Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy of this novel.

This novel is a fun read, a British aristocrat turned detective for the NYPD ends up falling for the number one suspect in the murder of a rockstar - the rockstars band mate and lead singer.

Honestly this reminds me, in a way, of a fanfic. Which isn’t a bad thing!! There were some tropes in there (big romantic gestures, anyone?) but they were done well enough that you don’t realize at the time that you’re reading something that has been done many times before - which is a huge benefit to this novel.

He's To Die For is a quick, easy, fun read. This if the first novel by Erin Dunn that I have read. This author writes a novel that is both romantic and mysterious and also enjoyable. The two main characters, Rav, a police detective, and Jack, a musician, are well-defined. Rav is the narrator and so readers experience more of his inner personality and worries, but Jack also reveals his inner self, in phone conversations with Rav. There is sex, but it is described more vaguely as an act of love, rather than explicit casual sex, if that makes sense.

Except for the two primary characters, the many other characters are not as thoroughly described, but readers should be able to understand their motivations reasonably well. Although Rav is a NYC police detective, this mystery romance is not really a police procedural. I am recommending He's To Die For. I enjoyed it, and except for readers who are not interested in a queer romance mystery, other readers will enjoy this fast read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press / Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC for me to read and review. The above comments reflect my honest review. I enjoyed He's To Die For very much.
4 Stars

Cute book! Loved both leads - the hot detective and the hot, brooding rockstar. Aside from the murder investigation, it was pretty wholesome! ;)
I wish I had more words for this review but, simply put - if the synopsis appeals to you, you will read & love this book!

Well this was a delightful surprise. I did NOT anticipate such a sweet romance with such wonderful yearning and delicious sizzle THAT WAS SO CLEAN! I mean, there was a discussion of the sex and all of the wanting, but the actual act was completely off-page. I mean, I could feasibly put this in my high school library. I won’t, but I could.
And I LOVED the mystery! Loved loved loved it! The story moved well and the characters are rich and interesting. All just very cool and interesting and fun. Great read! 💜💜📚

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me access to this ARC! What happens when a posh, smart Brit working for the NYPD falls for a rockstar murder suspect? Read this book to find out! It’s one part murder mystery (which is not really my jam) and one part swoony queer romance (which is absolutely my jam).

I love queer books so much. I can never get enough of these books and will constantly come back for more.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy of He's to Die For by Erin Dunn. I was asked if I wanted to read this, and when I saw the description "murder cute" I thought duh!

Rav, a handsome and well-dressed NYPD detective who comes from a wealthy family, becomes involved in a murder case where one of the suspects is Jack, a striking and soulful famous musician. For Rav, stunned by his beauty at first glance, things start to get complicated. How do you successfully navigate a murder mystery while you are dying to rip the clothes off one of the main suspects?! How, I ask?? The story follows both the investigation and Rav's role in it, and his increasing desire to know Jack more personally. Mystery, intrigue, and love abound.

The character development in this story is great. Rav is so easy to root for and I loved how he was written. Mo was my favorite. Kid Kyle cracked me up. I honestly wish the book was a little longer because I felt some of the relationships and the mystery were rushed at points, but perhaps this is because the author is balancing a lot taking on both of these subjects and trying to do them both real justice. This isn't the typical two people fall in love while solving a crime together scenario, which is so annoyingly overdone. There was a lot of newness in this story that I loved.

The tone of the writing was also great. There was an air of humor that carried through the book and I found myself laughing multiple times. The first concert scene was an emotional read and I found it so accurate to how I have felt listening to live music in the past. There were so many little special moments throughout.

Some things about this story I didn't love. Parts of the narrative were clunky. As noted, the story felt rushed at times which left me skeptical of various revelations. The ending was unbelievably unrealistic which always bothers me a bit even though I know you often have to suspend disbelief in a story like this... just not this much, please.

Overall rating for really just enjoying this and feeling like it was light and fun, despite some of the heavier or more serious content at times. Gay love murder mystery ftw.

3.5 rounding up to 4.
This is definitely more mystery than romance. The twists and turns of the investigation kept me interested more than the actual romance. It comes across as somewhat instal love but I guess with a hot rockstar things move fast. The spicy scenes are sort of fade to black where you get a gist of what’s happening but not explicit details. Overall I enjoyed the characters and the story.

This author is new to me, but I will be keeping an eye out for anything else they publish. I loved the story and the characters. The pacing of the story was great and the characters were relatable.

Author Erin Dunn wrote a queer detective celebrity romance mystery that made my week. It was a mish mash of all my favorite readerly things. Thoroughly enjoyed!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

This was a fun romantic/suspense book. The premise was unique with an American/Brit NYPD detective & a rock star he's investigating for murder. There are twists & turns to the story and I didn't guess the real culprit until the reveal. It's also a steamy romance between the detective & rock star who shouldn't go together but somehow fit just right. A good summer book for some escapism!

This is a lovely, clever book that I read one afternoon as it was
raining and cold outside. I was entertained by the characters
and the Police-lite, rock music-high fun. Until there is a crime
spree that throws the cops and rock musicians together. It’s
not long before the fun begins, and rather than too much
information, just know that you’ll spend more time smiling
than worrying about who the murderer is~until you can put
the clues to work!
This is light reading, and much appreciated!
My thanks to Minotaur books via NetGalley for the
download copy of the book for review purposes.

Wow.. so I read this right after a disappointing read and it was. The redemption I needed! The mashup of a queer romance with a thriller? Hello! How awesome is that and it was done very well!

I enjoyed the queer characters/ representation and thought it was done very well with good character development. The characters read like they could walk off the page and I would know them as opposed to trying to be diverse for diversity sake.

I love that the taboo relationship due to how they met (no spoilers even though the description gives some of it) is based on getting to know each other and the building of emotional ties and isn’t the “insta love” that’s so prevalent in romance novels.

The mystery kept me engaged as the investigation took place along side the men from very different walks of life, got to know each other.

This book comes out on June 3, 2025. Perfect timing to read some entertaining and well written queer content for Pride Month.


I am thankful to have gotten the eARV for free from St Martins Press through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Thoroughly enjoyable mystery/romance. I liked that there felt like more of an equal focus on each aspect rather than being predominantly one or the other. I was sad the romance was mostly closed door but it was all well written and I enjoyed the connections the characters formed.

As a heterosexual woman, I don’t typically read same sex romances. However, the description of this story intrigued me and I was not disappointed by the storyline. Celebrity, murder, familial disappointment, anxiety, and crazed fans are all part of the story which ends in a surprising way. Definitely worth the read. Thanks to @netgalley and Erin Dunn,

This was a thoroughly enjoyable book! Rav is a very likable character, a fashionista detective with a noble background, yet he is humble and salt-of-the-earth. As rock stars go, Jack is also very personable and modest. The story was an enjoyable mix of whodunit and romance. Vanderford's murder is well constructed, with an investigation that you can logically follow - and with a conclusion that I didn't see coming! These two main characters are both best in their fields as far as personalities go, and they really seem to mesh together well. There isn't anything that screams "no, I don't think so!" - something I truly dislike in stories. And, although I typically don't read MM romances, there wasn't anything explicit that turned me off to the romance of the book. Dunn did a great job of seamlessly combining two genres without sacrificing detail in either. My sincerest thanks go to Katie Layton of St. Martin's Press (Minotaur Books) for an ARC of this book! Reading this story was a nice escape from the general atmosphere of yuck felt these days. This was a heartwarming read - something I don't usually say when it concerns a murder investigation!

Rav Trivedi is a lot of things: son of a British lord and an American model, Ivy League educated Brit with Indian heritage, nappiest dresser, youngest detective on NYPD’s homocide squad.

He’s a bit of an outsider.

When he’s assigned as lead detective to the high profile murder of a record executive, Rav is ready to prove himself. He won’t be distracted by news crews, social media, or the prime suspect, the doe eyed, tattooed, angelic voiced lead singer, Jack.

Ok…Maybe a little distracted.

But it quickly starts falling apart, both professionally and personally. Rav sees the pieces to the puzzle in front of him but can’t figure out how to put them together and a key witness/suspect keeps eluding him; and despite some amazing make out sessions in the fanciest penthouse suites, Jack seems to be giving Rav the cold shoulder when they aren’t together.

Will Rav risk his job and his reputation for the chance at love?

Described as Brooklyn 99 meets The Charm Offensive, I found myself wishing for a little bit more. I liked it but didn’t love it.

Rav is an engaging MMC - he’s unapologetic and self confident, but falling in instalove with a suspect felt wildly out of character. I also was troubled by the way Jack constantly kept Rav at arm’s length. It didn’t make sense to me, and in retrospect, I think it was meant to keep the reader guessing as to who dunnit.

I enjoyed the mix of mystery and love, the pacing was good, but it could have wrapped up more quickly. And honestly, I’m not sure I understand why the person who ultimately dunnit, dunnit.

That said, I believe this one will work for a lot of people so don’t let me dissuade you from giving it a shot.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the ARC to read and review. This one is available June 3, 2025.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

A five star read. I'm never sure what to expect from genre mashups, but this was a PERFECT blend or mystery and rom-com that got the mix just right. A swoony romance between a detective and a rock star along with a clever, page-turning mystery that kept me guessing.

He's To Die For by author Erin Dunn is her debut novel but doesn't feel like it. An Queer detective mystery with a romance between a junior Detective and a rock star.

I really enjoyed this one. I loved the main character Rav! He's a bit of a perfectionist and when it coms to solving cases he's not one to give up. He's also charming and compassionate. I just really enjoyed his character and the people he surrounded himself with. I also enjoyed our miss understood rockstar Jack. He was a sweetheart but I do wish we had been given his POV especially during those times he would ghost Rav.

The case was interesting and I liked the way it unfolded. The book was pretty evenly split with investigation and the relationship of Ravi and Jack, Their relationship is a slow burn where they build an emotional connection over long phone calls before turning physical. Steam wise I would call it low/mild steam. There's a few scenes but they aren't very detailed.

Overall, I think He's To Die For Erin Dunn is a great debut detective contemporary romance. A detective who fall for the prime suspect of his high profile case, a sensitive rock star, opposites attracting, a solid mystery, light steam, and a satisfying ending.

Equal parts rom-com and murder mystery, this was such a refreshing read! Typically, I’d avoid a mystery/romance crossover as it always feels like the two genres can’t coexist unless one is significantly compromised, however this was quite a well-blended treat.

Similarly to how the TV show Brooklyn Nine-Nine restructured the average police procedural, He’s to Die For felt like a true shakeup of the standard murder mystery novel. An NYPD detective who understands the social nuances of his title, gay characters that aren’t dramatically feminine or overly masculine, and real, honest dialogue that doesn’t feel forced – what a goldmine.

The last half of the book had me pulled between the heart-thumping murder mystery plot and the butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling of witnessing a new romance. I couldn’t get enough; I’m sincerely looking forward to seeing these characters again soon! - 4.75 stars