Renovated to Death Book Review: A Cozy Mystery by Frank Anthony Polito
Renovated to Death by Frank Anthony Polito is a book that caught my eye for multiple reasons. First of all, I’m a huge fan of HGTV tv shows. The idea of a cozy mystery taking place during a hit reality home renovation show is right up my alley. It’s very difficult for me to figure out a plot twist in a mystery novel. So I was excited to read this one and give it a try. Keep reading for my full Renovated to Death book review.
And if you enjoy cozy mysteries, you can read more of my cozy mystery reviews here.
What is Renovated to Death by Frank Anthony Polito About?
Real-life domestic partners and stars and producers of the new hit reality home renovation show Domestic Partners, bestselling mystery author Peter “PJ” Penwell and actor JP Broadway are enjoying work and life in their sleepy Detroit suburb of Pleasant Woods—until a suspicious death makes an unscripted appearance . . .
After a successful first season of Domestic Partners chronicling the renovation of their historic Craftsman Colonial, Peter and JP are taking on a renovation of a local Tudor Revival inherited by identical twin brothers Terry and Tom Cash. But linoleum floors and a pink-tiled bathroom aren’t the only unwelcome surprises awaiting inside the house . . .
Just as the show is set to start filming, Peter and JP discover Tom Cash dead at the foot of the house’s staircase. And when the police ruling changes from accidental death to homicide, the list of suspects grows fast. Could the killer be the crabby next-door-neighbor, the Realtor ex-boyfriend, the bartender ex-boyfriend, the other, much younger, ex-boyfriend, or even renovation-reluctant brother, Terry? And what’s that awful smell coming from the basement? Now Peter’s mystery writer skills, and JP’s experience as the former star of a cop show, will be put to the test—as will their relationship while they uncover the secrets of the house and its owners. With a killer on the loose, this is one fixer upper that may prove deadly . . . (from Amazon.com)
My Thoughts
Renovated to Death by Frank Anthony Polito is a cozy mystery featuring a gay couple. They work together fixing up houses for a reality show, called Domestic Partners. This was a really fun read, and a lot of the story felt unique. It featured elements I haven’t seen before in cozy mysteries.
I’ll be honest. I had a good idea who the murderer was. But there were so many interesting side characters with their own reasons for why they would be frustrated or angry with the deceased that it was difficult to confidently make a definitive guess.
Here are a few things I liked about this story
The main couple (JP and PJ) are very different from each other, but they work really well as a couple. That makes sense since they host a TV show together. I liked how they mostly were always on the same page and worked together to prep for their show. as well as figure out if Tom Cash’s death was truly murder or not. I imagine that part of their hit reality TV show is because their viewers enjoy their personalities and their relationship.
Although they aren’t a couple, that’s part of what I love about Hilary and David from Love it or List It. Their banter back and forth (as well as their designs and realty finds) are just so entertaining.
The Side Characters
A big part of any new series is the side characters. And part of what makes this story such a great time is JP and PJ’s group of friends. Cam especially made me laugh so if there’s a next book in the series, I hope he’s featured! He cracked me up with some of his observations. As a dog lover, it also made me happy to read about how invested he was in his rescue dog, Snoop.
And speaking of rescue dogs, it warmed my heart that a side plot of the story was about how JP and PJ were planning to rescue a dog of their own. So sweet. I loved when they had their home visit with the woman from the pet rescue and wound up killing two birds with one stone. It just so happened that she wound up revealing a lot of information that would prove to be useful as they continued to try to figure out if Tom’s death was an accident or not.
Is There Anything I Could Have Done Without?
Yes. Personally, I felt like there were way too many physical descriptions in this story. Maybe it’s just how the main character was supposed to be, but I felt like every time a character was described it felt… weird. Like the description was describing their attractiveness or whatever. It just didn’t sit right with me.
I also wasn’t a huge fan of how every character was described as first name/last name. It felt very formal. Or like when the main character would refer to his fiance as his partner or Cam as his bestie. It just felt overly descriptive. because it was done over and over again. Just say their name sometimes! It sounds too repetitive to always use a title when referring to them.
In Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed my Renovated to Death book review!
But when it comes down to it, those are just small details in the grand scheme of things. I really did enjoy this story because of its original plot and warm characters. I haven’t read a lot of cozy mysteries with gay main characters and it’s great to see more representation in the genre. I hope to read more books like this one in the future. And if there’s more books in the future, I’ll be sure to check them out. Renovated to Death was a decently fun read!
What I’d Like to see More of if there’s a Next Book:
- More of the various characters mentioned in this book
- More Cam
- More dogs! I loved the plotline of JP and PJ adopting their dog.
- More information about the town and the detroit suburbs
- More mentions of the cool restaurants, fun gay club, and drag queen karaoke
