by Cynthia Chow

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

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 the 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 Woods IV’s inherited money, learning of his betrayal has Emma furious and 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.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copy of Haunted to Death, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “haunted” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 11, 2024. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify.

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.