What do you think?
Rate this book
Luella van Horn Mysteries #2
Sex on Murder Island: A Luella van Horn Mystery
Not yet published
Expected 30 Jun 26A secret island-enclave for the super rich. A dead billionaire. A one-of-a-kind detective.
"Bless Jo Firestone's quiet, mad genius."— Vulture
Marie Jones has hit rock bottom. Just three months ago, her crime solving alter-ego Luella van Horn cracked the case of a murdered contestant on the hit reality show Sex Island, but now all her gigs have dried up. Marie finds herself on the verge of eviction, broke and alone, in the midst of an August heat wave.
Then she gets a call that might change everything. Luella is asked to find evidence of a woman having an extra-marital affair. The case seems simple enough. The only hitch is that it's on Murder Island, a private island for the uber-rich just outside of New York City. But a job's a job, and maybe it'll be good to get out of town for a bit.
Just as Luella begins her investigation, the suspected paramour is found murdered. Luella soon uncovers a den of iniquity and sexual secrets that will shock the world if the news ever gets out—and if Luella gets out alive. It's her most challenging case yet, but for the first time, she finds herself not alone. She makes some friends in this one!
Murder! Sex! A boat chase on the East River! Pretty exciting stuff, huh?
"Bless Jo Firestone's quiet, mad genius."— Vulture
Marie Jones has hit rock bottom. Just three months ago, her crime solving alter-ego Luella van Horn cracked the case of a murdered contestant on the hit reality show Sex Island, but now all her gigs have dried up. Marie finds herself on the verge of eviction, broke and alone, in the midst of an August heat wave.
Then she gets a call that might change everything. Luella is asked to find evidence of a woman having an extra-marital affair. The case seems simple enough. The only hitch is that it's on Murder Island, a private island for the uber-rich just outside of New York City. But a job's a job, and maybe it'll be good to get out of town for a bit.
Just as Luella begins her investigation, the suspected paramour is found murdered. Luella soon uncovers a den of iniquity and sexual secrets that will shock the world if the news ever gets out—and if Luella gets out alive. It's her most challenging case yet, but for the first time, she finds herself not alone. She makes some friends in this one!
Murder! Sex! A boat chase on the East River! Pretty exciting stuff, huh?
240 pages, Paperback
Expected publication June 30, 2026
5 people are currently reading
369 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Received an advance copy from Netgalley. I'll be honest, I came into this as a huge Jo Firestone fan and adored the first book ao it would have taken a lot for me to give it less than 5 stars. This book is ridiculous but in a good way for me. Jo Firestone's distinct sense of humor is all over the pages and I loved it. Only thing missing was hearing her read it (I listened to the podcast reading for the first one along with reading the physical book) but maybe that will come later 🤞🤞 Can't wait for the 3rd installment!
November 17, 2025
Really great read! From beginning to the end I thought I knew exactly who the killer was but nope to my surprise I was wrong!! It was a shocker to find out who was really behind all the murders on Murder Island!! Although it’s a murder mystery it had some hilarious moments in it. The characters are great especially Betsy!! I would definitely recommend this book to all my book friends!! Overall I Loved the book and can’t wait for it to be released!!
January 16, 2026
I loved Murder on Sex Island and was absolutely thrilled when I was provided an eARC of Sex on Murder Island from the publisher/NetGalley. I was not disappointed! While the first Luella Van Horne mystery was a ton of fun and quite funny, Jo Firestone really leveled up here. The writing and editing are much better and as a result the book is much better written overall.
The central mystery about, well, sex on Murder Island (and murder on Murder Island), is more complex and engaging than its predecessor, while still being absolutely ridiculous. It’s hard to craft a page-turner of a mystery that is also genuinely funny and Firestone succeeds here. The humor ranges from quick witted one-liners to all out slapstick and almost every joke or gag hits. I also absolutely loved the introduction of Joan and Betsy and the genuine reflection on how meaningful it is to have friends rather than always trying to go it alone.
The ending was so funny and the twist/cliffhanger at the end of the epilogue already has me looking forward to a Luella Van Horne #3. Highly recommend Sex on Murder Island and think you should all buy it as soon as it comes out so Jo Firestone is able to keep this series going for a long time.
Opinions my own! TY to publisher and netgalley!!
The central mystery about, well, sex on Murder Island (and murder on Murder Island), is more complex and engaging than its predecessor, while still being absolutely ridiculous. It’s hard to craft a page-turner of a mystery that is also genuinely funny and Firestone succeeds here. The humor ranges from quick witted one-liners to all out slapstick and almost every joke or gag hits. I also absolutely loved the introduction of Joan and Betsy and the genuine reflection on how meaningful it is to have friends rather than always trying to go it alone.
The ending was so funny and the twist/cliffhanger at the end of the epilogue already has me looking forward to a Luella Van Horne #3. Highly recommend Sex on Murder Island and think you should all buy it as soon as it comes out so Jo Firestone is able to keep this series going for a long time.
Opinions my own! TY to publisher and netgalley!!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.
While Sex on Murder Island had some pretty humorous moments, the story required too much suspension of disbelief for me. The things the supporting characters don't notice or get confused by are hard to believe. The way the story wraps up is so odd and quick too... like after everyone is caught they really go to the cafe to eat together because the police just believe their story... It was too odd for me.
While Sex on Murder Island had some pretty humorous moments, the story required too much suspension of disbelief for me. The things the supporting characters don't notice or get confused by are hard to believe. The way the story wraps up is so odd and quick too... like after everyone is caught they really go to the cafe to eat together because the police just believe their story... It was too odd for me.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews