging on reckless.

Having the only (I'm pretty sure) Jewish character in three books [turn out to be a bad guy driven by desire for money (hide spoiler)] was a poor choice—particularly given that his religion didn't factor into anything else whatsoever. That's in addition to the fact that there didn't seem to be anything likable about him at all, so why Fiona was with him to begin with was hard to imagine.

Overall, there were some fun ideas here, but the execution was lacking. I'm happy for the people who are enjoying this series, but I won't be back for more.

My thanks to the publisher/NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

I loved reading this book, it would be a perfect autumn / Halloween read. I haven't read the others but I will soon because this was such a good cozy mystery series.

This was a fun haunting and mystery read, with a cozy setting and fun cast. It's not typically my type of mystery, so some of the language/spelling and the ironic names weren't really my thing, but that's just a personal preference. I also found there was a lot of time spent in daily routines with the main characters' dogs when it didn't really have anything to do with the story.
I did enjoy the thrills and chills! A fun and cozy read

PJ and JP are back in this latest in a cozy series that features partners who make magic with houses-and solve mysteries. This time out, they're renovating a house where a woman died- the mother of their client Fiona, who also wants some answers about what happened 25 years ago. This moves back and forth in time to get to those but I liked it best when it focused on the characters. As I've said before, I do wish that Polito hadn't named them PJ and JP, which is cute but I get them tangled up. It's got good atmospherics and a cheery approach. Thanks to Netgalley for the ArC. A good cozy read.

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 There are three things I absolutely adore in life, dogs, home renovation shows, and spooky ghost stories. Haunted to Death somehow manages to incorporate all of these things in a cohesively brilliant fashion! If walls could talk, Woods Hall would have so many stories to tell. When Fiona discovers that she is the heir to this manor, she hires the Domestic Partners to restore this home to its original grandeur. The ghost stories are top notch; not because they are necessarily terrifying but because they are beautifully written and capture the human tragedy at the core of any good ghost stories. The lure of the old world ghostly tales paired the with modern day filming of a tv show with a humorous cast of characters makes for a wonderful dichotomy in this gripping cost ghost muster!

Review is on Goodreads and will be posted on instagram closer to publication date and on Amazon when published!